Jennifer A

With yesterday being Pentecost, it only seems appropriate that the lectionary would point us to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians about “Spiritual Gifts”. In our passage today we pick up at verse four, but when Paul addresses the Church in the first three verses of chapter twelve, it is clear that he wants the Church to not misunderstand the special abilities made possible to every believer by the Holy Spirit. Paul makes it clear that every follower of Christ contains the Holy Spirit, and no person, or the gift(s) that the Spirit gives to them, are greater than another.

Friends, through our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit has graciously given us spiritual gifts. Paul lists those gifts for us in our passage, and the purpose is for us to come together, as Christ’s Church, and allow our gifts to work in divine unity to further grow His Family (the Church) for His Eternal Kingdom. So, no believer should ever feel that the Holy Spirit is not working within them, just as no believer should ever feel that the Holy Spirit is stronger within them, because as a Family, under the authority of Christ Jesus, we are all gifted and we all need one another’s gifts.

Paul goes on within chapter twelve to use the example of how a physical body needs each part to work properly and to be whole, and this is true for the Body of Christ (for all believers). We all need one another, and we especially need one another when we feel like we don’t need each other, because that feeling is from Satan, and we seek as the Church of Christ to stand firmly against Satan and his divisive work. You and I stand together, as brothers and sisters of Christ, in divine harmony and we honor Jesus, and we honor the Holy Spirit within one another, and we value and treasure our own and one another’s gifts that were given by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NLT)

4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the Holy Spirit. Please forgive us when we are not allowing the Spirit the proper room to move and have His way within our lives. Holy Spirit, thank You for our gifts. Help us to allow You to utilize the gift(s) that You have placed within us. Connect us, through You, to one another so our gifts can be used in divine harmony to further grow God’s Kingdom. We ask all of this in Jesus’s Name. Amen.

The Apostle Paul was imprisoned in Rome around the year 62, and it was from there that he wrote to the church in Philippi. As the founder of the church in Philippi, the Holy Spirit was stirring within Paul to write to his brothers and sisters of faith whom he had partnered with in sharing the Gospel message of Christ Jesus. Paul allowed the Holy Spirit to work through him in this letter as he sought to be an encourager of their faith.

Friends, as brothers and sisters of faith, you and I must call on the Holy Spirit for wisdom as we read Paul’s letter. Just as our brothers and sisters from the church in Philippi whom Paul initially wrote to, you and I are a part of the same Church (Christ’s Body) and we too can receive holy guidance from the Holy Spirit; we just simply need to ask for growing knowledge and understanding (or for God’s wisdom).

Paul’s message aligns with Pastor Mary’s message from yesterday’s sermon: we are one united Body or Church through our salvation in Christ Jesus, we are called to share the Gospel message of Jesus’s love, and we must love one another by the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) no matter what. Please don’t miss that we need to be prepared for Christ Jesus’s return. Paul mentions Jesus’s return twice within today’s passage, and we need to be ready.

Philippians 1:3-11 (NLT)

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

7 So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. 8 God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.

9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Paul’s letter. Holy Spirit, we need Your guiding wisdom to operate in and through us. Help us to be carriers of the Gospel message and to share and spread the love of Jesus. Grow in us Your: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Let us see people how You see them, Jesus. Allow our hearts to soften so that we can experience loving others as You love them. We want to be ready for Your return, and we want to bring more hearts to know You. Use us today to grow Your Kingdom, Lord Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

The Apostle Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus are believed to be the last letters that he either wrote himself or used scribes to compose prior to his death. Paul’s letters, to both of these men, are referred to as pastoral Epistles. This classification is due to the fact that these letters were from one pastor or shepherd of God’s people, being Paul, to another pastor or shepherd of God’s people, being Timothy and Titus. Prior to these letters, both men had been important missionary companions of Paul as they assisted him at different times of his ministry and while he wrote letters to many of the other churches.

