Easter Devotion (Day 19) - Faith in God

 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Mark 11:20-25 

Some years ago, I was in a Bible study during a time when one of the members had recently fallen from a roof. He was near death, and based on this verse, the study leader told us if we prayed for his recovery and did not doubt, he would be healed. When he died, it shook the faith of many of the members. 

Where was our miracle? We had confused confidence in prayer with believing we had the ability to manipulate God through prayer. Believing that the outcome of prayers is based on the intensity of our faith means that we believe our powers are greater than God's own will. Prayer is not a one-way communication where we make demands of God. Rather, it is when we open ourselves to God's claim on us and we respond obediently to God's guidance. 

However, the requests in the Lord's Prayer are things we can already claim as our own. These are an intimate relationship with God; membership in God's Kingdom, which has been established by Jesus on earth; the earth's bounty; and forgiveness and deliverance. God has already given us unlimited love, forgiveness and grace, and will empower us to glorify His kingdom. 

Prayer: Lord, bring me into a deeper prayer relationship with You, so that my desires become Your desires. May I never try to manipulate You with my prayers but instead, always trust in Your good judgment and Your perfect plan for my life and this world. I trust You Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen. 


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

Easter Devotion (Day 18) - Ask, Seek, Knock

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:9-13 

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, His answer was not only a prayer but a lesson on the character of God. God, the Creator and Designer of the cosmos, wants us to approach Him like a father. He wants us to work for His Kingdom and to care for others. He wants us to come to Him humbly, aware of our sins but grateful for His grace. 

Jesus promises that those who seek God will find God; those who ask God, not for themselves, but for the Kingdom, will receive; and those who wish to be invited into the steadfast love of God's family will be welcomed. These assurances are all related to the requests in the Lord's Prayer. These are things that we can all pray for confidently, knowing that God wishes only that which is the very best for us. God answers prayers through the greatest possible blessing: the Holy Spirit. It is where we get our strength, our focus, our perseverance, and our guidance. Notice that our prayers are answered through the Holy Spirit. An answer to prayer is rarely passive, but is the enabling power of the Holy Spirit for us to do God's will on earth. 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the blessing of the Holy Spirit, and give me the confidence, guidance, perseverance, and resources to continually do Your will. Help me to come to You humbly, aware of my sins and so grateful for Your grace. Amen

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

Easter Devotion (Day 17) - Lead Us Not Into Temptation

And don't lead us into temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
Matthew 6:13

After praying for physical needs and forgiveness, the third request is for spiritual protection. For centuries, theologians have struggled with the wording of this verse. Why would God lead us into temptation? But Jesus recognized that there were spiritual dangers all around at all times, even in places where we believe we are spiritually safe. The prayer is meant to open our eyes to this reality, help us to be on our guard, and to shield us from harm. As children of the kingdom of God, we must maneuver through a world that is not yet God's kingdom, but is deeply stained by sin. We can never become complacent about threats to our relationship with God.

Spiritual arrogance is dangerous. This prayer puts us face-to-face with our weaknesses. We are hopelessly vulnerable without the protection of God. When we pray this, we ask God to prod us whenever we consider, say or do things that dishonor both us and God. It is a request for guardrails in our daily life, keeping us on the pathway of God's will. It is also a plea that when we fail, God will be there to draw us out of danger and back into His loving care.

Prayer: Lord, alert me about the pitfalls in my life and draw me back into Your care when I fail. open our eyes to this reality, help us to be on our guard, and to shield us from harm. Amen

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

Easter Devotion (Day 16) - A Lifestyle of Grace

Forgive us for the ways we have wronged You, just as we also forgive those who have wronged us.
Matthew 6:12

We have all wronged God and have individual sins that we need to confess before God. But notice again that the plea for forgiveness is in the plural. We are responsible for what each of us has done, but also for oppression, poverty, corruption, pollution, and other things that damage the world if we don't work to prevent them. When we ignore the call of God to action for God's people, we are committing a sin of omission, leaving the work of discipleship undone in the world.

Notice also that this prayer cannot be prayed by an intentionally unforgiving person. If we accept the unconditional forgiveness of God, we have adopted a lifestyle of grace. That means that while it is often wise to be cautious and realistic in our dealings with others, we need to be imitators of Christ. We need to offer others the grace that we have been shown by God, not holding anger or resentment against others. We cannot allow another's treatment of us to damage our Christian character.

