Preparing for Easter Devotion (Day 25) - Putting Others First in Prayer

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored.
2 Corinthians 13:5-9 

What a terrible thing to be proven wrong. When one has made a strong public statement and that statement is refuted, it can weaken one's credibility and can destroy reputations. Yet that is exactly what Paul is praying for in this passage. Paul had chastised the Corinthians for poor behavior, and they accused Paul of not being a true mouthpiece for Jesus Christ. In response, Paul prayed that the Corinthians examine themselves and find the spark of Christ that is within them. If they were to do that, then they would be approved by God, and Paul would have been wrong in threatening to discipline them. Paul is much more concerned with the spiritual health of the fledgling Corinthian church than in saving face. 

Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies, but here, Paul tells us how to pray for them. Our concern in praying for others is for their own benefit. Although Paul would look foolish if the Corinthians proved him wrong, that is exactly what he prayed would happen. Everything that he did was to build them up and bring them to faith. It was never for his vindication, glory, or even ease in dealing with them. He would rather be seen as weak and wrong than see those who attacked him, and who he cared about, fall prey to sin. 

Prayer: O Lord, may my prayers always build others up. Help me to be more concerned for others than myself, entrusting myself to Your care. May I pray for others according to what will benefit them. In Jesus' name, Amen 

* This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter (Day 24) - Jesus Prays for Us

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of 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.”
But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Luke 22:31-34 

There are times our spiritual journeys are on a quick and easy trail. Other times they are rocky and steep. Still other times, our journeys even seem to backtrack. Jesus knew that Peter's journey was about to take a devastating turn. Yet Jesus prayed for Peter and even had a plan waiting for Peter when he would turn back to the right path. 

Our faith is not dependent on our own strength or character. Even the best of us will make mistakes at times. But Jesus knows our weaknesses. He anticipates our spiritual stumbling. He is always on the path beside us, and urging us on. And even when we fail, He points ahead to how we can be redeemed. Peter's denial was not the end of his faith, but only a temporary lapse. His love and his belief in Christ never died, it was just momentarily overshadowed by fear and grief. The Book of Acts attests to Peter's powerful faith and his crucial role in the early days of the church. With the help of Jesus, Peter's story continued. 

Our mistakes are never meant to be the end of our stories, either. Every time we stumble, Jesus is holding out His hand to us in grace, with plans for our hope and our future. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You that You always have a future for me. Help me to see that when I stumble, You are holding out Your hand to me in grace. May I keep my eyes and heart ever focused on You! In Your name, Amen.


* This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter (Day 23) - He Always Hears Our Prayers

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
John 11:40-42 

What a rare and precious gift when someone truly listens to you! When a person really hears what we are saying, he or she is validating us and demonstrating that our thoughts and opinions are important. That person is telling us that we are worth the time it takes to know us. Pastoral counselor David Augsburger wrote, "Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable." Conversely, when people talk past us or don't really hear our concerns, we feel isolated and diminished. No wonder one of our most common complaints - be it for politicians, bosses or co-workers, friends or family - is that nobody really hears what we are saying. 

Yet the Creator and Designer of the universe eagerly waits to hear our innermost thoughts. We can show our true selves to God and not fear rejection. We cannot bore God. God takes an active interest in every thought we direct toward Him. When Jesus prayed in front of Lazarus' tomb, He didn't pray about the amazing miracle that He was about to reveal. Instead, Jesus prayed about an even more amazing miracle - that the Lord of all creation always hears our prayers. We can pray in complete confidence that God always wants to listen to what we have to say. 

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for listening to me! I know that You always hear me. It is amazing that You eagerly wait to hear my innermost thoughts. May I be eager to go to You in prayer many times throughout each day. I love You Jesus! Amen. 

* This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter Devotion (Day 22) - Blessed Are the Children

People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
Luke 18:15-17 

Child mortality rates in Jesus' time were staggering. Estimates are that 30 percent of children did not survive past infancy and that 60 percent died by the time they were sixteen. Children were generally not recognized as part of the community until puberty, when their survival was reasonably assured. No wonder the disciples felt that Jesus was wasting His time with children. Who could be less important? They had no influence, no merit, and no privilege - not even a reasonable certainty of life itself. 

Yet Jesus reprimanded those who tried to keep Him from blessing babies. These "least of the least" were of utmost importance to Jesus. He even said that the kingdom of God belonged to people like those children. The children came to Jesus empty-handed and powerless, yet eager for His blessing. The disciples thought them unworthy. But what could we say or do or give to Jesus that could possibly be worth a blessing from the holy Son of God? Anyone who thinks he or she has something of value to give to God in order to buy his or her way into heaven is wrong. The only key to the kingdom of God is God's extravagant grace. 