In today’s passage we are looking at a portion of Paul’s closing remarks to Timothy in the last chapter of 1 Timothy. Paul is instructing Timothy to run away from sin so he can live a godly life, to fight the good fight of faith, and to hold on tightly to eternal life. This message was not only for Timothy, or for him to share with the Church at Ephesus that he was leading at the time…no, it was, is, and will be for the entire Church of Christ, which includes you, me, and ALL believers.

Paul understood, just as you and I understand, how sin messes with our souls, it seeks to ruin our relationships, circumstances, life, and ultimately, Satan, tempts us with sin, 24/7, and his intension is to pull us away from Jesus and our godly way of living in connection to Him. Paul reminded the Church in Corinth, as well as he reminds you, me, and ALL believers, that “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (1 Cor 10:13)

Paul also understood, just as you and I understand, that we must finish our earthly life connected to the One Who offers us eternal life, Jesus, no matter what hell on earth comes against us. In order to do that our faith must be rooted in Jesus, and we need to be feeding our souls (our minds, wills, and emotions) His Word daily, because it is the ONLY Truth and light in this dark world. Remember what Paul wrote, and keep in mind this is just before his life would be martyred for Jesus, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me – the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of His return. And the prize is not just for me but for ALL who eagerly look forward to His appearing.” (2 Tim 4:7-8)

Finally, Paul cautions ALL believers to hold on tightly to the gift of eternal life in Jesus. Friends, we need to remember what Jesus, Himself, tells us about eternal life, “I tell you the truth, those who listen to My message and believer in God Who sent Me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” (John 5:24) In this life, you and I will hold tightly to A LOT of people, things, positions, places, maybe our earthly lives, etc. But absolutely, NOTHING should compare or even come close to us holding tightly to JESUS, the ONLY ONE WHO OFFERS US ETERNAL LIFE!!!

1 Timothy 6:11-12 (NLT)

Paul’s Final Instructions

11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for ministering through the Apostle Paul to us. Thank You for eternal life with You! Holy Spriit, please continue to help each one of us with being quick to flee from sin. We want to live godly lives that are pleasing to the Father. Guide us with Your holy wisdom and shield us with protection from Satan as we stand on Jesus, the Word of God, and fight the good fight of faith. We look forward to eternity with You, Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Friends, if we are being completely honest, you and I have found ourselves at moments moving ahead without God’s guidance. When we have done this or will do this, we are operating in our flesh while grieving the guidance of the Holy Spirit. During these times, we are often moving so fast that initially we might not even realize that we are moving without the Holy Spirit, and that is exactly where Satan wants you and me. He wants us to act alone, to leave our relationship with Jesus aside, so his spirit can creep in with worldly desires that he uses to appeal to each of our sinful nature.

If you were not able to worship with us yesterday, please watch Pastor Mary’s sermon because it divinely connects to Paul’s message within today’s devotional passage. Friends, we cannot forget that Jesus is the Vine and as believers, we are connected to Him as the branches, and we cling tightly to that loving connection we need to keep seeking to grow in our relationship with Him. When we do this, the Holy Spirit can work within us to produce righteous fruit within our lives that can then be shared with others. When you and I chose to follow Jesus, we laid down our sinful nature, and Satan absolutely hates that we made that decision. He spends every second looking for moments when he can try and appeal to that in which we left behind. Don’t allow Satan a foothold, cling to your relationship with Jesus, pray all of the time and ask the Holy Spirit to produce more righteous fruit within you. Remember, if what you are doing, saying, thinking, or believing is not in alignment with what Jesus would do, say, think, or have us believe, than Satan is messing with your soul (mind, will, and/or emotions), turn quickly back to Jesus, ask for His forgiveness, seek other believers to pray with and for you, ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, and remain in the Word all of the time and ask for wisdom and revelation.

