And so, as I have dug deeper into the gospel (good news) over the years, I have been impressed over and over and more deeply with the bad news. And understanding the gravity of the bad news, makes the good news even better.
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Both the admonition about the scribes and the story of the widow’s mite are very familiar to me. But I’ve never looked at them together as the part of the same “thought.”
Our Lent Bible reading this morning (40 Days of Lent in YouVersion) this morning was on Matthew 22:34-46. Yesterday it was verses before that where the Sadducees had tried to trap Jesus and failed miserably.
Can anyone else see the Pharisees rejoicing that the Sadducees had been stumped by Christ and then crowding around each other to decide the question they were going to ask? Doesn’t it seem like they thought sure they get the job done? The stumping, I mean.
And so He aimed right at the heart, rather than the intellect, and reminded them of love. Not just the first of the 10 commandments, but the Shema which they had been reciting since they were old enough to talk.
Prayer
Lord, in these days of darkness when all seems so bleak…
In these days when there are some vast chasms between opinions about morality in our country…
In these days when we feel embattled coming out of a pandemic and into inflation and fear of war
Help US to focus on loving you because you first loved us. Loving others because of your love for us.
Thank you for Christ’s example of love for us and the price He paid to set us free to love.
Help us be good stewards of your love.
Do You Know God’s Love?
If you’ve not experienced God’s love personally - you can! Reach out here because I would love to share with you personally!
Lord, as I think of Ukraine and Russia’s barbaric actions I think of:
Darkness - things must seem so dark for everyone.
- Those who have left their homes to go to an unknown land
- Those who remain in their homes without power and other necessities
- Those mothers in the rubble of a hospital that was bombed yesterday
- Those children who are even more confused and traumatized than parents
- Those sheltering in subway stations
- Those in neighboring countries overwhelmed by trying to help those pouring into their country for safety
- Innocent Russian citizens who are appalled at their leader’s actions
- President Zelensky as he leads
- Foreign aid workers
- Citizens of other countries unable to make contact with family or dear friends in the areas of attack
- Allied leaders trying to navigate the decision-making process in unity to take swift but wise action
Yet you are the light. You are the way. You are the truth. You are the life. You are the great comforter and reliever of burdens. You are sovereign and all-powerful to defeat the oppressor and bring life and light to a nation - and a world - in turmoil.
We trust in you to bring about all that you have planned. We pray that you would deal with those who have only evil in mind in a way that makes their actions seem like child’s play.
Would you raise up godly leaders in every nation that will advocate for your plan and bring relief to this greatly downtrodden people?
Praise you for your goodness and what you are doing that we cannot see.
In Christ’s name, amen.
A Great Wellness Activity
Bible Study is a great wellness activity. There is nothing better than being in God’s word to know Him better and to understand His view of you and His plan for you.
Do You Need a Place to Start?
I love the YouVersion verse of the day to get my day started. Many devotions that start with a scripture or two are a great place to start a more in-depth study. I encourage you NOT to use a devotion as your only Bible reading in a day. Spend some time actually studying or meditating on it to really take in the word over the thoughts of a writer.
Today I was prompted by the verse of the day to dig into the whole passage from which John 15:5 comes. It is RICH.
Pray First
Don’t skip that important step of asking God to guide you through the Holy Spirit to what He has for you in the passage - no matter what you’re studying.
Dig In
Can I challenge you today to find the following things?
- References to Jesus and His role
- References to God and His role
- Imperatives (commands; “do this”) for those in Christ
- Repeated words/phrases
- Specifically how many times is the word “abide” used?
- How many references to bearing fruit?
- What are the benefits listed of abiding in Christ?
I’m a highlighter/underliner/circler so I would save this photo, open my photo editor and use the pen to mark my thoughts. But do whatever works for you.
Review the Treasures
Look back over your notes. What stood out to you today? Is there anything you hadn’t picked up on before? Did you get a clearer picture of God and Christ?
Now What?
What would the Lord have you do with what you’ve learned? Is He challenging you to bear more fruit? Abide more in Him? Take more joy in abiding? Praying expecting Him to answer?
We’d love you to share! Let us know how the Holy Spirit spoke to you through this study today!
