February 17, 2016: Tempted

Luke 4:1-13

…for forty days he was tempted by the devil (v. 2).

When I reread the story of Jesus’ temptation, two things seem obviously true and a third seems inconveniently true. The first thing that is obviously true is that we have an adversary whose intentions for us are no good. When Jesus had fasted forty days and was famished, it was just then, at that precise moment, that “the devil came to him.” The devil’s timing is impeccable!

The second thing that is obviously true is that Jesus has gone before us to show us what to do when we are tempted. What a kind and gracious Savior we have! So how did Jesus respond to temptation? Not once, not twice, but three times he repelled the devil with the Word. And let me remind everyone that he wasn’t carrying a Bible with him. He repelled the evil one with the word hidden in his heart. The most basic of all spiritual disciplines is the discipline of scripture memorization.

The one inconveniently true thing is that the devil has a kind of steadfast devotion of his own. “He departed from him until an opportune time” (v. 13). This is why Peter counsels us in his first epistle, “Discipline yourselves, keep alert…your adversary the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Until our journey on earth is done, we must necessarily deal with this enemy at home, at work, and at play! Discipline yourselves; keep alert!

Prayer: Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Today’s devotional was written by Tim Brown, president and Henry Bast professor of preaching at Western Theological Seminary. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visit www.woh.org.

February 16, 2016: Adam

Luke 3:21-38

He was the…son of Adam (vv. 23, 38)…

Simeon and Anna cherished the promises made to Israel far back in the past. But as Luke begins to describe the adult life of Jesus, he goes even further back. Matthew’s Gospel traces Jesus’ genealogy back to Abraham, the ancestor of the Hebrew nation; Luke’s traces it right back to Adam, the ancestor of the whole human race. (John’s goes even further, back to the eternity in which the divine Son was with the Father: “Before the world was created, the Word already existed.”)

Even though you probably just skimmed this list of names, your eye may have caught some of them. David, Jacob, and Abraham are all real historical people. Jesus comes on the scene as an equally real person, and one who belongs, like them, in the history of Israel. But more than that, Luke wants us to see him as a member not just of the Hebrew race but of the human race. He was born as a person, in order to save humankind.

Out of the Jewish background (that is Matthew’s emphasis) grows something intended for all nations (that is Luke’s emphasis). None of us can say, “This is not for me.” As Luke’s friend Paul puts it, all who are in Adam die, but all who are in Christ will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22).

Today’s devotional was written by Michael Wilcock, a retired pastor in the Church of England. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visit www.woh.org. 

February 15, 2016: Jesus Changes People

Luke 3:15-20

John’s task was to “prepare the way.” Jesus’ task was to be “the way.” John’s task was to call people to repentance, to change on the outside. Jesus’ task was to invite people to relationship with God and to change on the inside.

A little girl had been naughty. Her exasperated mother finally told her to sit in the corner until her father came home. The little girl stomped over to the corner, folded her arms defiantly across her chest, pouted angrily, and refused to sit down. At this point her mother came over and literally forced her to sit. When the father arrived home he asked his daughter what she was doing in the corner. She replied, “On the outside I’m sitting, but on the inside I’m still standing.”

We can relate to that. On the outside we can make changes, but until we are changed on the inside it makes little difference. Jesus changes people from the inside out. That’s what excited John the Baptist! That’s why John called Jesus “the One more powerful.” That’s why John pointed away from himself to Jesus, the one sent from God to set people free from self-centered living. Jesus is still in the business of transforming lives from the inside out. Open your heart to the master and he will shape you into the beautiful person he knows you can be.

Prayer: Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written by Anthony Vis, a retired pastor in the RCA. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visit www.woh.org. 

February 13, 2016: Simeon and Anna

Luke 2:22-38

…salvation…which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples (vv. 30-31).

In his Gospel, Luke will later show Jesus reaching out to “all sorts and conditions of men,” to use a phrase from the Book of Common Prayer. However, first he wants to introduce two more Jewish people, Simeon and Anna. They are old, like Zechariah and Elizabeth, and like them they are steeped in the old faith of Israel, harkening back to God’s ancient promises.

But so far from being stuck in the past, these two are now looking to the future. Mary’s son, Jesus, has been born, and it is the baby Jesus that Simeon and Anna encounter on this unforgettable day.

God has given them the spirit of prophecy, both to see and to say what is really happening. God’s people have long been awaiting the “consolation of Israel” and the “redemption of Jerusalem,” and now here he is! More than that, he will be “a light for revelation to the gentiles” as well as “glory to your people Israel.”

The great hope for the nations, for the people of every kind and background whom Luke will be describing, is in this child alone. How indebted we all are to God’s Old Testament preparation for his coming.

Prayer: Thank you for this light from the past that still illuminates the path ahead of us.

Today’s devotional was written by Michael Wilcock, a retired pastor in the Church of England. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visit www.woh.org.

February 12, 2016: Finding God in Unexpected Places

Luke 2:1-7

And she gave birth to her firstborn son (v. 7)…

I wonder how Mary felt when she looked at her newborn child the way mothers do—studying every hair on his little head, every crease on his wrinkled face. I wonder if she understood the enormity of what had happened. The promised Messiah had been born at last, and there he was, cradled in her arms.

God’s handiwork is nowhere more difficult to see than when it occurs in your own life. Our own lives are too familiar, too common, to sense the mystery of God pulsing through them. But Mary knew that God had acted in her life, and there in the manger was the proof of it.

Mary understood that God is at work in unexpected places. And from Mary you can learn that God is at work in the most unexpected place of all—your life. Your marriage. Your job. Your family. Your church.
“She gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger…” Would you ever have expected to find God in a manger—a feed box for animals? No. But you’d never expect to find God in your own life, either. Yet that is where God is.

God acts in the lives of real people. Like Mary. Like you. And Christmas is the proof of it.

Prayer: Lord, be in my life.

Today’s devotional was written by Lou Lotz, the pastoral leader of Central Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visitwww.woh.org.

February 10, 2016: A Theophilus Near You

Luke 1

I too decided . . . to write an orderly account for you (v. 3).

Luke’s Gospel is special in many ways, not the least of which is that it is the only book of the Bible written by a gentile with obvious concerns for gentiles. Right at the outset Luke introduces us to a friend named Theophilus whom he knows and will carry along in his heart as he writes. Luke also tells us why he writes—so that Theophilus “may know the truth concerning the things about which [he] has been instructed” (v. 4). Somewhere, somehow, a gentile named Theophilus, whose name means Lover of God, came to know and love the Lord, and now Luke intends to contribute to his spiritual well-being by both informing and deepening that love.

Do you have a “Theophilus” in your life to love toward the Lord? Throughout history God has used basic kindness and concern for those outside the faith to effect a change of heart. I want you to give serious consideration to connecting with a Theophilus near you. C. S. Lewis is reported to have said, “If I had one piece of advice to give young people it would be to do all that they can to live near their friends.” As you read these devotionals, consider a friend with whom you might share them. If you do not, then who will?

Prayer: Make us available, Lord, to a Theophilus in our lives.

Today’s devotional was written by Tim Brown, president and Henry Bast professor of preaching at Western Theological Seminary. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visit www.woh.org.