Galatians 5:16-26 (NLT)
Living by the Spirit’s Power

16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being our Vine. Help us to remain connected to You and to continue to grow in our personal relationships with You. Holy Spirit, please continue to work within us to produce more righteous fruit and guide our every step. Quicken our spirit to know when we are not in alignment with Jesus and allow the Word to rise up within us. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

In today’s passage, we see a portion of Peter’s letter to the Church. This letter is written with a great deal of care and love for his brothers and sister in Christ as he seeks to be an encourager of their faith. He knows that they are suffering, and he does not want that suffering to endanger their faith walk, their love for one another, their growing relationship with Jesus, or the Church as a whole. Peter wants his brothers and sister to have confident hope that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose for them (Romans 8:28). He wants them to use their suffering to live obediently to God, to submit their earthly fears and ways of living, and to keep growing closer in relationship, faith, and trust with Jesus.

Having walked with Jesus, Peter understands that every person within the Church must clothe themselves with humility towards one another. All Family members must follow the example that Jesus set for us. Jesus is THE Great Shepherd, and His humble posture towards His Church is the purest example of humility, we too should serve one another. Remember, Jesus went as far as to wash the disciple’s feet. Would you serve your fellow brethren to that level? We need to be sheep that do not go against our Great Shepherd, that honor the earthly shepherds that Jesus placed within our lives and be thankful for His grace because it is given to His humble servants.

1 Peter 5:1-5 (NLT)

Advice for Elders and Young Men

1 And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: 2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. 4 And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.

5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for

“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Peter’s heart to write to Your Church as an encourager for You. Help us to be more humble, to see our brothers and sisters how You see them, and to selflessly love them. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Friends, last week we spent 4 of our 5 devotional days together in the second chapter of 1 John. Today, the lectionary daily passage continues in 1 John, but we are moving into the third chapter. The topic, however, remains in alignment with the one I wrote on last week, which is our call to “Love One Another” as the Children of God, and as brothers and sisters of faith in Christ.

I was thinking about when John wrote his Gospel message, specifically when he outlines the time Jesus spent with the disciples before, during, and just after The Last Supper. If you recall, from John 13, Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. In the first verse, of John 13, we are reminded that Jesus loved His disciples during His ministry on earth, and that He loved them to the very end of His physical existence. His love was so pure and deep that He washed their feet. He knew that within the same timeframe that the devil would prompt Judas to betray Him, leading to His capture, and death, yet He still washed Judas’s feet. Jesus told the disciples, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (13:15) If we move two chapter ahead in the Gospel of John, and flip the last chapter and verse around, to 15:13, we see the purest and deepest love, the love of Jesus, as “There is no greater love than to lay down One’s life for One’s friends.”

If Jesus could wash Judas’ feet before he betrays Him to death, and then Jesus could sacrifice His life for you and me, you and I should be able to simply love one another. As you read today’s passage, remember the opposite of love is hate, and the opposite of life is death. So, when John tells us that when we do not love, we are hating and dead living, it is Truth. Don’t allow the devil to convince you that you would never hate someone and that you are not dead living, if in fact you are not loving all of your brothers and sister in Christ equally and in the likeness of Christ Himself. I believe this is a place we all need to grow in, and so it starts by being honest and asking the Holy Spirit for guidance, not being offended by the words, “hate” and “death”.

Friends, Jesus is our example so “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So, we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (v. 16) Jesus says, “I tell you the Truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message.” (13:16) So, it does not matter who the brother or sister are within His Family, Jesus says, “You didn’t choose Me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for using my Name. This is my command: Love each other.” (15:16-17). We are ALL commanded to love each other as God the Father, Himself, loves each one of us as His Children.

1 John 3:10-16 (NLT)

10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

Love One Another

11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Prayer: Father, we ask for Your forgiveness because we do not always love one another the way that You love each of us. Thank You, for grafting us into Your Family. Holy Spirit, we need Your wisdom, guidance, and quick conviction so that we can have a heart that is more and more like Jesus. Jesus, Your love is the example for our lives, so please help us to be more like You. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Our passage today about “The Resurrection Body” follows on the heels of yesterday being Easter Sunday. As Christ’s followers, you and I know that our eternal existence is made possible because Christ not only laid down His life, taking with Him the sins of the world, but three days later He overcame death when He rose from the dead, on Easter Sunday.

