Jennifer A

Psalm 78 is commonly known as one of thirteen teaching psalms, which are often identified by the Hebrew title, Maskil, which means instruction, contemplation, or wisdom song. In Psalm 78 we see that Asaph, who was a worship leader from the Tribe of Levi, retells of Israel’s history as a way to teach future generations. We are keeping with the theme of yesterday’s devotion, as we saw Stephen used Israel’s history, in Acts 7, as a way to teach the Council, and future generations, of God’s glory. Today, in verses 17-20, Asaph reminds us of Israel’s rebellion and their worries, fears, and frustrations that all led to their doubt of God in the wilderness. He goes on in verses 52-55 to contrast as he reminds us of God’s faithfulness as the Good Shepherd to His people.

Friends, if I am being completely transparent, I have been like Israel and have wrestled with worries, even after witnessing God’s tremendous faithfulness as the Good Shepherd within my life. I can tell you that I love Jesus with my whole heart, yet recently I have wrestled with my human worries rather than trusting faithfully, at all times, in the One Who wants to take those worries from me. So, what do I do? Well, Lent is the perfect season for me and Jesus to firmly hold hands, as it is for you and Jesus, too. I know Jesus invites me to release my worries to Him all of the time, but in this particular season it all began with Satan tempting Jesus in the wilderness, and so I know that Jesus understands my wilderness of worries right now, just as He understands exactly where you find yourself. So, I’m going to surrender to the Shepherd as I walk in daily reflection, repentance, and renewal, and I invite you to do the same. Remember, Lent is a time for us to allow Jesus to work within our hearts, so He can take what we need Him to take, and He can bring healing to each one of us.

Please join Pastor Mary as she beginning her 40-Day Lenten Devotional series tomorrow and I encourage you to not miss a day. Also, come tomorrow night to the Ash Wednesday Service, February 18, 2026, at 7 p.m. – 9398 Oakhurst Road, Seminole, FL 33776. Together, let’s remember the freedom that we have in Christ which is not the absence of our times in the wilderness, rather a time for us to reflection, repent, and seek renewal as we invite the faithful Shepherd in so He can lead us through our wilderness. Be sure to come to worship on Sundays at 9:45 a.m. during this Lenten season. It has been such a privilege to spend time with you through these devotions over the last few weeks. With much love and many blessings, Jen Auer.

Psalm 78:17-20, 52-55 (NLT)

17 Yet they kept on sinning against him,
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They stubbornly tested God in their hearts,
demanding the foods they craved.
19 They even spoke against God himself, saying,
“God can’t give us food in the wilderness.
20 Yes, he can strike a rock so water gushes out,
but he can’t give his people bread and meat.”

52 But he led his own people like a flock of sheep,
guiding them safely through the wilderness.
53 He kept them safe so they were not afraid;
but the sea covered their enemies.
54 He brought them to the border of his holy land,
to this land of hills he had won for them.
55 He drove out the nations before them;
he gave them their inheritance by lot.
He settled the tribes of Israel into their homes.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being our faithful Shepherd. Please forgive us when our wilderness moments cloud our trust in You. Holy Spirit, we need Your daily guidance, wisdom, and discernment. We especially need You as our Holy Guide through our places of uncertainty. Jesus, we want to be closer to You this Lenten season. Help us to surrender to You, to lay down our burdens, to and to embrace repentance as we welcome a revived spirit in You, Jesus. Please continue to allow us to rest in the freedom that we have in You, Jesus, as we take each step in obedience, trust, and faithfulness. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

In Acts 6 we learn that Stephen was one of the first seven deacons of the early Church. He was faithful and wise. In Acts 7, we witness Stephen boldly addressing the Council, which was made up of religious leaders. During his address, Stephen retold Israel’s history in an effort to make a point that God’s presence is not limited to a temple. Stephen wanted the religious leaders to experience God’s glory. But he also knew that much like Israel’s repeated rejection of God, His messengers, and of Jesus the Messiah, these religious leaders would miss their moment for a transformative encounter with God. As the religious leaders were filled with rage from Stephen’s address, Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit, and God’s glory was revealed. Stephen told the religious leaders, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” (v. 56). The religious leaders did not look up, rather they put their hands over their ears, and they began shouting; and this took places moments before they stoned Stephen to death. (v. 57-58)

Today’s passage is the part of Stephen’s address to the Council where he recalls Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush. The religious leaders might have missed God’s message through Stephen, but we need to grab ahold of it. Just as the glory of God called Moses to humbly accept his position within God’s Family and for His Kingdom, our freedom in Christ calls us to the same place of humble acceptance within God’s Family and working for the glory of His Name and His Kingdom. God told Moses to take off his sandals, because He needed Moses to embrace the holy position that he was going to walk out for God. God was going to use Moses to free His people from oppression. Friends, God invites us to “holy ground” moments every day. We need to embrace the holy position that God has for us to walk out.

