The Bible isn’t like any other book on your shelf.  It is life itself. Sometimes people use a BIBLE acronym standing for “Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth.”  I can’t help but think that Jesus must have viewed His Word that way.

He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life … Image-bearing and Word-honoring and Life-Giving.  He is the Word of God made flesh, and He proved in His last words upon this earth that He meant every word of it when He gave us instruction about His Word.

Deuteronomy 32:45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you– they are your life. 

John 6:63 The words I have spoken to you– they are full of the Spirit and life.

Knowing He was going to die, He honored the Fifth Commandment for His mother Mary and His Father God.  He made sure His mother was cared for in the tradition of the Jews as He was the oldest of Mary’s sons.  Jesus’ other family members thought He was out of His mind, so Jesus reached out to a true brother, one who loved, a faithful disciple.

“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” John 19:26-27.

Focus for Lent: Seeing the high value Jesus placed on obeying Scripture, aim to do the same in your life.

Questions for further thought:

If Jesus describes His Word as full of the Spirit and life, why do so many dismiss the Bible as no longer relevant or worth obeying?

Do we view all Ten Commandments as God’s actual Commandments or just helpful suggestions?  Is it easier to obey the “table” Commandments 1-5 or the ones pertaining to our treatment of our fellow Image-bearers (Commandments 6-10)?  View the Commandments in Exodus 20.

Do you ever feel like obeying 1-5 is more important than obeying 6-10?

Prayer: Father God, please help me to remember that all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that we might be equipped for every good work as Your servants.  Help me to realize that it is unhelpful and wrong for my picking and choosing among Your Word, treating it like a buffet instead of like Your clear instructions for how to live.  Please forgive me Lord.  I pray that You will renew a strong desire in me to honor Your Word in all things.  They are words of life, words of power, and words of truth!  Thank You for Jesus who is the Word made flesh.  Thank You for His sacrifice.  Help me to appreciate all these things at all times, Lord.  I humble myself with an attitude of gratitude during this Holy Week and always for the great things You have done! Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

Most of us know the famous quote attributed to Alexander Pope,
“To err is human, to forgive is divine”.

As He hung on the Cross, Jesus—the Very Image of God being crucified for us—displayed not just His humanity but also His full divinity.  Reaching out to the Father in a prayer, Jesus cried out loud, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Focus for Lent:  If God’s perfect revelation of Himself in the person of Jesus Christ is any indication, being forgiving is an aspect of the Image of God. 

Questions for further thought:

Back in Exodus 33, God states that He will proclaim His Name to Moses.

Exodus 33:19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion…Exodus 34: 5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

In the attributes of God, we see His Image.  Forgiving is there, balanced with justice.  Why is forgiveness alone less than God’s Image? What would it say about God’s holiness if blanket forgiveness stood alone? If God gave a pass on sin?

As Image-bearers should we be any less forgiving than the One whose Image we bear?

How does trust in God allow us to forgive with the assurance He will not leave the guilty and those who harm us unpunished?

Prayer: Father, thank You that You are a forgiving God. I ask, Lord, that You would help me to be more forgiving because we’re supposed to forgive others as we have been forgiven. It can be hard, Lord, for us to look outside ourselves and remember that at the end of the day, You will always be faithful, and that vengeance is Yours. As we continue in Holy Week, may we remember what Jesus endured and His heart of forgiveness. Even being in agony and dying, He forgave. Lord, the heart of forgiveness You have for Your Image-bearers is beyond our fathoming, that kind love that would save us though it cost the crucifixion of Your One and Only Son. Oh, Lord, that His life would be the price He would pay for our redemption, we humble ourselves and fall upon Your mercy. Thank You for our Lord Jesus Christ! We glorify His holy Name. Amen.

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

This year’s Lent Devotional Series “Created to Display His Image” resumes tomorrow after today’s Sabbath rest to meditate and worship. Today, reflect on the Messiah as we enter Holy Week.

As Image and Spirit-bearers,
we have assurance that nothing/no one can
or ever will be able to snatch us out of the hands
of the One who Created and Redeemed us.

“My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:27-28)

No one.  This is the beauty of the finished work of Christ:  Assurance.  Confidence.  Unshakable.  Unchangeable.  Carved in stone.  Permanent.  Enduring.  Eternal.

As Jesus was hanging on His Cross, two criminals were on either side of Him, both hanging, each on his own cross for his own crimes.  One criminal next to Him persisted in abuse.  The other saw what justice looked like with the other criminal and himself, comparing himself to sinless Jesus who was on a cross unjustly, and he decided mercy was better.  He asked Jesus to remember him when Jesus came into His Kingdom.  

Both criminals were about to meet their Maker.  Only one saw justice but pleaded for mercy.  For such a response, Jesus said among His final words upon this earth, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Jesus said it and that was assurance of the highest order…for one criminal only. 

John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you– they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.  65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

Focus for Lent:  Somehow in the moment of faith and repentance, one criminal became a faith-filled Spirit-bearer.  What about you?