Within today’s passage we see that Paul is addressing questions about believer’s resurrected bodies. Paul makes it clear that because Christ rose from the dead, that one day all believers will also rise from the dead in new bodies. Believers will be transformed just as Christ was transformed. Paul stands firmly on this claim because his salvation came from meeting the resurrected Christ. Remember, Paul did not meet Jesus “in-person”, rather they met after Jesus had died. So, Paul knows the resurrected and transformed Jesus, and He wants to make sure that all believers do not get caught up in the world’s culture or ways, but rather we all stand firm on the Word of God and do not waver.

During the time of this passage the believers in Corinth were mostly Greek, and so there was a great influence by Greek culture and philosophy. Many believed that Jesus’ body rose from the dead, but that their bodies would not rise from the dead. Although this was going on at that time, Paul was not only addressing the believers in Corinth, but Jesus was using him to address you, me, and all who would hear this, message of Truth. We need to stand firmly by our faith on the Word of God and believe all that it says, not give in to current worldly trends, philosophies, or cultures. Paul tells us that we will rise, and we need to believe that we will rise. He tells us that we will have new bodies, and we need to believe that we will have new bodies. How our all-powerful God will do this, is not something we can begin to understand, but it should leave us in a state of awe, excitement, and wonder as we wait to experience it. I love that Paul uses the seed and plant to guide our understanding, to accept that one thing needs to “die” in order for the another to grow. I also love that he uses the celestial bodies (i.e. moon, stars, sun, etc.) as example because he understands his experience with the resurrected Jesus was beyond this world, fiery, gloriously glowing, and transcendent. Finally, I love the contrast he provides us of our human bodies now, which will be planted in the ground to die, are broken, and weak versus our spiritual bodies which will be raised to live forever, in glory, and in strength alongside of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:35-49 (NLT)

The Resurrection Body

35 But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36 What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38 Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. 39 Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.

40 There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 41 The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.

42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.

Prayer: Jesus, I am not going to pretend to know what it will look like when You resurrect Your Church. I just pray that my heart is ready and that You will welcome me with open arms. I am excited for a new body. However it happens, I trust that it will be wonderful because it is part of Your plan. Help guide me, Holy Spirit, more and more each day to grow closer and closer in relationship with You. I ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Lenten Series: In Need of The Helper

Lent is a liturgical observance and season of reflection; not a biblical mandate. It is simply a time to remind ourselves and appreciate the abundant grace of Christ’s saving work on the cross. It is a time to press in deeper in submission to Christ’s authority as we prepare our hearts to celebrate, with exceedingly great joy, the resurrection that awaits every believer and follower.

In our Lenten daily devotionals, we will focus on our spiritual needs and desires and how the Helper is our Gift for strength and success if we will bow in greater submission to the authority of our King and the terms of His Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit.

Reflection: Peace

Digging for Truth: Friends, the context of John 14 is all about the assurance that you and I have of eternal live through our salvation in Christ Jesus, and His promise of the Holy Spirit to His followers. If this does not fill you with His shalom (God’s perfect peace) there is nothing or no one else who can ever offer you this ultimate level of supernatural peace. The peace that most people in this world seek is a state of freedom from which they can escape anxieties, troubles, worries, etc., but the world can only offer temporal peace. When we look for worldly fixes to our unrest, we need to continuously look, and we find ourselves left even more empty than when we began our hunt for peace in the first place. But, when Jesus promised to leave us with a gift, the gift He spoke of was His supernatural peace of mind and heart to completely fill us, and it is nothing the world can ever offer us (John 14:27). You and I do not need to hunt for peace, because we know the One Who is Peace, His Name is Jesus, we welcomed the work of His Holy Spirit within us when we turned our lives over to Him, and the Holy Spirit reminds our souls (our minds, wills, and emotions) that we do not need to be troubled or afraid, because Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins when He laid down His life so that we might be forgiven and have His peace, His shalom, within in us for all eternity.

