Lent ~ God calls

The place where God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet. Fredrick Buechner

We search the world for meaning, for purpose, for reasons. When the world does not offer wanted answers, we wonder if God has forgotten us. If we pray to God for meaning, for purpose, for reasons, and He does not respond as we expect, we doubt that God is listening. We crave more and more of the world's tokens, collecting the trophies of greed and pride, and we are empty. And still, God calls to us and seeks us ~ wherever we are. God has designed a purpose for each of us ~ a place to serve. God abides with us ~ in all times. Perhaps it is we who have forgotten; it is we who are not listening.

Read 1 John 2:12-17

I remind you, dear children: Your sins are forgiven in Jesus' name. . . And a second reminder, dear children: You know the Father from personal experience. . . Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world - wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important - has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from Him.
1 John 2:12-16 The Message

In a deeping relationship with God, our wants change. We can respond with greater compassion, with quiet humility, with sincere love. We begin to respond to the Father's love. We search the heart, the mind, the soul for His Presence. We find deep gladness.

consider this!

• When your deep gladness in God merges with the world's deep hunger, what happens?
• How does a growing personal relationship with God change your wants?
• What are your cravings?

Living Word ~ remain in our hearts ~ guide our thoughts ~ abide with us always. Forgive us when we ignore You. How often we stand at the corner of "Want" and "More," uncertain and unsure! Yet You forgive our selfish ways, call us to a place of deep gladness. Take away our cravings for the world and replace them with cravings for You. Amen. ~ dho

Lent ~ 'love one another'

I live and love in God's peculiar light.
Michelangelo

"To love one another" is to walk in the Light! While we cannot explain God, by faith we demonstrate His love when we love others. To say we live in God's light and act with contradiction - with envy or jealousy, with anger or criticism, with pride or arrogance - we are not being truthful. When our actions offer compassion, peace, joy, humility and generosity, we are living and loving in God's peculiar light.

Read 1 John 2:7-11

. . . This commandment - to love one another - is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. This commandment is true in Christ and is true among you, because the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shining.
1 John 2: 7-8 NLT

The commentary in the Life Application Bible reads as follows:
Christian love is not a feeling but a choice. We can choose to be concerned with people's well-being and teat them with respect, whether or not we feel affection toward them. If we choose to love others, God will help us express our love.

When we seek deeper, more intimate relationships, love must be present. Without this component, there is no evidence of a meaningful relationship with God or between us and another. As we grow spiritually, our love becomes an outward manifestation. God teaches us how to love by example ~ by loving us more than we can even understand love ~ by sending Christ as His Love Offering for us.

consider this!

• How can the message to 'love one another' be both old and new?
• How does a Christian wander in spiritual darkness?
• How do you love?

Holy One ~ You love us more than words and call us to love each other. The world tells us to love self most but does not love us at all. The contrast of light and darkness shouts! Jesus,the True Light, guide us through this dark world. Help us grow our love in You. Amen. ~dho

Lent ~ Grace-full

The fullness of our heart is expressed in our eyes,
in our touch, in what we write, in what we say, in
the way we walk, the way we receive, the way we need.
Mother Teresa

We find in Christ the One who speaks our needs to the Father, the One who pleads our case, the One who intercedes for us. Christ is the sacrifice for our sins, the One with whom we are to become intimately connected, the One we are to reflect in our living. Our actions evidence our heart, define our relationship with Christ.

Read 1 John 2:1-6

[Jesus Christ] Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 1 John 2:2 NASB

Propitiation means atonement, atoning sacrifice; it means GRACE! Jesus became the sacrificial lamb ~ the perfect, unblemished lamb ~ offered for our sins, for our salvation. Christ is the very essence of Amazing Grace. Only through Him can we be made righteous.

consider this!

• In God's Court, Satan is our Accuser, and Jesus is our Defender. What evidence does Satan have to convict you? Remember - he is seeking the death penalty.
• When you stand before God, what evidence will Jesus have to present on your behalf?
• Will your verdict be "case dismissed"? If so, who paid the penalty for your sins? What was the cost?

Jesus, You are more than an Advocate, You are the Offering. We cannot live the truth of Your Righteousness without Your suffering sacrifice. Teach us to become more and more like You. Amen. ~dho

Ash Wednesday

"It’s tough in the desert. It’s bewildering.
It’s destructive. It’s hellish. Yet the testimony
of the Old Testament, and ever more strongly,
of the New, is that out of it comes new growth,
new insight, new certainty that a God of love
is at home among us." Charles Elliott



This is the day Christians around the world come to His altar to receive the mark of a sinner. It symbolically reminds us that God alone is Sovereign; God alone is Grace. We believers can never find salvation or peace or eternity without Jesus Christ. It is His Forgiveness we need, His Presence we seek, His Love we offer. Today begins a journey of renewal, a time to reflect on our own individual faith-walk.

Read 1 John 1:1-10

If we claim that we experience a shared life with Him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth - we're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the Light, God Himself being the Light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin. 1 John 1:6-7 The Message

consider this!

• Where does the "Light" originate?