Questions for further thought:

In what way is the crucifixion scene a portrait of two choices: one to mock, deride, and dismiss versus repenting and believing?

How does justice fail to benefit the sinner the same way that mercy does?  What does justice give a criminal?  What does mercy offer?

Jesus gave words of assurance.  How does the indwelling Holy Spirit give us the same assurance?  Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession– to the praise of his glory. (see also 2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we praise You and thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit, the seal of Your ownership of us.  We ask Lord that You would make us more and more responsive to Your Spirit’s conviction and compelling every day.  Bring forth in us the fruit of the Spirit so that we would be a beautiful fragrance of Christ to those who need mercy instead of justice.  Thank You, Lord, for Your word … words of truth, ancient words of life, fulfilled words in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

When Jesus comes to rapture His Church, we will bear His Image and we will have His Spirit.  The two together are the determinant of those heaven-bound.  That’s how He recognizes who will be raptured. Image and Spirit. There’s no favoritism here at all because the Holy Spirit will be given to anyone who repents and believes.

.

Luke 11:9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Focus for Lent: Recognition of being more than Image-bearers as Christians.  We are Spirit-bearers.

Questions for further thought:

Have you ever been cut to the heart over what Jesus’ crucifixion means for you?  Acts 2:37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”   38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

To be Image-bearers and Spirit-bearers are both acts of God.  There is nothing we can do to give ourselves God’s Image or His Holy Spirit.  We simply need a heart to receive. Acts 2:39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off– for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words [Peter] warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”

Take a moment to consider modern culture. How do you save yourself from this corrupt generation? Protest? Pile law upon law? Lockdown? Surrender to it? Redefine corrupt as normal?

Jesus’ Return is imminent even though we do not know the day or hour.  
There are only three things you can do: Repent, Believe, and Ask to be saved.

Prayer: Father God, we look around this world and are appalled at the corruption, at the violence, at the decadence, deviance, and destruction that we are wreaking upon this world and ourselves. Murder of school children occurs and yet Your people are silent. It is appalling. Give us a sense of shame and righteous anger that we are letting a corrupt system set criminals free to commit new crimes, excuse evil and aberrant behavior to be propagated to another impressionable generation by our silence, and that we do not protect what is godly, righteous, and know to be true. Lord, I implore You to wake up our Christian leaders to vocal leadership or publicly shake them out. If they will not stand for the truth, let them not stand in leadership. Cast them down and let another rise in their place. We know that no one can save us apart from Christ Jesus. We ask, Lord, that You would bring quick, authentic repentance in the hearts of those yet to come into the Kingdom so that You would return soon, Lord. We’re watching and waiting and speaking up where we can. We desire to be found faithful when You return. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

God sees value in His Image-bearers.  But sometimes people decide instead to attribute motives to God that do not exist.  Looking through their lens of sinful humanity, they think God must be a narcissist, that it’s all about getting people to worship Him.  Or that He selfishly wants all the glory to and for Himself. 

Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Yes, He deserves worship and gets the glory, but His motives are perfectly holy.  God looks at sinful humanity and sees worth and value inherent in His Image reflected back at Him.

When we are growing to be like Jesus, authentically bearing His Image, we will see value in others and want to see their value set free to be the fullest it can be. 

This is the kind of value Jesus saw in others.  It’s what He saw in Zacchaeus. 

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Luke 19:1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was,
but Jesus also wanted Zacchaeus to see … who Zacchaeus was. 

Luke 19:5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”   6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

Not everyone sees the value in others. 

Luke 19:7 All the people saw this and began to mutter,
“He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

Seeing Zacchaeus’ repentance and restitution, Luke 19:9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Focus for Lent: Make a point of seeing the Image of God in others and knowing the priceless value God bestowed upon them.

Questions for further thought:

Read James 3:9-1. How does seeing the value in others speak to this passage? James 3:9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and saltwater flow from the same spring? 

How well do you see value in others the way Jesus did? How does seeing the valuable Image of God in people drive home the response we should have to tragedies like mass shootings?

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, help me to love the things You love, honor the things You honor, respect the things You respect, and value the things that You value.  Teach me to be more like You every day.  May the power of Your Holy Spirit continue to refine me and finish the good work that You began in me.  I praise You and thank You that You saw value in me before I ever knew it myself. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

Making the truth known is part of the Image of God for humanity.  What was at one point concealed is now being made known.  As Christians, we don’t need to be afraid of the truth…of speaking the truth, of believing the truth, of living the truth, or loving the truth.

Truth is a person, and His Name is Jesus.

Matthew 10:24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! 26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.”

Jesus was unafraid of the truth and was unaffected in His pursuit of the truth by any insults, accusations, or persecutions.  Jesus carried the truth to the Cross, to the grave, and to the clouds as the Risen One.

Focus for Lent: Repent of any ways we’ve been ashamed of the truth or unwilling to share it.

Questions for further thought:

A look at recent headlines show the assault upon the truth.  What reasons do Christians have to be brave in our relentless holding of the line on truth?

