Day Thirty Three | Lent Devotional
Reading: Mark 8, Psalm 37:33
“The LORD will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged.”
This passage from Psalm 37 deeply resonates with me because it underscores the Lord's transformative power. It starts by depicting the wicked's desire to harm the righteous, setting a backdrop of adversity. Yet, the subsequent verses convey a profound truth: when the Lord encounters us, even in the grip of our enemies, His commitment is to uplift and transform us. He doesn't intend to leave us in our current state or condemn us.
To grasp God's benevolent disposition toward us, Paul's words in Ephesians 2:8-10 are enlightening. Here, he emphasizes that our salvation is a gift of grace, not something earned through works. We are God's handiwork, crafted in Christ Jesus for good deeds predetermined by Him.
"8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” - Ephesians 2:8-10
Imagine shaping your life, decisions, and daily plans around the assurance that God won't abandon you in your present state. Even before the fall, humanity was meant to grow and develop.
In Mark 8, the story of feeding the 4,000 highlights a crucial oversight by the disciples—they forgot to remember the miraculous acts of God they had witnessed before. Despite having previously seen Jesus multiply food, they allowed the immediacy of their circumstances to cloud their memory. This failure to remember where they had been and the ways in which God had provided for them before served as a poignant lesson in faith and trust. Don’t forget to remember where God has brought you from.
In your journal today, write out where you were before you met Jesus, and where you are now that you have a relationship with him. What are you grateful for, and who have you become as a result?
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