Did You Make the Reservation? - by Deborah Parker

Have you ever planned a special dinner with family or friends and everyone arrives at the restaurant only to find that your name was not listed?   No reservation was on their book.  There must be some mistake you say.   Whose job was it to make reservations and what are we going to do now?  Being anxious, disappointed, and maybe even a bit angry, your plan B must now go into effect. 

I have a friend who worked at the voting polls many times; and, she told me of experiences when people would come in to vote and their name was not on that particular precinct book.  She would look under every possible name; but, there was still no listing to be found.  It was voting day and now this person did not know where to go or what to do in order to cast their ballot.  As we talked of her experiences, we began to discuss how it might be for some people on their day of judgment.   Their lives were busy here on earth and they never asked Jesus to come into their hearts and save them.  Now they are standing before God and their name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  The Bible tells us in Revelation 21:27 that only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will enter.  

I can’t begin to imagine being in that place; yet, so many folks will be.  Lives get busy but this is a reservation that must be made.  It is by far the most important one you will ever make and no one else, not your parents, your friends, or even your pastor can make it for you and it is so simple. 

John 3:16 is a verse that most everyone knows, however it is not just a passage to memorize but a passage to know, understand and apply in our life in order to be saved:

     “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV)

Also, in Ephesians 2: 8 NIV it tells us: 

    “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”

God is ready to give you your gift of eternal life - your reservation to live with Him throughout eternity.  Our time on this earth is but a speck compared to our eternity.  Will you make that call today? Not from your cell phone; not on social media, but a call that is made from your heart – a prayer to ask Him to come into your heart now and to forgive you of your sins.  It is your call for salvation.  It is a reservation of a lifetime.  Make it now!

Be Still - by Bill McLarty

Up until two years ago, I served as a middle school pastor in Mobile. On a weekly basis, during the school year, I would get the opportunity to do a short devotion at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) club at one of the Middle Schools. One of these early mornings, I was headed towards the school, and as I drove I was trying to decide on which 'talk' I wanted to give to the students. To say that nothing was coming to me is an understatement. On this particular morning, I was extremely distracted; by my home life, by my upcoming schedule for the day, by the radio, by traffic noise, by the sunrise, the amount of dust building on my dashboard, etc... . You get the point.

After much pondering I decided to turn the radio off and to roll up the windows, so that I could really focus and think through what I was going to bring to the students.

As I rode along, down Airport Blvd., in silence, I began to notice my truck making this funny noise, it was kind of a whirrruppbbbb….. whirrruppbbbb… whirrruppbbbb kind of noise. I had never heard this noise before and it concerned me a little. It was then that God nudged me with the idea that this noise had been here all along, I had just not heard it because I was too distracted by other things.

I believe that we are like that sometimes. We are unable to distinguish that there may be something in our life that we need to deal with, with God, because we are too distracted by the “noise of life” going on around us. 

In Psalm 46:10, the Bible says this,

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

I would like to encourage you to take some time today to 'Be still' before God, and hear what he has to say. Don't let the extent of your communication be a quick, self-pacifying prayer, thanking God for your meal. When you pray, take time to be quiet and listen to God. Our prayer life should always consist of a time of listening to God and not just bringing forth our laundry lists of needs.

40 Is The New You - by Greg Arnold

 March 2 - Greg Arnold 

Forty is the only number in English whose letters appear in alphabetical order.  Minus 40 degrees is the only temperature that is same in both Fahrenheit and Celsius.  A typical pregnancy actually lasts 40 weeks.  The American workweek is, 40 hours. Happy accident? Not really.

Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness; the great flood lasted 40 days and 40 nights; the Jewish people wandered in the desert for 40 years.  The number “40” is littered throughout our culture and our Bible.

It is no accident that our Lenten season spans 40 days. The early writers of the Bible leaned on a common understanding that “40” was a significant number, representing transition or change. Forty was often the span of time necessary for renewal and new beginnings.

Lent is a time for introspection, contemplation and prayer. It’s a period of renewal and a new beginning. The practice of giving up something during our 40 day journey into the wilderness of sacrifice is a tangible means of seeking a greater relationship with God. Just as Jesus himself spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness, praying, sacrificing, and resisting, we too must make the journey.

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.  - Hebrews 2:18

Traveling the Lenten road can feel much like the journey of the Israelites, aimlessly wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. 

Do you recall the story, when Moses leaves the people to ascend Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights? He is gone for just over a month and suddenly the Israelites forget God's commands and turned to their old ways. So, the Israelites melted their gold jewelry and fashioned a Golden Calf.

Moses then returns to find the people all out of sorts and their hearts turned away from God. They spent their 40 days worried and doubting. Renewal just didn’t happen. They didn’t make it through the 40 days of renewal - they turned back to themselves and their idols.

We enter into Lenten season to walk through 40 days and nights in the wilderness. We travel the Lenten road for the purpose of renewal and sacrifice rather than doubt and serving ourselves or our idols. Lent is our time to take inventory, pray, and sacrifice our wants in exchange of God’s desires for us.

Our Lenten journey isn’t going to be easy. Marching toward the cross of sacrifice requires complete trust in God. Forty days is a long time!

Be advised, the great tempter and accuser will twist your mind and play on your feelings — begging you to quit and give in. But remember Christ and call upon Him when temptations come your way, He has walked the road before you.

The journey through lent leads us to the dark, painful cross, then bursts open the arms of Heaven with the promise of Easter! We are made new through the hope, joy, love, and mercy of God’s grace.

Reflect, repent, and persist. May your 40 day journey lead to a renewal of faith and a new beginning in Christ.  What will you choose to sacrifice?

Pray: Almighty God, would you open my eyes to the idols I have fashioned in my life? Give me the courage to put them down and give me the strength to walk the road of sacrifice that leads to forgiveness and grace. 

We Begin

  March 1

“Teach us to number our days aright that we 

may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

Ash Wednesday is upon us. The time each year that we set aside to reflect on the duplicity of our ever present mortality, coupled with the never ending mercies of God that grant us safe passage from the ashpit to the eternal hope we have in Christ. And so with both humility and hope we receive the ashes that mark the beginning of our 40 day journey to the cross, through the grave, and into the glorious light found Easter morning. 

Why participate in Ash Wednesday? By participating in Ash Wednesday, you will begin the Lenten season with a solid commitment made with the strength of the community around you. A strong start makes it more probable you will finish strong! 

In between the last of the Tato-nut Kingcake donuts, the final parades, and other fun & festive Mardi Gras celebrations, be thinking what you could give up for Lent? 

What could you offer? A technology fast? Refrain from eating out as much? 

But more importantly, ponder what you can "add" to fill the void created by your fast-- 

Read a scripture a day? Pray more? Commit to being in worship each Sunday of Lent? Forgive someone? Gather around your family's table more? 

The entire point of "giving up" something or "adding something" is to make an intentional effort to draw closer to God as we focus on our 40 day journey to Easter morning. 

God is not the one that moves away. As we seek to refocus our lives and center our hearts around Christ, God will be found. Our prayer is that this Lenten devotional guide will help you carve out some time for God and reap the benefits of a shared Lenten Journey. 

Journeying with You, 
Rev. MJ Kirby