Lent Season

last SG · 2004-03-28T15:27:21+00:00

Today (25 Feb) is Ash Wednesday. It marks the beginning of the Lentern season up to Good Friday. Lent is the name given to the 40 days plus 6 Sundays befor...

NeonTetra SG

21 Mar 04, FORTH SUNDAY OF LENT

God's Dress Code

"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?'" (Matthew 22:11-12)

Jesus said to me, "One of the things that never ceases to amaze Me is how many people try to sneak into heaven rather than going through the door that I have opened for them." That's how it started out for a woman from London who wanted to be prayed for at a religious meeting. She wanted to be saved, but, because of her social standing, wanted to remain unknown. She asked the pastor who conducted the meetings, "Will you pray for me, please? But do not mention my name. It would cause too much embarrassment for me." When every head was bowed and there was perfect silence, the pastor prayed, "O Lord, there is a young person here who does not want her name known, but Thou dost know her. We ask that Thou wouldst save her precious soul." There was stillness for a moment, and then, from way back in the assembly, a figure stood up. The lady's small, quiet voice said, "Please, it's me, dear Jesus. He means me." The more she had thought about it, the hungrier her heart was to have faith on Jesus' terms, not hers.

That lady is not alone. Many people want to get into heaven's wedding feast, but want to rewrite the invitation. Rather than being clothed in the white garment of forgiveness through Christ they try to wear their own designer clothing. One person thinks Baptism is inconsequential, another says that all religions get you into the wedding feast, another thinks his own good life is the ticket to a happy eternity. God says there is only one way: the blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses us from sin. When Jesus says to me, "How are you going to get to heaven?" I will say, "By You, dear Jesus, by You."

Prayer:

Dear Lord, You have called me by name and I am Yours. Let those who are trying to rewrite Your invitation to heaven's feast see that they will be welcomed by Your grace. In Your Name. Amen.

NeonTetra SG

A Sucker Born Every Minute

"Jesus answered: 'Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, "I am the Christ," and will deceive many'" (Matthew 24:4)

Jesus said to me, "Tell people there are still a lot of false saviors out there." So there are. Over the years, millions of intelligent, sincere people have ended up following counterfeit messiahs. As Christians, our job is to recognize that which is fake and point others to the Real Savior, Jesus Christ. We might take a lesson from the officers in the US Treasury. Their job is to track down counterfeit bills and the criminals who make and distribute them. You might think these officers would study all the different types of fake money being printed so they could identify counterfeits. But they don't. Instead, they spend hours with real money, getting to know how the bills look and feel. By knowing the real thing very well, counterfeits stand out easily.

In the religious world today, some people selectively believe Jesus' teachings, throwing out some and keeping others. There are messed up messiahs who say that they, not Jesus, are the way, truth, and life. No matter how strange these doctrines, there are people who willingly gamble their lives, and their eternities, on these false messiahs. To combat them, we must become well acquainted with Jesus and all that He teaches. We need to see how He finds the lost, how He reaches out to those who were unreachable, how He befriends those who have no one else. We need to hear and believe Scripture when it says there is no other Name that can save us. When we know God and His love this way, we will be able to clearly identify all false doctrines and messiahs. When Jesus says to me, "There are a lot of false messiahs in the world." I can reply, "Yes, Lord, but I know the Real Thing."

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for being Truthful and Real. Send Your Holy Spirit to defeat all who compromise the message of salvation, and call back those who have been confused by counterfeits. In Your Name. Amen.

NeonTetra SG

Sifted Like Wheat

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:31-32)

Jesus said to me, "I pray those who follow Me may always be secure in their faith." Years ago, after the Portuguese had withdrawn from Angola, the nation fell into tribal unrest and civil war. Today, bridges have become untrustworthy, and the roads are pocked with potholes. Recently, a representative from a Christian charity organization was on a fact-finding mission in that war torn country. He noticed that his driver made no attempt to miss the deep holes and ruts in the road. On the contrary, it seemed like he tried to hit those axle-breakers. When they came to a stretch of road that had been repaired, the driver almost always headed for the side of the road. He finally asked the driver why he was avoiding those patches of improved road. "I avoid the smooth spots because that's where the land mines are."