Acts 7:30-34 (NLT)

30 “Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he went to take a closer look, the voice of the Lord called out to him, 32 ‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and did not dare to look.

33 “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 34 I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now go, for I am sending you back to Egypt.’

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the freedom we have in You. Holy Spirit help us to have courage like Stephen and Moses. We want to grow in our faith walk with You, Jesus, and to be guided by Your wisdom. We bow our hearts to You as we walk out this day with humility and on holy ground. We ask for more hearts to encounter You, and if You need to use us today, we are willing vessels for You, Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Alicia Britt Chole, in her book, anonymous, reminds her readers that while only 10% of an iceberg is visible, as much as 90% of the iceberg remains under water, unseen, and is the portion of the iceberg that makes it virtually indestructible. Chole goes on to compare the most influential Life in all of history to that of an iceberg, Jesus. As she states, ninety percent of Jesus’ earthly life was spent in obscurity, while ten percent was spent in the public eye. Yet, all of His life was, and still is, absolutely indestructible. Jesus’ “invisible or hidden” years were equally as important to His “visible or unhidden” years. It is often within the invisible and hidden places of lives where God is able to birth spiritual greatness.

In Hebrews 11 we see much of Moses’ early life. Many of the decisions that were made for Moses’ life, by his parents, and by himself in early adulthood, were done out of obedient faithfulness of Moses’ parents and Moses, himself, to God. These decisions were made in obscurity and were the building blocks that ultimately led to Moses’ public ministry and great leadership of God’s people. Moses’ parent and Moses knew that every decision they made had to be for God and ultimately about God.

The freedom we have in Christ has nothing to do with our earthly status, the comforts of this world, or really about ourselves. Rather, much like Moses and his parents, our freedom in Christ should be about our obedient choice to walk by faith with Jesus and not to align with this world and all of the world’s securities. We need to fixate our hearts and lives on what is eternal, and that is Jesus, not on what is fleeting and temporal, and that is this world. Our freedom in Christ is sustained by our faith in Christ. We need to value Jesus above all else and thus our obedience, much like Moses, allows God to reveal His power in and through us, as He sees fit, and as He need it to work for His glory.

Hebrews 11:23-28 (NLT)

23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.

24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the hidden seasons of our lives. Please forgive us for being impatient during these times. Holy Spirit, please strengthen our obedience during the hidden seasons so that our faith can be sharpened and we can grow closer to You. We want to grow in Your wisdom so that we value eternity over this temporal realm called earth. May our hidden and unhidden places bring You eternal glory, Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

It’s important for us to recognize that God states “I am the LORD” four times and “I will” seven times in today’s passage. Here’s a breakdown of what God said, of where He said it, and we will dig deeper into why He said it:

“I am the LORD” – Verse 2
“I am the LORD” – Verse 6
“I am the LORD” – Verse 7
“I am the LORD” – Verse 8

“I will free you” – Verse 6
“I will rescue you” – Verse 6
“I will redeem you” – Verse 6
“I will claim you as my own people” – Verse 7
“I will be your God” – Verse 7
“I will bring you into the land” – Verse 8
“I will give it to you” – Verse 8

When God said “I am the LORD” four times, He was claiming His eternal authority over all of heaven and earth, and especially in comparison to Pharaoh’s momentary earthly power over the Israelites as they were still being held in captivity as slaves when God spoke this message to Moses.

God goes on to say “I will” seven times, and these were not mere statements, they were covenant calls to action. God was telling Israel, through Moses, that He was going to fulfill His divine plan by upholding His covenant promise that He made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and to their descendants (Israel). God was telling the Israelites that He will free them from the Egyptians, He will rescue them from slavery, He will redeem them, He will claim them as His people, He will be their God, He will bring them to the land of Canaan, and He will give the land to them.

In verse 9, we see that the Israelites were too discouraged and focused on their immediate circumstances in bondage to receive from Moses God’s message of faithful hope through redemption.

Friends, we need to grab a hold of the freedom we have in Christ at all times. By our faith, this freedom must be active. When we are wholeheartedly and actively trusting God, we can see His promises. We cannot allow this world or our circumstances to turn off our active trust in God. No matter what is happening, God’s message of faithful hope through the redemption we have in Christ Jesus is never changing and ETERNAL. We ARE freed, rescued, redeemed, claimed as God’s people, and He is our God. We CANNOT fall into verse 9, because we do not want to miss all of the freedom that God has for us.

