Use this devo as you are able, in whole or in part. Don’t feel compelled to read it all. Simply read and meditate upon whatever catches your attention. The goal is enjoying time with God through His Word and in prayer. Questions about the devotional elements?
Call to Prayer
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isa. 6:3)
Prayer of Confession
Living God, I mistakenly presume that your mercy takes the edge of offense from my sin, but a glimpse of your supreme majesty sobers me. My sin is an offense so serious that its penalty is eternal punishment of body and soul. Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy. Amen. (Prayer based on the Heidelberg Catechism, Question 11)
*Prayer borrowed from Philip Reinders’ Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year
Lent Devo: Backyard Pilgrim
Throughout Lent this year we will follow along over the next 40 days with quotes from Backyard Pilgrim by Matt Canlis which gives us a daily Bible Path (the story of God’s redemption) and Parish Path (a literal path through town where you can walk and ponder what God has shown you through his Word).
Day 18: Lost & Found | Read: Luke 19:10
Our current path through Genesis would not be complete without pointing toward two things Jesus will do to save us: he will both find us, and be found for us. Jesus will seek us like a shepherd seeks a lost sheep, but he will also be found for us in all the hidden places we got lost. Wherever Adam and Eve (and all of us) sinned, Jesus will succeed. Jesus will:
- be born a human being—but not break fellowship with God
- be tempted to eat—but not follow the serpent’s suggestions
- be hunted down—but refuse to hide
- be given the chance to blame others—but choose to embrace blame
- be found blameless—but choose to carry our guilt to the cross
In all these ways, Jesus came to re-open our ears to God’s searching question, and answer it on our behalf.
He is both the Son of God who asks: “Where are you?” and the Son of Man who answers for us: “Here I am.”
Anyone who puts their faith in Jesus becomes his adopted brother or sister, and is born again God’s own child. Once we were lost, but in Christ we are sought after and found.
Here i am . . . being found.
PARISH PATH
When you fall into sin and get lost, what will you do next? Will you cover yourself, blame others, and avoid God by hiding?
Or will you answer God’s question, “Where are you?” with a hearty “Here I am!”
Practice reversing the Fall!
As you walk, ask Jesus to bring you back into to the threefold fellowship of loving God: your neighbors, and yourself. Practice admitting your sin. Practice forgiving others. Practice receiving God’s help.
Sermon Devo
We are in our Winter series through the book of James. Each day we will dig into a different aspect of this New Testament wisdom book which will, by the end of the week, help to give you a fuller portrait of the kind of lives we are called to live as Christians.
Read: James 4:13-5:6
Read: James 4:13-5:6
In our passage this week James addresses the same malady in two groups of people. Both kinds of people are presumptuous about their ability to control their own destiny through (1) planning and (2) wealth. We will tackle wealth tomorrow, but obviously neither planning nor wealth are inherently bad. Yet James makes clear that these forms of planning and accrual of wealth are of the sort that forget God and, as Dan Dorani puts it, the reality of our ignorance, our frailty, and our dependence on God.
Dorani continues noting that James says we can be presumptuous and arrogant in our speech in several ways: presuming “that we will live as long as we please,” presuming that we “can make whatever plans we please: we can go today or tomorrow; the choice is ours;” and presuming that, “we have the capacity to execute whatever plan we conceive. We declare that we will make a profit.”
REFLECT: How much do you rely on wise planning over God? What do you suppose puts planning into the category James describes (planning that forgets God, our ignorance, frailty, and dependence upon God)?
Evening Prayer of Examen
- Where did you move with or feel close to Jesus today?
- Where did you resist or feel far from Jesus today?
- Where is Jesus leading you tomorrow? Ask for joy as you follow him.
Benediction
“Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them.” (Ps. 32:1-2)
