Meditate on how God is Love.  Not as some superficial saying, but as profound truth.  A fountain of ever-flowing love raining down and covering you.  Let His love wash over you like a fountain that is never exhausted as you worship Him in spirit and in truth.

This year’s Lent Devotional Series “Seeing His Love with New Eyes” resumes tomorrow after today’s Sabbath rest to meditate and worship. Today, reflect on the love of our God.

Opening your eyes to the love of God (flowing from heaven to forgive others as we’ve been forgiven) is a first step to knowing and feeling God’s love. Begin by being receptive.

Jesus spoke of this in the parable of the sower.  “Jesus replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.  Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.

This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.  In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” (Matthew 13:11-16)

Exercise:  Pray about being receptive to God’s work through Jesus Christ.  Open your eyes.  See what you know from Scripture: “God is Love”.  Read it. Say it. Hear it. Understand it.  Now take it to the next level.  Allow yourself to feel what you see and understand what you hear from God’s Word. Let His love wash over you as you worship Him in spirit and truth. God is Love.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2024 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.
• Revelation in 40 devotionals for 2022 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 year’s devotionals “Created to Display His Image” explored what it truly means to be made in God’s Image and the profound significance of that fact. They are archived beginning February 22, 2023.

A covering over our eyes is like a blindfold or scales that prevent our seeing.  On the other hand, covering our hearts opens our eyes.  Let me explain:

Sin distorts everything. 
It puts blindfolds upon our eyes and plants unforgiveness in our hearts. 
Unforgiveness toward others.  Unforgiveness towards ourselves.

If you search online for “how to forgive” one of the first prompts is “yourself.” 

I’m obviously not the only one who struggles more with forgiving myself than forgiving others.  That’s because of guilt.  I know what I’ve done even if what I’ve done isn’t even sin but simple failure that I find embarrassing or regrettable.

Other people disappoint me all the time and it doesn’t faze me at all.  Disappointing myself is another issue. Why? Because I had control and decision-making. Sometimes I knew better.  Sometimes I just chose poorly.

The good news is that “Love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

Love does not cover our eyes.  It covers our hearts.  Do you know God’s love as a cover for your heart?  Have you asked Jesus for His covering you with forgiveness?

Exercise your faith:
Imagine yourself as a marshmallow or strawberry plunged into a chocolate fountain.  Now think of the chocolate as God’s love pouring inexhaustibly from heaven, covering you, flowing, flowing, flowing, never ending.  There’s always more love than is needed to cover us.  God’s abundant love covers our sin.  With sin’s scales and blindfolds covered with love, we can learn to see ourselves forgiven as God’s Image-bearers, and we can forgive our enemies because they’re made in the Image of God, too.  “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:13-14)

Join me tomorrow for how to see what you know.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2024 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.
• Revelation in 40 devotionals for 2022 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 year’s devotionals “Created to Display His Image” explored what it truly means to be made in God’s Image and the profound significance of that fact. They are archived beginning February 22, 2023.

I wonder what it might have been like for Adam and Eve. 
To walk with God with no filter, no blinders, no fear.
Wow: only total clarity. 
Adam and Eve had a before-and-after-sin in their view of God. 

It’s an amazing thought because we only have an “after view”, a veiled view of Jesus, and our total clarity view will wait until heaven.

Eating from the tree in the middle of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was forbidden.  The crafty serpent painted a different, false, and distorted view of who God is.  The serpent did not portray God as love, but instead as selfish, withholding something for His own control and power. 

In the aftermath, the issue of sin has distorted our view of God.  It has incapacitated us.  We have no capability to see God’s love unfiltered.  It’s more than we could handle as sinners in our distorted world of sin. 

Scripture tells us that fear has to do with punishment, and punishment didn’t exist prior to sin.  Adam and Eve weren’t created to be punished, but to be loved. Adam and Eve became afraid because they knew they’d sinned and feared punishment. 

In the distorted world Adam and Eve left behind,
we sin… and God punishes sin. 
We experience both fear and guilt.