Exodus 6:2-9 (NLT)

2 And God said to Moses, “I am Yahweh— ‘the Lord.’ 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai— ‘God Almighty’—but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them. 4 And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners. 5 You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of my covenant with them.

6 “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. 7 I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. 8 I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!’”

9 So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the great I AM, and we bow our hearts to Your authority. Holy Spirit, please continue to lift our spirits when our circumstances are heavy and we feel discouraged. Please bring to our remembrance, Your unchanging promises, hope, and eternal love. As we stand in our freedom that can only be found in You, Jesus, we want to grow in our faith and oneness with You. Thank You for being our God and for guiding us today to share Your love with someone else. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

This is our third devotion, in a row, where we acknowledge and celebrate the Light of Christ.

Image it’s sometime in the fall, around AD 29, and you are in Jerusalem preparing to celebrate Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. You are in the temple court attending a nightly ceremony where lots of lamps light up the temple complex. The lamps are placed as a reminder of God’s guidance during Israel’s wilderness journey and the pillar of fire that led God’s people by night (Exodus 13:21). As you are gazing at the bright lights you hear, see, and experience Jesus’ teaching in the treasury, a large public courtyard within the temple complex where men and women gather, and Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

It is Jesus’ statement about being the light of the world that is where we find our true freedom in Christ. Our freedom is not the absence of darkness, rather it is in the very presence of Jesus, and allowing His light to be at the center of absolutely every aspect, place, and moment of our lives. When we chose to follow Jesus, we chose to allow His light to guide our path, even when it’s hard, even when we cannot understand it, and even when it is costly.

In this passage, we see that Jesus affirms His authority in response to the Pharisees by connecting Himself to the Father as One. Just as the Pharisees could not see that Jesus was God’s Son, many do not know Jesus now. We must pray for the Light of the world, Jesus, to be revealed to hearts, because those who do not follow Him will remain in darkness. The Light of the world, Jesus, leads us into eternal life with Him.

John 8:12-20 (NLT)

Jesus, the Light of the World

12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

13 The Pharisees replied, “You are making those claims about yourself! Such testimony is not valid.”

14 Jesus told them, “These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me. 15 You judge me by human standards, but I do not judge anyone. 16 And if I did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me. 17 Your own law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact. 18 I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other.”

19 “Where is your father?” they asked.

Jesus answered, “Since you don’t know who I am, you don’t know who my Father is. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.” 20 Jesus made these statements while he was teaching in the section of the Temple known as the Treasury. But he was not arrested, because his time had not yet come.

Prayer: Jesus, we cannot thank You enough for shining into the dark places of this world. We want to continue to follow You, so please allow the Holy Spirit to light the path that You have for us. Help us to center our lives in You. We pray for those who do not know You, Jesus. Please soften their hearts, open their spiritual ears, and eyes to see You, the One Who is Truth and the Light of the world. We love You, Jesus, and ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

The first verse of yesterday’s passage reminded us that God’s Word is a lamp to guide our steps, and His light illuminates the righteous path that He has planned for us (Ps. 119:105). In today’s passage, Paul reminds us that as believers, Jesus’ light shines in our hearts. Unfortunately, unbelievers struggle to see Jesus, Who is the glorious light of the Good News.

Paul goes on to describe believers as “jars of clay” who carry the treasure of the Good News. As God’s jars of clay, we were created to withstand the pressures and darkness of this world. But that cannot happen apart from Jesus. The freedom that we have in Jesus, means that we are jars that contain God’s powerful light, and that light shines brightly because of our faithful endurance to the One Who is the Light of the World, Christ Jesus. All glory for this treasure needs to be given to Jesus.

Friends, I started a new book for one of my classes, anonymous, by alicia britt chole. I did not capitalize the title or the author’s name, and that is because both are not capitalized in the book. I have read quite a bit so far, and this is another book that I absolutely love. I am sure that I will share more with you over the week, but for now a quote from one of the author’s mentors resonated with me as I was reading our passage for today’s devotion. Chole’s mentor said, “I feel that trials do not prepare us for what’s to come as much as they reveal what we’ve done with our lives up to this point.”

