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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion Thursday, March 11, 2004 |
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Frontline Devotion for Thursday, March 10, 2004, by Pastor Justin Lathrop
Bible text:
Luke 24:50-53
“…and they were continually in the temple blessing the Lord.” This is my
favorite ending in all the books of the bible. I love it because the final verse
in Luke is no end at all. It feels more like a beginning. It’s the beginning of
the new life of the church. It’s a teaser, a preview to Luke’s second chapter:
Acts. Every other gospel ends with some sort of finality. Generally, they
conclude by saying or implying this is the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Luke
does nothing of the sort. He instead focuses more of the transfer of power from
Jesus to His disciples, and follows them as they continue in the faith.
During Lent we often work on our spiritual disciplines. We work to develop some
new aspect of our life. Today, I instead urge you to recognize that you’ve been
blessed. God has chosen you. God has picked you out of the crowd to be his
follower. He picked you to be His one and only. And as Jesus blessed the
disciples, God had blessed you with your many gifts.
Just as the disciples reacted by blessing God in the temple, let us bless God
this day. Let’s take a look at ourselves. Instead of seeing the weaknesses in
our faith; instead of focusing on what we want to work on this Lent, let’s look
at the gifts God has given us this day. And let’s give thanks and be glad in it!
But notice something else in the text. Up until the last verse in Luke, only God
and Jesus do the blessing. By the last verse, it’s the disciples’ turn. And
they’re not just blessing, they’re blessing God. We see a real transfer of power
over to humanity. As you give thanks for your blessings this day, think of how
you’ll use your gifts to help others throughout this season.
Let’s pray:
Gracious God, you’ve blessed us with so much. Thank you for the gifts with you
have imparted. Thank you most of all for the power you have bestowed on us, and
trust you have shown in us to care for all of your creation. Help us to use the
gifts we’ve been given to be a blessing for those in need. We ask all in the
name of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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