Lent Devotional 2020

Reclaiming the Truth

^“When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, ‘Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.’ So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.” Hosea 1.2-3

Redeeming the Time

If the story ended there, it would be a blockbuster movie. The grand story of redemption – a prophet – the one who speaks for God to His people goes and marries a prostitute. A better copy of the storyline might use the original translation, “He shows love to her.” Hosea “shows love” to Gomer a promiscuous woman.

If this is where the story ended everybody would celebrate. But this isn’t where it ends. This is just the beginning.

Know this. This beginning is enough. His beginning, your beginning, this is enough. “He has shown love to you.” He has shown love to you, He is showing love to you, and He will show love to you. And just as Gomer at times refuses the love of Hosea so you too may refuse. You too may wander. You too may wonder. And He too will continue to love.

Reflection

• Describe a time when you resisted His pursuit.
• Describe a time when you fully received His pursuit.
• How do you see God showing love to you right now?

Resting in His Redemption 

To the church at Philippi Paul writes, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1.6.

A few verses later, Paul prays a beautiful prayer. It’s for the Philippians, it’s for the Gomer’s, and it’s for you. Rest in His redemption today. Rest and Receive.

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1.9-11

Reclaiming the Truth

“The Lord said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.’

So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, ‘You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.’

For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.”

Redeeming the Time

Marriage is created by God, ordained by God and sacred to God. It’s the relationship that He chooses to use as a picture of how He relates to His people. We are His bride. He is our bridegroom.

In a traditional wedding ceremony, a bride walks down an aisle, arm in arm with her father. The groom stands smiling, nervous, his best friends by his side. Vows are taken, rings are exchanged tears and smiles abound. In these moments, the mystery becomes realized, “the two become one flesh.”

There is perhaps no greater tragedy than when the marriage covenant is violated.

The message this morning at Sanctuary follows the story of Hosea and Gomer. The story is a picture of God’s relationship to Israel, and prophetically it’s a picture of His relationship to us. The theme of this morning’s message is not about marriage, but rather redemption. God’s relentless pursuit to redeem you, His bride, His child. As you listen to the message and reflect on God’s Word, receive His prevailing love in your life.

Reflection

• What does this text show me about the loveliness of God? 

• What is it about God in this text that calls for my love for him? 

• What does this text show me about people and about what love requires of me on their behalf? 

• As one who has been shown mercy and love from God, what empowerment from him do I need to overcome my obstacles to love? 

• What about the love of God in Jesus gives me hope and provision for my own lovelessness?

• What does this text show me about people and about what love requires of me on their behalf? 

• What does it look like to rest and receive in His redemptive love today?

Resting in His Redemption

Write a prayer of thanksgiving in response to His redemptive love.

Singing the Redemption Song – Psalm 25

“In you, Lord my God,
    I put my trust.

I trust in you;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    nor let my enemies triumph over me.

No one who hopes in you
    will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
    who are treacherous without cause.

Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths. 

Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.

Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
    for they are from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth
    and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
    for you, Lord, are good.

Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. 

He guides the humble in what is right
    and teaches them his way.

All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
    toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. 

For the sake of your name, Lord,
    forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?
    He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.

They will spend their days in prosperity,
    and their descendants will inherit the land.

The Lord confides in those who fear him;
    he makes his covenant known to them.

My eyes are ever on the Lord,
    for only he will release my feet from the snare.

Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.

Relieve the troubles of my heart
    and free me from my anguish.

Look on my affliction and my distress
    and take away all my sins.

See how numerous are my enemies
    and how fiercely they hate me!

Guard my life and rescue me;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    for I take refuge in you.

May integrity and uprightness protect me,
    because my hope, Lord, is in you.

Deliver Israel, O God,
    from all their troubles!”

Celebrating Redemption 

Each Saturday, we’ll celebrate a redemption story of someone in our Faith Family. Today we celebrate God’s redemption in the life of Stephen Photianos. You can watch his story here. 

Reflection

• Where specifically do you see God at work in Stephen’s story?
• How do you see God at work in your story today? 
• Where are you currently celebrating redemption?

Resting in His Redemption

Stephen prays the Serenity Prayer over our Faith Family. Spend a few moments praying this prayer together. 

God, give me grace to accept with serenity

the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things

which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish

the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,

Taking, as Jesus did,

This sinful world as it is,

Not as I would have it,

Trusting that You will make all things right,

If I surrender to Your will,

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,

And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

Reclaiming the Truth 

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1.13-14 

Redeeming the Time

Love enters the darkness. Love doesn’t wait for you to emerge from your darkness and shame. Love enters into it. 

It has been said that, “sin seeks hiddenness.” Sin certainly does. It loves to separate and alienate. It’s why there is such an aloneness in sin. It’s why we often hide our sin and hide in our sin. Sin seeks hiddenness. 

And so does love. 

Love seeks hiddenness. Love seeks out those hiding in the dark. Love enters into the most broken and desperate places. Love is willing to leave the heavenly realms and descend into the darkest of hell. 

You may be familiar with the Apostles Creed. Notice the words we proclaim in the middle stanza. 

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Love seeks to expose hiddenness and aloneness and even our darkest hell to bring about our true redemption. He rescues us and redeems us and then brings us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.  

Reflection

• What darkness, what hell did He redeem you from? 
• What is life like today in the “kingdom of the Son he loves?” 
• In what ways does love compel you to enter into the darkness of another?

Resting in His Redemption 

Much of Colossians chapter 1 is a prayer. It’s a prayer for the church at Colossae, and it’s a prayer for you. Rest in His redemption today. Rest and Receive.

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” – Colossians 1.9-14