Today, we have a choice to fully live in the freedom of Christ, and to walk along the path that the Holy Spirit is illuminating for us, or we can choose to walk alone in the darkness of this world. Either way, we need to remember that our choices are built on one another. Our greatest freedom is that our newly created lives point to Jesus, because we are building our new lives on Him, the Cornerstone of our faith and existence. We want to make sure that our lives, even during the trials of life, reveal Christ’s life, light, and love. Our lives should always point to Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4:1-7 (NLT)

Treasure in Fragile Clay Jars

1 Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. 2 We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.

3 If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. 4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

5 You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for allowing Your light to shine in our hearts. We are Your jars of clay, and apart from You, we are weak. Holy Spirit, please continue to fill us with Your light, and help us walk in the freedom of Your love. We want to choose You, Jesus, over darkness. So, during life’s trials and times when we are weak, please release Your life and power in and all around us. We want all that we endure to point to You, our Cornerstone, and eternal glory. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Most of you may know that Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, it contains 176 verses, those verses are divided into 22 stanzas, and each stanza is titled with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet.

The title of today’s passage is the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Nun, which generally signifies life, faithfulness, or humble perseverance. This letter fits perfectly into our devotionals and Bible study from last week. The freedom that we have in Christ allows us to connect to God’s Word, which by our faithfulness, is a lamp that guides the divine path that God has for each one of our lives.

On Friday, I finished up Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, by Peter Scazzero. Chapter 8 – Go the Next Step to Develop a ‘Rule of Life’, Loving Christ Above All Else, which is the final chapter that invites believers to do exactly what the title says, “develop a Rule of Life”. A Rule of Life is something that we, as believers, humbly and intentionally benefit from creating with God. It’s basically a daily plan that nurtures our oneness with Christ. Scazzero guides us to look at life through four broad categories – Prayer, Rest, Work and Relationships. Under each of these categories is where we place everything within our lives. If we stick to the Rule of Life, it is a framework of spiritual rhythms that help us to remain rooted in Christ in every category and every aspect of our lives. The goal is as we grow emotionally and spiritually more mature in our oneness with Christ, we are freely living our faith in every aspect of life and during every season.

The psalmist guides us to see that the freedom we have in Christ is a daily choice that we have to remain obedient in our faith, and to preserver in humility. In these eight verses, the psalmist wants us to hold onto Truth, to endure in our faithfulness by the fruits of the Spirit, and to steadfastly depend on God in every aspect of our life – which developing and following a Rule of Life can help tremendously.

Psalm 119:105-112 (NLT)

Nun

105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.
106 I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again:
I will obey your righteous regulations.
107 I have suffered much, O Lord;
restore my life again as you promised.
108 Lord, accept my offering of praise,
and teach me your regulations.
109 My life constantly hangs in the balance,
but I will not stop obeying your instructions.
110 The wicked have set their traps for me,
but I will not turn from your commandments.
111 Your laws are my treasure;
they are my heart’s delight.
112 I am determined to keep your decrees
to the very end.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your Word that provides us with life and shines a light that guides our faithful walk. Holy Spirit, please continue to guide us by Your wisdom each day as we obediently follow the path You have for us. We want to remain rooted in You, Jesus, as we are guided by Your Truth, and freely live by the fruits of Your Spirit in every season of our lives. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

As many of you know, Pastor Mary has been offering a six-week Bible study series titled, “The Inner Struggle for Holiness – A Focus on Faith, Fruit, Family, and Future”. This Wednesday night was week six of the study and the focus was on “Faithfulness”. During the study we connected faithfulness to obedience, endurance, reliability, trustworthiness, loyalty, and so much more. Today’s passage is a continuation of Wednesday night’s study, as James reminds us that our faith is demonstrated through our actions, inactions, words, and genuinely through our lives.

It is by our faith that we, as believers, should be drawn to true wisdom. James makes sure to reveal that there is a distinct difference between true Godly wisdom and false worldly wisdom. The freedom we have in Christ allows us to receive God’s wisdom through humility, peace, love, gentleness, and it produces honorable living. While worldly wisdom is divisive, it causes bitterness, jealousy, selfishness, pride, lying, and it produces evil living.

The wisdom we have from above is pure. It is the place where our freedom in Christ is birthed. When we choose this freedom, we are filled with God’s mercy and all the fruits of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control – Galatians 5:22-23. Living by these fruits causes us to be peacemakers who not only plant seeds of peace, but who can have hope in Christ to reap a harvest of His righteousness.

