Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
April 2, 2023
Read Colossians 1:7-12
7 You learned it from Epaphras, who is the fellow slave we love and Christ’s faithful minister for your sake. 8 He informed us of your love in the Spirit. 9 Because of this, since the day we heard about you, we haven’t stopped praying for you and asking for you to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding. 10 We’re praying this so that you can live lives that are worthy of the Lord and pleasing to him in every way: by producing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God; 11 by being strengthened through his glorious might so that you endure everything and have patience; 12 and by giving thanks with joy to the Father. He made it so you could take part in the inheritance, in light granted to God’s holy people.
Good Morning, Jesus is calling us to follow him!
On this calm Palm Sunday morning, we praise and thank God for our blessings. I pray that you are safe and warm following the crazy winds yesterday. May the peace of God fill you on this morning of anticipation.
When we accept Christ, we are called to put on Christ each day. What does this mean? First, to put on Christ is to listen and embrace all of which you have been blessed: love, grace, mercy, joy, and strength. Next, you are to take these gifts and share them by humbling yourself before God and your neighbors as you work to serve their needs. Finally, you joyfully give thanks to God for the opportunity to be called a child of God.
Well, that sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? It is easy when everything goes the way we expect it to go and when our neighbors reciprocate in kind. It is also easy when we don’t become tempted or distracted by the earthly treasure that presents itself along our journey.
I remember a movie quote spoken by Tom Hanks in “A League of Their Own.” “If it were easy, everybody would do it. Hard is what makes it great.” in the past, I’ve shared with you my classroom mantra: hard is good. When we tell children that it’s good for it to be hard, they laugh and don’t understand. Even as adults, we struggle to accept this idea, especially during hard times. Have you ever thought or said when in one of those challenging moments, “one day, we will look back at this mess we’ve made and laugh”?
I pray that you have many days that are not messy and things go well. Likewise, I pray that when you have those messy days, you strap on Christ and find your way back to the light. It is in our messes (and boy, can we make messes) that we find the strength to endure that God gives to us. Each small mess gives us the opportunity to practice for the big mess that is beyond our current view, the mess that is somewhere beyond the horizon.
On this Palm Sunday, we remember that Jesus knew of the impending mess and stepped in to lead the parade anyway. Today is the beginning of an unimaginably complex week for the son of God. Jesus is preparing to accept the consequences of all our sins and to buy our salvation. Are we strong enough to follow Jesus as we complete this part of the journey, to feel the pain, and to take this next step?
Hosanna! (Save us) Hosanna! (Save Us) Hosanna to the king of kings! (Save Us, O King)
Blessed God, We thank you for Your blessings. Today seems like a day filled with promise, but we quickly lose hope as the next few days unfold. Help us to be strong! In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: My life can be a sign that points to God
Be Humble and Meek! Pastor Liz
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