But God is altogether different.
God is perfect love.  And perfect love drives out fear.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment” (1 John 4:18)

Exercise Your Faith:

Think back over a sin you know you have committed or an area where you fell short.  Why do you remember it?  Embarrassment?  Conscience?  Self-loathing at falling short and a desire for perfection?  Perfect love drives it all out.  Take that sin, visualize it, and stamp it with “God already knows. I have no fear. ‘For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.’” (Hebrews 10:14). God is faithful to forgive.

Join me tomorrow for the issue of forgiveness and its relation to seeing God’s love.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2024 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.
• Revelation in 40 devotionals for 2022 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 year’s devotionals “Created to Display His Image” explored what it truly means to be made in God’s Image and the profound significance of that fact. They are archived beginning February 22, 2023.

Try this exercise: Close your eyes.  Imagine God.  What do you see on the screen in your mind as you are honest with yourself about who you think God is?

Do you see a Being who harshly judges, throws lightning bolts, condemns people to their own desires, or exerts wrath upon everyone who won’t agree or bow a knee to Him in this very moment?  Perhaps in accordance with another tradition you see an angry God who calls you to punish infidels with torture or death unless they submit. To a far lesser degree, do you see a disapproving God because of how people live on earth and demands you do what you can to convince others of their errors?  Maybe you see an apathetic Being who created us and then left us on our own to work things out?  Is your God a Being who is so holy as to be unapproachable or conversely, beyond friendly as a very human equal buddy?  Or do you see One who overflows with grace and mercy?  These are among the ways people view God.

Now look in the mirror or use the selfie mode of your mobile phone camera.  What do you see looking back at you?  Someone who, as an Image-bearer, looks like God as you have imagined Him, or do you see someone totally different?

This devotional series for Lent, “Seeing His Love with New Eyes,”
is very personal to me.  
I wonder if it could be for you, too.

My heart wants to see the infinite love of God and always to feel loved like this, but my finite mind and conscience are an archive of 65 years on this planet, with my sinning the entire time. Maybe you would like to be free of condemnation too, and to know the love of God in new and personal ways.

We exercise many things for our health, but this exercise in our faith can do wonders for understanding God.  Begin with this exercise: Open your eyes to seeing God’s love in new ways. 

It’s not trite to say that “God is love.” (1 John 4:16)

Join me tomorrow as we see how sin has distorted our view of God.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2024 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.
• Revelation in 40 devotionals for 2022 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 year’s devotionals “Created to Display His Image” explored what it truly means to be made in God’s Image and the profound significance of that fact. They are archived beginning February 22, 2023.

Announcing Lent Devotionals for 2024, “Seeing His Love with New Eyes” which will dig deep into a personal relationship of love with our Savior Jesus Christ.  To know His love that frees us from shame.  To experience His grace that flows from His love.  Lent begins on February 14th and continues to Holy Saturday, March 30th.  I hope you’ll join me for this soul-refreshing series.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2024 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.
• Revelation in 40 was the series for Lent in 2022 and 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 year’s devotionals, “Created to Display His Image” delved into the mystery and importance of the Image of God in which every human being has been made. They are archived beginning on February 22, 2023.

Just Trust.

One of the disadvantages of living in an information age is attempting to discern the truth in a forest of ideas, facts, and popular sentiment. The Bible will never steer you wrong.

In His prayer from John 17:17-18, Jesus reminded His disciples then and His disciples today, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”

In this world, we will have confusion around us, but as long as we seek the path of His truth as a priority, we’ll grow in wisdom, see His truth, and this life will be less confusing.

“In you, LORD my God, I put my trust. I trust in You; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in You will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. Show me Your ways, LORD, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” (Psalm 25:1-5)

What’s the first priority you seek every morning?

For those of us with the world at our fingertips through smart phones we use as alarm clocks, it’s way too easy to have a first priority be something other than God. Maybe a priority for the New Year could be to seek the Lord, call on Him, turn to the Lord, and ask for His mercy upon your day, your household, your family, your friends, your nation, your world, and your life. He is still near. He still faithful.