If we pray this prayer sincerely, it is a commitment to follow the call of God wherever it may take us as we live in grace with one another.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for the times I've failed You and help me to show others the grace and forgiveness You have shown me. Help us to fight against evil in this world on Your behalf. May we live a lifestyle of grace as we forgive others, just as You have forgiven us. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

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

Easter Devotion (Sunday) - Our Daily Bread

Give us this day our daily bread. 
Matthew 6:11

When God's Kingdom comes, there will be bread for all, but until that day, we need basic necessities in order to live. But notice that this prayer is in the plural - give us. When we pray this prayer, we are praying for all of God's children, as one of God's children. We are not praying that God take care of "them," the poor and needy of the world. We are together with them, praying for all of God's people as a whole. When God gives to you or me, we are then responsible to give surplus to others.

This prayer also reminds us that every one of us, no matter what our current situation, is dependent on God for our very survival. If we decide that we do not need to pray to God for our daily needs, we are deceiving ourselves about our self-sufficiency. It is God who causes the sun to shine, the rain to fall, and the plants to grow in order that we might eat. It is God who gave us the resources and opportunities we need to survive. Within this prayer is an unspoken thanks for the bread God provided the day before, even as we trust that God will help us meet our needs for tomorrow.

Prayer: Lord, may all Your children have what they need to survive. Guide me in my responsibility as Your disciple that this prayer be fulfilled. Thank you for all that You provide for me every day. May I trust in You today, tomorrow and into eternity. In the name of the Bread of Life, Jesus, Amen

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

Easter Devotions (Day 15) - Living as Kingdom People

Bring in Your Kingdom so that Your will is done on earth as it's done in Heaven.
Matthew 6:10

What will the world be like when God's kingdom comes? This verse tells us simply that it will be a place like heaven, where everyone does the will of God. Think on that! God's will is that each of us lives to our fullest potential, unencumbered by the baggage of life, be it poisonous emotions, damaging memories, broken relationships, grief, physical obstacles, or need. We would all live the lives we were created to live, honoring God with every action, always in praise of God's steadfast love and care.

By praying this prayer, we are also committing ourselves to live within God's kingdom as much as possible in the present world. By praying for the Kingdom to come, we reaffirm our discipleship as God's people, whose call is to illuminate the world with glimmers of the coming Kingdom. We do this by alleviating suffering in others the best that we can and by drawing them into the love of Jesus Christ. We offer comfort, hope and grace. We align ourselves with Jesus Christ and His message of love and forgiveness. We live as Kingdom people in a world that is not yet God's kingdom, in prayer for the world to be healed and made complete.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be an ambassador of Your coming Kingdom. Show me how to help those who are suffering by offering comfort, hope and grace. May I allign myself with Jesus and His message of love and forgiveness. Help us to live as Kingdom people while here on earth and may Your Kingdom arrive soon! In Jesus' holy and precious name, Amen

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

Easter Devotion (Day 14) - God, Our Abba, Our Daddy

Our Father who is in Heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9

Sometimes kings would instruct their subjects to refer to them as Father, stressing a relationship of authority. Jesus, however, begins the Lord's Prayer with a title Abba, an Aramaic word that is an intimate, family name for father, very similar to our word Daddy. Abba captures God's deep love and concern for us, just as a devoted father would have for his beloved children. Yet this Dad is the Creator and Designer of the cosmos! What a remarkable thought! We, who are insignificant, mortal creatures compared to the Almighty I Am, can dare to call out to Him in such an intimate way.

The second half of this verse is a cry of praise. In ancient cultures, a name referred to one's very essence or being. So this phrase is saying that every bit of God is profoundly holy. It is also a request that all of creation recognize and praise our Lord God.

So this first line in the Lord's Prayer recognizes the awesome and all-encompassing power and glory of God, yet allows us to approach Him on a profoundly personal level. It tells us that we can dare to trust that the Designer of the cosmos will listen to our prayers in tender love for us, His children.

Prayer: Glorious, holy Creator of the cosmos, how wonderful it is that I can call you my Father! Your love for me and devotion to me is more than I can imagine. You are near to me every moment of the day. I love you Abba! Thank you for loving me! In Jesus' name, Amen.


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