When Jesus' disciple, Simon Peter, hit the smooth spots of life his faith failed and he encountered the devil's land mines. When Peter encouraged Jesus to take the easy road and not go to Jerusalem, he stepped on a land mine. When he tried to take the smooth road of anonymity by denying He knew Jesus, he hit a land mine. In contrast, our Savior never took the smooth road. He didn't defend Himself against false accusations. He didn't even save Himself from death on a cross. Have you headed for smooth road and stepped on a spiritual land mine? Jesus can take you past it and, after you have survived, you can come back and strengthen others. Jesus said to me, "I will keep you in the faith, even when you hit a land mine."

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, help me survive the smooth road where the devil has planted his land mines. When I, through my own weakness, trigger one, take me through, patch me up, and let me be Your witness to others. In Your Name. Amen.

NeonTetra SG

More Than Company

"Then he said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me'" (Matthew 26:3 Cool

Jesus said to me, "Sorrowful souls hate to feel they are alone." When Charles Ballard's father committed suicide, Ballard was hurled into the pain of lonely sorrow. He recalls two particular ways the people close to him helped him not feel so alone. One was a visit from his pastor, who visited Ballard soon after his father's death. They didn't talk much, and the pastor didn't try to make him feel better. He simply shared Ballard's sadness for a while. The second was spending a long weekend away with a friend's family. Like the pastor, they didn't offer any solutions to his sadness or try to answer the questions that arise when a loved one dies. They were simply with him.

When Jesus faced the loneliest hour of His life, the night before His crucifixion, He asked three of His disciples to stay awake with Him while He prayed. The three men fell asleep, leaving Jesus completely alone with God. Jesus knows what it's like to feel completely alone. After His resurrection, His appearances to hundreds where He showed that the grave is not the end, even as He ascended into heaven, Jesus promised, "I am with you always." The Christian imprisoned for his faith has a Savior who says, "I am with you always," and he finds strength. The person dying of cancer can rely on those same words. The senior citizen who has outlived both friends and family hears the Lord whisper, "I am with you." It is a joy to all who believe. It is a joy to hear the Lord say, "Because of Me, sorrowful souls never have to feel alone."

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, I don't know where life is going to take me. I do know that wherever I go, You are there. I especially pray for those who feel alone. Comfort them with Your love and presence. In Your Name. Amen.

NeonTetra SG

28 Mar 04, FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Unprepared

"So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him" (Matthew 24:44)

Jesus said to me, "I keep telling people to be prepared for my arrival, but they just don't get the message." Organization expert Julie Morgenstern knows what being unprepared can cost. She used to spend hours and hours looking for things-including four hours wandering an airport garage looking for the car she'd parked there. When she became a mother, Morgenstern's lack of preparation finally became expensive enough for her to make a change. On a sunny afternoon when her three-week-old daughter awoke from a nap, Morgenstern decided they would go for a walk. Two and a half hours later, when she had finally gathered all the supplies needed for the outing, the baby had fallen asleep again. Being unprepared had cost her child an opportunity, and she didn't want that to happen again. She got organized and next time an opportunity arose, they were prepared to take advantage.

Morgenstern's lack of preparation caused her to spend an inordinate amount of time looking for things, but how much worse to spend eternity in hell because you aren't prepared for Judgment Day. So that we might be ready, Jesus came into this world, fulfilled the law, shouldered our sins, carried our cross and died our death. Jesus did all this to prepare people for too-late-day. In spite of the Savior, many won't be ready. Maybe they don't take the judgment seriously; maybe they like to procrastinate. Whatever the reason, the consequences of being unprepared are horrible to imagine. They are so horrible, Christendom sends out missionaries to share the message; pastors and parishes publicly preach the powerful story of salvation. So that you might be prepared Lutheran Hour Ministries has dedicated itself to bringing Christ to the nations and the nations to the church. It is why hundreds of thousands of this Lenten devotional book are being sent out. We want you to be ready when the day comes that Jesus will say to me, and you, "Are you prepared?"

