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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

I am uncomfortable with some of modern Christian music expressing the idea that God is running after us because He didn’t want heaven without us…as if there’s something special about the sought-after ones, something special about this flesh.  I know they mean well, it’s just theologically hard for me to swallow.

Here’s why:  What if some of the sought-after don’t want to be found. Does God appear like a jilted lover? Unrequited love to the nth degree? Wouldn’t that also mean God pursues someone with perfect love, yet He fails because some reject His overtures? God failing?  That simply cannot be.

I get the “hound of heaven” philosophy which I’ve argued the Image of God means that God will go to extreme lengths to save any Image-bearers who repent and believe.  That’s the “hound of heaven” in mercy that I can accept. 

Why would the Image of God be the focus of that mercy?  Because there is something reckless and wasteful about creating people in His Image and then throwing that Image away because it’s broken.  Disposable reflection of His divinity isn’t God’s way.

If—as I argue–it’s about God’s Image and we all bear God’s Image (and if God isn’t picking favorites by saving only some of His Image-bearers) then why isn’t everyone saved? 

Good question with a good answer:
God’s holiness is the context of His mercy.

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Focus for Lent: God has mercy on whom He will, and it’s entirely connected to His holiness.  (See Romans 9:14-18 specifically verses 15-16, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”)

Questions for further thought:

Why might some who struggle against chronic sin in an area be saved, but others who sin in the same way without ever struggling or repenting aren’t? 

Consider the Great Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Nineveh, and the End of the Age–they stand as case examples that God will destroy wickedness, even if those individuals have the Image of God.  What difference does it make that sin is a deliberate affront rather than a struggle in the case examples above? 

Living in the wholeness, not the brokenness, we see the Image of God in us will always reject and therefore struggle against sin.  Those who live in the brokenness, dwell there, rest there, luxuriate there will always choose to extinguish the fire of their consciences willingly to continue live in darkness.  That cannot stand because of God’s holiness. Is there mercy in darkness? 

Prayer:  Lord God, Judge of the universe, please forgive me for ways I’ve lived in the brokenness, in the sin life that You so abhor!  Help me to struggle to live a righteous life, a life of faith!  In my weakness, I acknowledge that I do not have the strength at times or the presence of mind to reject the impulses that pop up when I am unprepared.  Help me to communicate the holiness of Your mercy to those who are living in chronic unrepented sin. Help me to always have a mind prepared to live by faith in Your Son Jesus Christ my 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.

As much as I hated the pop quizzes in seminary, always testing us on rather obscure specifics of Scripture in what had been our reading for the day, I must admit, it gave me a sense of awe about God’s inclusion of little details in Scripture and how their significance can be unrelated to their size.

Today, let’s look at the significance of a little piece of broiled fish.  The two men from Emmaus, having walked all that while–without knowing who they were with–were sharing with the other disciples their story of finally recognizing Him.

Luke 24: 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Might as well have said, “Boo!”  It had the same effect.

Luke 24:37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.”

Things like this just don’t happen every day.  In my mind, I would have been thinking, “Okay, this is seriously creeping me out.  It’s unreal.”  I would want to believe, it’s just there was no precedent for this kind of thing.

Luke 25:41 “They still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.” 

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Boom. 
The significance of a piece of broiled fish. 
Stop and let it sink in.

Humanity is a beautiful hybrid of the physical/flesh world and the spiritual realm…from our initial Creation. Every man, woman, and child since Adam and Eve has had that pairing.

Jesus, however, was not this way until the Incarnation.  Jesus’ point was that ghosts don’t have flesh and bones…and they don’t eat.  Beings from the spiritual realm don’t need to eat because they’re spiritual only.  Moreover, Jesus’ flesh still bore the marks of crucifixion which He held out as His identifying mark.  His ID card, as it were. He will return the exact same way He departed: fully human, fully God (Acts 1:3-11).

Focus for Lent: The pre-incarnate Christ was spiritual-only and God’s Very Image. After the Incarnation Jesus would bear true humanity forever as evidence of God’s sacrificial love displaying His Very Image.

Questions for further thought:

The difference between a ghost of the spiritual realm and flesh and blood was evidenced by His eating in their presence.  Jesus, post-resurrection, was not just spiritual like an angel, or like God the Father or the Holy Spirit.  Had Jesus abandoned His humanity like it was just a costume?  Or is He still one of us, even as the perfect man from Heaven?

What would abandoning His humanity have done for our hope?  And for us as Image-bearers?

Jesus was in a sense, Incarnated forever.  He added full humanity to His full divinity and didn’t shed humanity at His death.  Why is that important to the Image of God in us now, and how we will be in heaven?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, please help me to recognize You, to recognize the need for You to suffer, and die, and be raised on the third day.  Help me to be grateful and zealous to understand how all Scripture is fulfilled in You and that by suffering and dying for us, You have paved the way for us to be saved, too.  It’s overwhelming for us to probe the vastness of Your love and grace.  Awaken us so we will increasingly reflect more of You.  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.