Lent: Thursday March 2, 2006

Old Testament Lesson

Habakkuk 3:1-18

God is a mighty God, able to save. Sometimes we can forget how strong and powerful God is. We haven't seen God send down fire from heaven in our time, so we tend to only think of God as a God of love, which He is. But, if we read the Word, we see that He is also might and strong and powerful. In this text, it is God that brings judgment, it is God that defeats the evil one and it is God that shakes the very earth.

While we are to boldly approach the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16) we must never forget who we are approaching. He is the same God that expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden, the same God that brought judgement to Israel for it's sins, and the same God that we all one day stand before and give an account. While God is our friend, He is also so much more. Let us never make the mistake of taking Him too lightly.

New Testament Lesson

Philippians 3:12-21

We see two type of people in this text. Those that are enemies of the cross and those that are citizens of heaven. Those that are enemies of the cross live only for their own pleasure. They live for their appetites and glory and their minds are on earthly things. They seek only their own please and could care less about the glory of God. They will face judgement for this.

The citizen of heaven places everything under the control of Jesus Christ. And in doing that, God, through the power of His spirit will renew them and their bodies. Those that chase only their own pleasure find destruction, and those that place themselves under Jesus' Lordship find life. Today, which do we do? Do we seek only what we want? Or do we discipline ourselves? Do we obey our Lord? Do we follow? In chasing our desires and sin, we find death and judgement. In following our Lord, we find life. Today, will we follow ourselves, or will we follow Jesus?

Gospel Lesson

John 17:1-8

Jesus prays that His followers may know eternal life, and that is knowing God and Jesus. What does this mean? What does it mean to say that is eternal life. First, it means that is the only way into that full communion with God. Eternal life is not based upon our works. Now if we are a Christan, our lives will show forth good works, but those works in and of themselves are not Christianity. Christianity is faith in God and believe in Jesus Christ. That is the way to eternity. Believe of and submission to Jesus Christ.

Second, eternal life can begin now, because it comes through that knowledge of Jesus Christ. Today, through our walk with God through Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit, we can get a foretaste of Heaven. It is not a full glimpse, but in the moving of the Spirit, we can experience in a very, very small way what eternity with God will be like. And if the movement of the Spirit in souls now is amazing, imagine what eternity will be like. First believe, second obey; that is the way to this eternal life.