Can you think of an instance last week in your life where you heard someone say something you knew to be adverse to the truth?  What did you do?

In the parallel to today’s passage from Luke, it says, “Luke 12:1 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.”

Why do you think Jesus began to speak first to His disciples?

Luke 12: 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

Why do people say things behind closed doors or in secret that they think no one will ever hear? Do Google, Alexa, or your smartphone hear?

How is this connected to proclamation and boldness, a freedom from fear? 

See Luke 12: 4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 8 “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. 9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God.

What is the right kind of fear to have?

Prayer: Lord, please help me to be bold and to share your Good News with a world in need.  Help me to realize that anything spoken in private is never hidden from You.  Help me to be transparent and honest, full of integrity in my life.  Thank You, Lord, that You know all things.  You are gracious and compassionate.  You forgive us our sins and we are grateful.  Lord, we repent of ways in which we’ve let fear dictate our lives and be the little god we fear, instead of You.  Please forgive us, Lord, and strengthen us anew for the battles to come. For your glory. Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

If a recent look at the comments to Franklin Graham’s post on Twitter are any indication, Satan (who wants as many traveling buddies to hell as he can get) …well, he’s going to have plenty of company.  People seriously, arrogantly, and loudly proclaiming that they think that hell is going to be better than heaven … if earthly “Christians like Franklin Graham” are heaven-bound. 

Wow. If only they knew how much they’ve diminished both heaven and hell by that assumption.  Imperfect people from earth will be headed to both eternal destinations, but only the ones in heaven will have been forgiven as Image-bearers … and that’s only because Jesus had the mindset of serving.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

Furthermore, every Twitter tweeter is imperfect, but they miss this important point: imperfect Christians on earth will be transformed to perfection in that day because Jesus was the ransom for many. 

1Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.

Many Image-bearers will be ransomed, but sadly and importantly, not all.
Therefore, think about it: 
Hell—and only Hell—will be the eternal abode of the forever imperfect.

Focus for Lent: Gratitude for Jesus’ paying the price for our sin. Repent and believe this Good News.

Questions for further thought:

If Christians are as bad as these Twitter tweeters claim, why won’t they be in hell?  There are two answers here.  (1)  First, how about that amazing grace of God in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ?  And (2) if they’re not as bad as tweeters’ claims, what does that say about the Twitter tweeters and their presumptions, prejudices, and predictions?

Repeat after me: Hell is not an eternal dance party with salsa music.  Hell is not an eternal dance party with salsa music… 

What makes people think hell is not so bad?

Prayer: Lord God, please forgive us for believing any delusions our adversary hints about hell. On the affirmative, help us to teach Hell exactly as You portray it in Scripture.  Forgive us for thinking that imperfect people should be enough to keep us from the greatest gift You could ever give: Your Son Jesus Christ.  He paid the highest price to give us eternal life with You, not because You play favorites or we’re anything special, but because You are gracious.  Remind us that Your Image in humanity sets us apart within Your Creation. We, having been created for Your glory, will see Your love magnified, over again, as part of this beautiful Image in us.  We praise You that we are wonderfully made and lovingly redeemed. Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

Last time in our devotional series, “Created to Display His Image”, we talked about the mercy of God in the context of His holiness.  In Christ, God has made a way for Image-bearers to be redeemed displaying love and mercy without sacrificing any of His holiness! 

In fact, that’s why He delays His Return.  He’s waiting patiently for all who will enter to come in.  His Image-bearers will not be lost without having had opportunity to be saved. 

Isaiah. 43:16 This is what the LORD says– he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: 18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

In fact, Jesus’ mindset of submission and obedience to the Father is part of how He displays God’s Very Image.  He finished the work God gave Him to do (John 17:4). He followed God’s will to the end, even if He felt in His humanity the significant suffering He was about to undergo and prayed about any other way (Luke 22:40-46).  There wasn’t. 

Focus for Lent:  God went to extreme lengths to rescue His Image-bearers.

Questions for further thought:

Being so far removed from a first century Crucifixion, we have no true sense for how much Jesus (God’s Very Image) suffered and died so that the wrath God has toward sin in us (as His Image-bearers) would be paid in full.  Was there any other way for God to save His Image-bearers, even a few of them?

What does that tell you about Adam and Eve’s breach of God’s command and God’s holy wrath against sin?  Do we take sin that seriously?

When we read about the path to heaven being narrow and Jesus’ being the Way, how does the no-other-way than the suffering and death of God’s Very Image explain why no other way measures up?

Prayer: Thank You, Father, that You would make a Way for us in the Person of Your Son Jesus Christ.  Remind us anew that Your holiness demands perfection, and Jesus’ sacrifice was perfect.  We do not understand this kind of love, but we offer our gratitude this day that Jesus did understand this love…and He was faithful as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  We magnify Your Holy Name.  Amen.

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

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This year’s Lent Devotional Series “Created to Display His Image” resumes tomorrow after today’s Sabbath rest to meditate and worship. Today, rest in the mindset of the Messiah.