Like all good newly married couples in the 90’s I owned a bread machine. It was a
marvel. You would simply put your ingredients in to make a hole for your yeast and
set the time and in a few hours or less your home would fill with a delightful aroma
of freshly baked bread. I loved to surprise my husband with a loaf at dinner and
hear his comments of delight. Well, one night I prepared my favorite recipe and
waited for the delicious results. The house began to fill with a delightful aroma and
I heard the machine beep. I went over to the machine only to find a hard flat
mound. No delicious bread would be had that evening, my yeast, without knowing
it had gone bad.

This is just like us as Christians isn’t it? We have just left the joy of Christmas and
turned back to our ways of grumbling about the weather, our jobs, or other
Christians. Our leavening has gone bad. We need to once again cleanse out the old
Adam and prepare ourselves for the greatest sacrifice our Lord and Savior will
make in a few weeks. Just like there are ways to keep your yeast fresh we too need
to keep ourselves fresh in His Word. Let us cling to His sacrifice and stay FRESH
in His Word this Lenten season.

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, As we prepare for your ultimate sacrifice pull us closer to you in
all we say and do. Allow us to be refreshed in your Word and be able to fight off the
schemes of the devil. Amen

Join us in worship as Pastor Kyle talks about Called to Be a Disciple as part of our Kingdom Vision Series.

18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” - Matthew 8:18-22

9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” -Matthew 9:9-13

Have you ever thought about how many times a day you eat? If you are like most
Americans, you can easily say 3-6 times a day you pick up something to eat. How
many of you would be comfortable eating just once a week?

In these verses Paul tells us that clearly, we should be teachers by now, reading and
teaching the truths of scripture. But many of us are still like babies being bottle-fed
the word of God. We don’t even pick up the word on our own to read, learn and
draw near to God each day. Instead, we go to church once a week and wait for our
feeding to begin and then eat nothing until next Sunday.

If you are reading this thinking, it’s odd -- it is! How often do we complain that we
don’t get enough out of the sermon. We didn’t get enough out of the worship. The
music didn’t move us.

Paul wants us to think more about what we are putting into church. If you aren’t
“getting” enough maybe we need to look at what we are “giving” in our worship
lives. In Jeremiah 17:13b, Jeremiah says of God, Lord, you are the spring of living
water. If we go to Him each day, we will find that we are renewed and can become
teachers of the word, trained to distinguish what is good and what is evil.

​Look at your life and see how often you digest the word of God. May this Lenten
season be a blessing to you, draw near to the one who sacrificed everything for you.

​Prayer:
Father God, we know we often forget to consume your words found in scripture. Help me
this day to take time to dig into your word so that I may grow and share the gospel of your
salvation to those around me. Thank you for gifting me with wisdom to know you and to
do your will. Amen.

Discerning the will of God is no easy task. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if He would
just clearly tell us what He wanted? If it was that easy, we wouldn’t have to be renewed
in our minds. We could go on conforming to this world without being transformed.
Instead, what is good and acceptable and perfect takes refinement. This means dying
every moment of every day to our worldly desires. The plans we make based on our
talents and dreams can be glamorous and self-fulfilling. However, to truly discern what
God is saying we must consider what our human hearts want to deny: Our desires,
dreams, and goals are not completely in line with God’s will.

By the mercy and grace of God, in his infinite love for us, we have been pulled out of
the dark and into the light. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are saved. God’s love for
us is unfathomable to our human understanding, and He knows in every moment what
we need. Given this, the only way to discern His will is to let Him lead. We must bow
our heads in humble submission and accept the call. His Word tells us everything we
need to know. The rest of the complications and worries that crop up in our lives come
from the endless struggle of our sinful and worldly desires. So where are you right now?
What are you overlooking as you strive for something else?

​We are called to be a living sacrifice, and it is no easy feat. To walk with Jesus is the
ultimate transformation that continues for the rest of our lives. This means every day,
there is a battle of submission to God. If we let Him lead as our lives unfold, the
renewal of our minds will blossom into the discernment we crave.

​Prayer:
Dear Lord, let us practice submission this Lenten season. Jesus was Your ultimate sacrifice for
humanity, and because of your love and grace we can worship you with our trust. Help us to
sacrifice our human desires, Lord. Guide us to let go of anything that is getting in our way of
being fully immersed and invested in your plan. We know we can never be perfect, but
because of Jesus we can foster a beautiful relationship with You as we grow in faith, letting
You lead the way. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I have two sons. As with any family, each son has their own likes and personality. One of
my sons is a little calmer, a little more introverted, and doesn't love the great outdoors
and working with his hands like his brother. He’s more into computers and games, reading
and indoor time. The other son is quick-tempered, outgoing, and loves hard work. He
tells us that he wants to grow up and work out in the sun doing construction. If I were to
ask them to bring me their laundry, one would collect their hamper willingly, the other
would do so with more of an attitude. If I was to point out the difference in the way they
did so, the quick-tempered child would complain that I always put him last and blame his
brother. We see this same situation play out in the Old Testament. In Genesis 4, we see
Cain and Abel, God’s children bringing sacrifices to him. Cain and Abel were different in
their personalities and preferences just like my sons. Abel was more of a gentle son, caring
for sheep. Cain liked the hard work, working in the fields, and clearly quick-tempered.
Cain and Abel remind us that if the sacrifice is not done from the heart, out of our love
for our creator, then the sacrifice is not pleasing to the Lord. One of the brothers gave
from their heart, one didn’t, do you remember the outcome?

During Lent, I ask you to examine yourself. Where is your heart when you are making a
sacrifice for God? Do you stop to examine why you’re making that sacrifice? Are you
quick-tempered like Cain, or do you bring offerings to God with a glad heart. The
Psalmist urges us to sacrifice with thanksgiving and to call upon God in times of need.
Lent is a time of both sacrifice and sorrows. We see our Lord and Savior, Jesus, brought
through heart wrenching trials and he pays the ultimate price. He too calls upon the
Father in his time of need, and he carries out God’s plan willingly. During this season we
can reflect upon our own trials, maybe even making sacrifices for the season. Will we
remember to call upon God and praise him with thanksgiving? Or will we forget who our
sacrifices are for? We can be assured that when we sacrifice with our heart, when we call
upon God, He is there for us!

​Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we praise, thank, and glorify your name. Thank you for being there for us in
our times of trouble. May we come to you with glad hearts, making all sacrifices out of love for
you. In Jesus name. Amen.