James 3:13-18 (NLT)

True Wisdom Comes from God

13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the freedom we have in Christ that leads each one of us into a deeper place of holy wisdom. Holy Spirit, please continue to impart Your wisdom to each of us. We want to have a heart that is in alignment with You as we continue to grow in humility, peace, and mercy. Place a watch over our mouths so that our words reflect You, Jesus. We want to be Your peacemakers who plant seeds of Your righteousness so that lives grow in faith and honor You, Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Earlier this week I mentioned that I’m finishing up, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, by Peter Scazzero, as it’s a required book for one of my college courses. In Chapter 7, Grow into an Emotionally Mature Adult, Learning New Skills to Love Well, Scazzero reminds his readers that “Jesus refused to separate the practice of the presence of God from the practice of the presence of people.” Even when a Pharisee, who knew the Mosaic Law inside and out, tried to trap Jesus by asking Him to identify the greatest commandment, “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.’” (Matthew 22:37-40)

In today’s passage, John knows that our victory and true freedom come from our faith in Christ Jesus. He restates Jesus’s Greatest Commandment and John wants to make sure that we, as believers, remain rooted in Christ through our obedience that flows through our loving connection to Him and thus our loving connection with others. This place of love should not be a burden on us. Rather, as we grow in our connection to Jesus, we should be quick to respond to our neighbors from a place of love, and less to react from a place of fear, denial, selfishness, defensiveness, etc. If you need to reach out to lovingly apologize to someone for reacting from a place of fear, denial, selfishness, defensiveness, etc., do it today, because Jesus responds to us every single moment of every day from the greatest place of love, and all He asks us is to love others as He loves us.

As believers, we call on the Name of Jesus Christ, Who is the only Son of God, and that also means that we claim, own, and hold firmly to the freedom that we have in Jesus; so, we win the battle against this world. AMEN!

1 John 5:1-5 (NLT)

Faith in the Son of God

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. 2 We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. 3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the victory and freedom that each one of us have through our faith in You. Holy Spirit, we ask that You continue to help guide us, by Your wisdom and Truth, so that our roots grow deeper into Your love. We want our obedience to overflow with Your joy, and not to be a burden on us. Please continue to grow us up in You, Jesus, we want to be emotionally and spiritually mature so that we can love You well and share Your love well with others. Strengthen us so that we can keep overcoming the evils of this world, as we are connected to You, Jesus, our Truth. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Friends, we live in world that struggles with equality, justice, and allegiance. The world also struggled in the first century during the time when Jesus gave His Sermon on the Plain as we see in today’s passage. Keep in mind, Judea was under Roman rule, and their political control brought about social, economic, and religious tensions, their miliary had a heavy presence, and their taxes were unimaginable. This environment left the majority of people poor, sick, and in a state of great oppression. The minority were wealthy, powerful, and were thought to hold religious status. Jesus addresses all of this in His Sermon on the Plain, as people from all over Judea came to hear Him and to be healed by Him.

Notice that Jesus is speaking in present and future tense within His sermon. This means that His blessings are for all believers, then, now, and in the future. Those who are blessed are people who claim to belong to Jesus, whose identity, worth, and freedom are found in Him. The blessed find themselves dependent on Jesus, and we are fortunate to be a part of the dependent. When Jesus blesses the poor, hungry, sorrowful, and persecuted, it means He will put an end to all suffering for all eternity for those who claim their freedom in Him. On the other-hand, Jesus also warns those who are rich, self-indulgent, self-sufficient, and self-satisfied. Jesus is not upset with wealth, rather He warns not to allow the things of this world to cause false security, or to take His place. Our allegiance needs to be with Jesus, and nothing should replace the dependance, loyalty, trust, and oneness we have in Him.

Like those who gathered in Judea to hear from Jesus during His Sermon on the Plain, we too want to see Him, to be connected to Him, and to be healed by Him. The freedom we have in Christ allows us to remain dependent on Him and as a result we receive His blessings for all eternity.

Luke 6:17-26 (NLT)

Crowds Follow Jesus

17 When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil spirits were healed. 19 Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.

The Beatitudes

20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,
“God blesses you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
21 God blesses you who are hungry now,
for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
for in due time you will laugh.

22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.

Sorrows Foretold

24 “What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
for you have your only happiness now.
25 What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,
for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,
for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
26 What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,
for their ancestors also praised false prophets.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for this Word that reminds us that we have a choice to either live dependent on You or to live dependent on this world. Holy Spirit, we are grateful to choose You and to have true freedom that can only be found in You, Jesus. So, please continue to allow our hearts to connect to You and to not only receive Your freedom, but to share it with others. We do not want to have false security, self-reliance, or to be divided in our allegiance. Continue to guide us to fully trust You, as You help to heal, shape, and keep us rooted in Your Truth. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.