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, make me prepared, and eager, for the time when You will come. Amen.

NeonTetra SG

A Prayer Against Temptation

"On reaching the place, He said to them, 'Pray that you will not fall into temptation'" (Luke 22:40)

Jesus said to me, "Temptation is a universal condition for humankind. The Spirit can help you avoid falling into temptation." Wouldn't we all love to avoid temptation? That would certainly have been true in January of 1951 for a little boy who lived in Glendale, California. Six-year-old Richard Bonham had been reading Superman comic books. He got caught up in the story of a man who "could fly faster than a speeding bullet, was more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound." Superman's ability to fly was the superpower that Richard envied the most. Too young to distinguish reality from fantasy, Richard fashioned a "flying cape" from an old bath towel and ran to a twenty-foot cliff near his home. Richard boldly stepped off the cliff into the air. The newspapers reported that his mother found him and before Richard died, he whispered, "I really did fly, Mother, until I landed. Then it hurt."

How many times have you thought you could fashion your future and fly by your own power? How many times have you crashed and had to confess failure and hurt? It is little consolation to know that you are not alone. Since our first parents fell in the Garden of Eden, sin and Satan have convinced each of us that we are Super-people who can fly by our own power, independent of God. But all of us will eventually crash and die. We are not super people, but rather super sinners. Jesus entered this world to conquer temptation. In the wilderness He sent Satan scurrying, throughout His life He fulfilled the law, and on Easter Sunday He defeated death. By the power of the Spirit, we have hope to resist temptation. Then, on Judgment Day when Jesus asks me, "Did you pray to avoid temptation?" I can reply, "With Your help, dear Lord, I did."

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, by my own reason or strength I cannot resist temptation. Only the Holy Spirit enables me to be victorious. Help me do what you will. In Your Name. Amen.

NeonTetra SG

The Look

"The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter" (Luke 22:61)

Jesus didn't say anything to me. He just gave me a look. I understand the look Jesus gave to Peter because I have seen it on my father's face. A blacksmith by trade and a Christian throughout his life, he tried his best to be faithful and fair. Out of respect, we children tried to do right most of the time. When we messed up, we could judge the severity of our sin by his response. A loud voice meant it was a minor infraction. If he called us by our full names ("KENNETH RICHARD KLAUS") we were in deep trouble. But when he gave us the look, we knew we had royally goofed up. Anything-a spanking, getting grounded, losing privileges-was better than the look. The look said we had disappointed Dad, had hurt him so deeply that words could not express his sadness.

Peter got the look from his Savior. Jesus had many things on His mind in the final hours of His life. He was in the High Priest's house awaiting the trials that would lead to His death on the cross. Jesus should not have had to worry about a disciple who was denying Him out in the courtyard. But Jesus was concerned about that single, weak disciple. Jesus was carrying the sins of the entire world, but He was also thinking of Peter's sins.and yours.and mine. Peter got the look because Jesus cared, and it sent Peter out in tears. The look of the Savior also set Peter on the road to repentance, apostlehood, martyrdom and salvation. Jesus didn't say anything to me, but I pray that when He gives me the look, I will be as open to change and repentance as Peter was.

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, You have done so much for me, that it is right that my life should always serve You. Grant me the grace to do so with faithfulness. In Your Name. Amen.

NeonTetra SG

A Deafening Silence

"Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, 'Are You not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against You?' But Jesus remained silent" (Matthew 26:62-63)

Although Jesus didn't say it to the high priests, He did say to me, "I'm innocent." That's more than any of us can say. If you doubt it, consider what would happen if Jesus knocked on the door of your home. Of course you'd invite Him in. You would let Him sleep on the best bed in the house. You would probably sound like a broken record telling Him repeatedly that you're glad He came. You would prepare the best food you could. But is it possible that you would change a few things before you let Him in the door? Would you change the TV shows you watch? Would you put away a few magazines and set out the Bible in their place? Would your table prayer suddenly be longer and more personal, not just a going-through-the-motions kind of thing? Would you want Jesus with you while you're talking on the phone with your closest friends? Would you breathe a sigh of relief when Jesus finally said that He had to go? Obviously, none of us can claim to be completely innocent.

