Skip to main content
All Posts By

Sanctuary

Friday, April 7

By Lenten Devotion 2023 No Comments

A PRAYER FOR GRACE by Morgan Nichols Harper & All Sons & Daughters

If I could make just one request
That would mark all the days I have left
I’d rather not be known for treasures and fame
Or trophies and accolades I know will fade

Instead I would rather be known
By the kindness and love that I show
To be known for patience and long suffering
A giver of life by the words that I speak

So with every breath you give to breathe
I pray it’s your glory that they see
And of all the words this world could say
May they say I am full of grace

I’ll be the first to confess
I’m not always found at my best
But Lord be my strength in those moments I’m weak
And I’ll keep on giving the grace I’ve received

And finally when I see Your face
And I’ve reached the end of my race
I don’t want to be known for finishing strong
But as someone that Your grace carried all along

RESPOND:

  1. What words or phrases resonate with you in these lyrics?
  2. How are you receiving the grace Christ has given you?
  3. How are you giving the grace to others that Christ has given you?

 

Sanctuary Lent 2023 Spotify Playlist

Thursday, April 6 – Maundy Thursday

By Lenten Devotion 2023 No Comments

SCRIPTURE:

“Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’” Matthew 26:39

TESTIMONY: (Written by Aaron Boggs)

When I read this verse, I wonder if I have ever prayed so earnestly and so honestly. In the past, I believed if I were to fall on my face in prayer, God would see through it for what it was, hollow. Jesus did not lie when he called upon God, Abba Father, to deliver Him from certain death. Jesus did not want to suffer and die, but Jesus also did not lie when He prayed, “yet not as I will, but as you will.” There have been times when there was a decision in front of me and I would say the same prayer, “not as I will, but as you will,” but my heart would drift towards my will and pass it off as God’s will. I cannot begin with my conclusion and then pray God’s will and approval into it. This has been paramount in my spiritual transformation, searching to move past my own spiritual dishonesty to embrace the will of God. My flesh, my will, is in direct conflict with God’s will, and Jesus shows that inner transformation is perpetuated by the peaceful presence of God in our physical world and our soul.

Our spiritual transformation begins within us, in that area that we hide from others, which we deem unworthy to share. That area that we cannot be honest with, is the beginning of our true self that we cannot bear to look at. Our denial and self-deception serve only as a barrier between us and God’s will for us. Embracing our spiritual potential is picking up our cross and sacrificing our will to the greater will of God. Knowing that our understanding is not the top priority, but expanding the kingdom of God is. My path to Sanctuary church is because I was obedient to God’s will. I did not know anyone, and it is uncomfortable to attend where you are anonymous. I drove by and heard in a small voice, “you should go there.” I would like to profess my spiritual awareness and say that I was immediately obedient, but it took time, weeks in fact. I was already involved in an- other church, and it took time for me to ignore my unanswered questions of “why”, and the excuses I could rationalize for not attending Sanctuary. Eventually, excuses can be seen as little more than a broken crutch, and I stopped asking “why” and started asking “where do you want me?”

God wants all of me, not a portion that I choose to share once or twice a week, but all. I am committed to sacrificing my will and my desire on the cross I carry daily. By doing this DAILY, I can focus completely on God’s will and not my own. The devotion I have to my continuous spiritual transformation will see a natural expression of Jesus in my character, and while there may be times that I may not want to do God’s will, my desire to fulfill my spiritual potential focuses more on my obedience to stay in God’s will and His presence.

My ability to build a lasting relationship with God is built upon a foundation of communication. If there are two people in a room and they are told to observe each other, but not to speak, they would each get a description of the other person, but would not truly know them, and there would certainly be no relationship. David was God’s beloved because he would repent of his multitude of sins; David was able to do this because he was constantly communicating with God. Jesus and David’s relationship with God is beyond a shallow exchange of pleasantries as they are each prepared to surrender everything. My relationship with God allows me to call out to Him and express my will, and that same relationship concedes my will to God’s with all humility and obedience.

RESPOND:

  1. What do you sense is your Father’s will for you?
  2. How can you participate in leading others to desire His will over our own?

PRAYER:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:9-13

Sanctuary Lent 2023 Spotify Playlist

Wednesday, April 5

By Lenten Devotion 2023 No Comments

SCRIPTURE:

1 “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ 4 Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:1-4

REFLECTION:

Jesus has gone from the cool waters of the Jordan to the dry lands of the wilderness. From large crowds to utter solitude.

From the voice of “This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased,” to the whisper of the tempter.

The Spirit once rested like a dove, now driven into the wilderness.
Once cool waters of baptism to now the fire of temptation.

Hungry, thirsty, weak, vulnerable. A door opens, a way for a drink, a way to use the power that is in the presence and name of Jesus.

Jesus remains. He stays steadfast on the love of God, certain of the will of God, the plan that has gone before, the way that has already been made. We see Jesus encounter suffering, for my sake and yours, we learn a way in the midst of suffering. We learn a deep trust, a call to surrender, and to submit to “every word that comes from the mouth of God.” He can be trusted.

RESPOND:

  1. What’s your posture in the midst of suffering?
  2. How can you lead a life of prayerful submission to God?

PRAYER:

“Lord, grant that I may always allow myself to be guided by You,
always follow Your plans,
and perfectly accomplish Your Holy Will.
Grant that in all things, great and small,
today and all the days of my life,
I may do whatever You require of me.
Help me respond to the slightest prompting of Your Grace,
so that I may be Your trustworthy instrument for Your honor.
May Your Will be done in time and in eternity by me,
in me, and through me. Amen.”

St. Teresa of Avila

Sanctuary Lent 2023 Spotify Playlist