• If believers are "forgiven" why do we still stand before God marked as a sinner?


• Does my living what I claim reflect Jesus?

Light of the World ~ You have come that we might love. We are sinners, but You are Grace. We confess You are Absolute Truth. Dress us in righteousness, forgiven and redeemed. May our words of living reflect the Word of Life. Amen. ~dho

Divine Leadership

The last division of Deuteronomy teaches about leadership. In the study of leadership we must not forget the lesson on obedience, because they go together. For without obedience to God, leadership becomes a broken commodity. A good leader will demonstrate a humble and obedient heart, acknowledging God's power and wisdom.

Read Deuteronomy 31-34

[Moses continues in 31:3-6] . . . Joshua is your new leader, and he will go with you, just as the LORD promised. . . The LORD will hand over to you the people who live there . . .
Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The LORD your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you.

[31:23] Then the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun with these words: "Be strong and courageous! You must bring the people of Israel into the land I swore to give them. I will be with you."

[34:4,10-12] Then the LORD said to Moses, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I told them I would give it to their descendants. I have now allowed you to see it, but you will not enter the land." . . . There has never been another prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. The LORD sent Moses to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants and his entire land. And it was through Moses that the LORD demonstrated His mighty power and terrifying acts in the sight of all Israel.

There are many lessons on leadership in this last section. First, we must understand that God appoints the leader. God calls Moses in the wilderness of Midian, and Moses responds. For the next forty years, God reveals himself to the Israelites through His appointed leader, Moses. Moses' faithful obedience to God is the key component in his leadership strength, just as his disobedience to God's directions prevent him from entering the Promised Land (see Numbers 20:12). God appoints Joshua to lead them into this new land.

Secondly, God is with the obedient leader. Moses and Joshua are frequently reminded, "I am with you." Good leadership requires God's wisdom and provision. It is in God's promise to go ahead and to be with you that secures the power and protection needed to be successful. Moses does as the Lord commands.

Thirdly, we notice that all good leaders need good mentors. Joshua becomes Moses' apprentice, learning how to listen to God's Voice. Moses encourages Joshua to find his strength in God, teaches Joshua to rely on God, reminds Joshua to trust God's faithfulness. Moses blesses Joshua as the new leader; the people of Israel now follow Joshua.

Fourthly, obedient leaders find favor with God. It is through God that Moses becomes a successful leader. It is through Moses that God's power is revealed to His chosen people. Moses keeps his humility, and God demonstrates His power. Favored leadership requires continued obedience and trust in the holiness of God.

Moses dies, and the people mourn. Israel follows the new, God-appointed leader, Joshua, and they embark on the fulfilment of a promise. As they enter the Promised Land, the Israelites take The Law with them, seeking to rebuild their relationship with God. They will fail, and so will we if we only seek to mend our broken relationship with God through the law. We must follow the only Leader who can bring us into righteousness, into God's Promised Land ~ this Leader is Jesus.

Consider this!

• How does humility give a leader (like Moses) wisdom?
• Why does obedience to God give power to a leader?
• Describe Jesus' leadership style. Find Scripture to support your answer.

God of promised lands ~
You call us to be Your priests, to speak Your name before the people. You call us to be your prophets, to tell Your story to the seekers. You call us to be your servants, to share Your love with the needy. You call us to be Your leaders, to live Your way within the world. You call us. Sometimes we respond. You call us. Sometimes we follow. You call us. Sometimes we obey.

Forgive our selfish attempts to lead ourselves. Forgive our arrogant efforts to find wisdom in the world. Forgive our foolish endeavors to direct others before being directed by You.

Jesus, be my Mentor; You are Divine Leadership. I long to follow You into a more holy life. Amen. ~dho

The LORD Goes Before Us

To choose life is to love the LORD your God, obey Him and stay close to Him. He is your life . . . Be strong and brave. Don't be afraid . . . don't be frightened, because the LORD your God will go with you. He will not leave you or forget you. . . The LORD himself will go before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forget you. Don't be afraid and don't worry.
Deuteronomy 30:20, 31:6,8 (NCV)

We speak the Hebrew word Yahweh because it is Your covenant name, and we have studied Your promises to the descendants of Abraham. The ancient words recorded centuries before tell the story of humankind and all its frailties. Words translated from Hebrew tell of Moses and his obedience, tell how You always went before them, preparing the way.

We call, LORD, because there are promises for us. The ancient words tell a living story of love and sacrifice and redemption; they tell of a new covenant ~ Christ. We choose life! Now, as then, You go before us, preparing the way.

We whisper, Adonai, for You are Lord; You are Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You are both hope and light. Your Spirit dwells within us. Lord, only through You can we be strong and brave. We long to firmly embrace You. The world entices us, even as we try to draw near to You. Sometimes our journey is not clear, the path uneven, our steps uncertain. When we cannot see, help us remember the ancient words, the living words The LORD himself will go before you. You are the Promise that chooses us; You are the Love that embraces us. Lord, hear our simple prayers. Amen. ~dho

Live deeply in Christ . . . What marvelous love the Father has extended to us!

1 John 2:28 and 3:1(The Message)