Grace for the Heart: Jesus knew the disciples would face challenges after His death, and He did not want them to fear, so He told them about the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) so they would know that the Helper would guide them and bring His supernatural peace to their hearts. Friends, Jesus knows our challenges, and He offers us the same Helper Who guided the disciples to guide our lives. Paul reminds us to not worry about anything, but instead to pray about everything, to tell Jesus what we need, to thank Him for all that He has done, and then we get to experience His peace, which exceeds all things and cannot be fully understood by our mere human minds (Phil 4:6-7).

John 14:27 (NLT)

27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Philippians 4:7 (NLT)

7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Challenge: Friends, as long as you and I live in Christ Jesus, He extends His peace to guard our hearts and souls. All we have to do is ask for His peace. Ask God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in prayer to fill us with His peace. Cry out in prayer to the Holy Trinity that heavenly angels may surround us with their peace and that all of heaven may join us in prayer as we need God’s shalom to fill, surround, and fill us.

It has been such an honor to walk through this Lenten season with all of you and to learn more about our Great Helper, the Holy Spirit. I look forward to the remainder of this week’s Lenten devotionals from Pastor Mary, our time together on Wednesday night at 7 pm Bible study at church, the Maundy Thursday service at 6:30 pm at church, and worshiping with all of you on Easter Sunday at the 7 am Sunrise service (location details are in the newsletter) and 9:45 am service at church. Shalom, Shalom my dear friends.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your peace. Each of us so desperately needs it at all times. Forgive us when we seek worldly ways to cover our anxieties, fears, and troubles. You are the only One Who brings us peace, Your shalom, which is the wholeness we seek. Holy Spirit, help us to stay the course as You know what is best for us. We trust You to fill us with Jesus’s supernatural peace. Thank You! We ask all of this in Your Holy and Precious Name, Jesus. Amen.

Lenten Series: In Need of The Helper

Lent is a liturgical observance and season of reflection; not a biblical mandate. It is simply a time to remind ourselves and appreciate the abundant grace of Christ’s saving work on the cross. It is a time to press in deeper in submission to Christ’s authority as we prepare our hearts to celebrate, with exceedingly great joy, the resurrection that awaits every believer and follower.

In our Lenten daily devotionals, we will focus on our spiritual needs and desires and how the Helper is our Gift for strength and success if we will bow in greater submission to the authority of our King and the terms of His Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit.

Reflection: The Seal for Eternal Life

Digging for Truth: Friends, when you and I first spiritually heard the Truth, meaning the moment you and I opened our spiritual eyes and decided to put our trust in Jesus, we not only turned our hearts (and lives) back over to Him, as our Creator, we allowed Him to save us, by faith, for all eternity. At that very moment, you and I were forgiven of our sins, and we were “sealed”, meaning permanently gifted and filled with the Holy Spirit, Whom God promised His people long ago. Through our salvation in Christ Jesus, God has guaranteed us our inheritance of eternal life.

Grace for the Heart: As Christ’s followers, you and I must remember that Jesus knows our hearts. Not only because He dwells within us, through His Holy Spirit, but because He is our guarantee, Jesus is the reason we have a gracious inheritance of eternal life. He is the Word that became human and made His home among us; and unlike us, He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. We must aim to live a life like His of unfailing love, faithfulness, and exalting His Name in all that we do because all glory and honor are due to the Father’s one and only Son (John 1:14).

Ephesians 1:13-14 (NLT)

13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Challenge: Friends, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to live how God calls us to live, according to His plan for our lives, not how we want to live. May we be reminded today that we have a whole new life in Christ Jesus, and allow the Holy Spirit to transform our desires, thoughts, and actions to align with the Father’s will for our lives. Let’s be willing vessels to grow more and more into the image of Jesus because we allow the Holy Spirit within us to navigate and change our lives.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for drawing us to You. Thank you for forgiving the sins of our past. We lay down our current sins and ask that You keep us away from wanting to repeat them. Help us, Holy Spirit, to stay away from sinning in the future. Lord, thank You for sealing us with Your Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, help guide our souls (minds, wills, and emotions) and our bodies to live the life that God planned for us long ago. May we be living vessels for Your glory, Holy Trinity, now and not waiting for eternal life, but living as Your eternal Kingdom people now, Lord Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.