Only Jesus is perfect. In today's passage, He was on trial for His physical, and our eternal, life. As the omnipotent Son of God, he could have ordered the false witnesses to be silent. He could have softened the hearts of His judges. He could have said, "I am innocent," and forced everyone to accept His Word. But Jesus kept His silence so that on Judgment Day we could be declared innocent. He died so that we can live forever. It was the greatest travesty of justice the world has ever seen and the greatest act of grace. Nevertheless, when Jesus says to me, "I'm innocent," I can only thank Him for His silence before the high priest. That silence speaks volumes about His love.

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, I can never honestly say, "I'm innocent." Forgive me for my sins and empower me to live for Your glory. In Your Name. Amen.

NeonTetra SG

Born For Truth

"Jesus answered, 'You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.' 'What is truth?' Pilate asked" (John 18:37-3 Cool

Jesus said to me, "It's hard for some people to believe, but I always tell the truth." That's one thing that sets Jesus apart. Even when we try to tell the truth, we often don't. For example, here are statements from newspapers, magazines, and official documents that were widely read and believed during their day. In 1840, an expert said, "Anyone traveling at the speed of thirty miles per hour would surely suffocate." In 1878, an editorial asserted, "electric lights are unworthy of serious attention." An expert in 1901 said "no possible combination can be united into a practical machine by which men shall fly." It was a scientist who said, in 1926, "This foolish idea of shooting at the moon is basically impossible." In 1930 another scientist said "to harness the energy locked up in matter is impossible."

In a world filled with lies, Pilate was wise to ask his skeptical question, "What is truth?" He was wrong to assume that the truth could not exist. It would be easy to follow in Pilate's skepticism, because we are also surrounded by politicians who break promises and friends who are false. Like Pilate, we can become great doubters. But Jesus' promises are guaranteed with His life. When He says, "I am with you," He is there. When He says, "Call upon Me," He will listen. When Jesus says, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life," it is so. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus gives us God's truth to cling to. When Jesus says to me, "Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me," I know I'm glad to listen.

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, let Your truth fill my heart with gratitude and trust. Send Your Spirit so the world may see what truth is. In Your Name. Amen.

NeonTetra SG

A New Start

"This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:46-47)

Jesus said to me, "My suffering and resurrection should bring people to repentance and salvation." Two men on a business trip had committed just about every sin they could think of. On the way to the airport they drove by a church and one man challenged, "I'll bet $100 you won't go into that church and confess everything you did last night to the pastor." The second fellow said, "Easy money." He went inside, found the pastor, and related the previous night's escapades. Discerning the man's insincerity, the pastor said, "Go to the front of the church, kneel before the statue of Jesus, look into the Savior's suffering face and say, 'Jesus, all this you did for me, and I couldn't care less.'" The man went to the altar, stood in front of the crucifix, and flippantly began, "Jesus all this You did for me and I . . ." Everything he'd ever learned about Jesus' sacrifice came flooding over him. Still, he had a bet to win, so he cleared his throat and began again, "Jesus, all this You did for me . . ." and then he burst into tears. The Spirit rekindled repentance and faith in his heart.

Jesus' death and resurrection show that God values people who we might consider worthless. The Lord looks beyond the wreckage of sin and sees a person of great worth in the most hopeless transgressor. The Lord saved the demoniac who lived among the tombs, the sinful woman at the well, the Ethiopian eunuch in his chariot, Saul on a journey to arrest and persecute Christians. You probably know someone who needs to hear about the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Today is the perfect time to invite someone to hear the joyful Easter proclamation tomorrow.

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, all this You have done for me, and I am thankful. Grant me grace to reach out in Your Name. Amen.

NeonTetra SG

4 Apr 04, PALM SUNDAY

Today is Palm Sunday, marks the ending of the Lent season and the beginning of the Holy Week leading on to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

The gospel accounts talk abot Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey welcomed by the people with branches of leaves. Palm sunday traditionally depicts this biblical incident with the distributions of palm branches and crosses made of palm leaves.

"Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!"

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