Prayer: Lord, Jesus, like a child, I have nothing to offer You, except my trust in Your grace. May You bless me and keep me in Your heart. Help me to come to you as a child, empty-handed and powerless but eager for Your blessing. And help me to encourage all the children in my life to know You and love You more! In Your precious name, Lord Jesus, Amen

* This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter Devotion (Sunday) - Never Stop Praying

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:1-8 

In Jesus' time, widows were especially vulnerable. Inheritances went to sons, not wives. Often the only person who could assure that a widow was treated fairly was a judge. But in this parable, the city's judge was corrupt and godless. Maybe he was holding out for a bribe, or was making deals with the widow's adversary, but he refused to listen to her. 

But she did not give up. Her constant requests caused him to finally do what was right. If her persistence caused an unjust man to do good, how much more would our compassionate and loving God respond to the calls of those in need?

Our Lord is profoundly concerned with mercy and justice. As God's children, we can confidently and persistently pray for people to respond to one another in a Christlike way. But as we pray, should we also guard against our own human behavior? Praying for justice means that we must treat others justly. Pleading with God for mercy means that we must live lives of grace. We may see ourselves as the persistent widow in this parable, but must always guard against being the judge who will not listen to others in need of justice and mercy. 

Prayer: Lord of mercy and justice, may Your grace rule all the people of the world, starting with me! Thank you for your compassion and love and that You hear my prayers and answer. Help me to respond to others with patience and understanding. In the name of Jesus, Amen. 

*This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter (Day 21) - Thankfulness

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Luke 17:11-19

What do you have to be grateful for? So often, we live our lives taking simple but profound blessings for granted. We can become blind to the ordinary miracles in our lives. 

Luke 17:15 says that when the leper in this story saw that he had been healed, he returned to Jesus to praise God. There are three important elements to this one verse. First, the leper recognized the miracle of his healing and transformed life. Second, he recognized that this miracle was because of God's undeserved and extravagant grace, and he was grateful. Third, he recognized that God had acted through Jesus and understood Him to be God's ambassador. These realizations were what ultimately saved this man from something much more profound than leprosy. His faith was how Jesus Christ saved him from sin and death. 

Even as we struggle through life, we experience ordinary miracles. In order to live as disciples, we must open our eyes to the ways that God blesses us. Understanding those blessings causes us to be grateful for God's constant grace. When we truly are aware of the ways that we are touched daily by the grace of God, our faith compels us to praise God and thank His Son, Jesus Christ.

A book that does a wonderful job of showing the importance of thanksgiving in a believers' life is One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. In it she recommends keeping a thanksgiving journal in which you write down daily at least ten things you are thankful for. You can then use those items to remind you to thank God daily for all He has done and is doing in your life.  
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 
1 Thessalonians 5:18


Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to Your blessings and open my mouth in praise! May I never let a day go by without offering up thanks to You for all You have done for me. I am so undeserving. Thank you Lord for loving me! In Your Son's precious name, Amen

* This devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink

Preparing for Easter Devotion (Day 20) - Jesus Our Healer

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.  Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
James 5:13-18 

As I write this, a young woman I know who has been surrounded by love and prayer is near death, a victim of cancer. This passage is particularly difficult in a situation like this, because James says that if you pray with faith, the sick will be restored to health. But everyone eventually dies. How could this verse be true?

Verse 15 which speaks of the sick person being made well uses the Greek word astheneia, which literally means "without strength." This could be physical, spiritual, or emotional strength. In a society where physical disease was very often seen as punishment for sin, James' call to gather to pray for those who were ill in any sense of the word could be considered radical. It was - and often still is - much easier to leave the sick behind. In today's society, where we usually understand that physical ailments are not related to our characters, we are more supportive. But what about mental illnesses or those who suffer spiritually? Are we eager to keep them within the community of the church?

The young woman I know has been strengthened and uplifted by the prayers of her faith community. The cancer is killing her body, but it has not destroyed her spirit. She has truly been raised up in prayer and made strong in Christ through the prayers of the righteous. 

Prayer: Lord, may those I name in my heart feel Your healing power. Heal today those who are hurting both physically, spiritually and emotionally, according to Your will. May I be an instrument of that healing. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen

* Devotion taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink