Full Disclosure (Lent 31, 2023)

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.