Lent Devotional 2021 - Pittsburg - Flipbook - Page 23
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021
DEVOTIONAL
The Rev. Dr. Karen Anderson ’97
The reality of our existence is that we live in a world marred
by sin. Sin, which is driven by seeking our own will rather
than God’s. The great “I” in center of the word—s-I-n—
reflects our constant need to be in control, to be our own
god. Words such as self-will, self-interest, self-centered, and
self-reliance come to mind.
SCRIPTURES
Jeremiah 18:1-11
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Come,
go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear
my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and
there he was working at his wheel. 4 The vessel he was
making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he
reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6 Can I not do
with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says
the LORD. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in
my hand, O house of Israel. 7 At one moment I may declare
concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and
break down and destroy it, 8 but if that nation, concerning
which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my
mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. 9 And
at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a
kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 but if it does evil
in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my
mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now,
therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem: Thus says the LORD: Look, I am a potter shaping
evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now,
all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your
doings.
Romans 8:1-11
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who
are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For
God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could
not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that
the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who
walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on
the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the
Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the
mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit
is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is set on
the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—
indeed it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot
please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the
Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does
not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if
Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the
Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him
who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised
Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also
through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Sin infects and harms individual lives, families, social
constructs, political systems, and nations. All are the
imperfect clay in the hands of our Lord and Creator, who
works to shape and mold us to his good and perfect will in
spite of our imperfections—our sin. The good news of the
gospel is that “There is therefore now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of
death” (Rom. 8:1-2).
In Christ we have hope, not just for ourselves but also for our
world. Sin and death no longer rule. It is God’s will that all
should come to know the love of God and the saving grace
of Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:4).
Where do we start? We start with ourselves by daily
surrendering our will into the Potter’s hands to do with us
and build with us as he wills. From there we pray for the
surrender to him of all those around us in the knowledge that
his will, his way, his love are perfect—as demonstrated in the
death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
In him we are a new creation, and through the him we are
given the power of the Holy Spirit to help bring change and
hope to the world. Praise God! Praise the Potter.
PRAYER
Lord, we confess our willfulness and pride. Even in prayer
we often give you instructions instead of waiting to hear
your instructions for us. Forgive us, Lord. Give us humble,
compliant spirits that patiently listen and wait to know and
do your will—spirits which know and trust that what you do
can and will be better than anything we could ever conceive
or imagine. We pray in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.
THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021
Jonathan J. Ellegood ’06
SCRIPTURE
John 6:41–51
41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he
said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph,
whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I
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