We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 (NRSV)
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
The First Sin and Its Punishment
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die, 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,[a] knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Devotional thought:
There are many things in the world that orient our time and shape us – footie season, school year, when the new season of our favourite show drops, anniversaries, the financial year, and public holidays. All of these cause us to ensure we are prepared for what is coming, we rearrange our calendars, make sure we have what we need and plan special events. All of this, whether we realise it or not, forms and shapes our sense of time and even our priorities at certain times of the year.
The Church calendar does the same thing for Christians. There are periods of feasting and periods of fasting There are special festivals to be remembered and days set aside for celebration. When we use the Church Calendar in worship, it helps to ensure that the things of God, particularly the life of Christ, are shaping us and forming godly rhythms of time within us.
This Sunday is the First Sunday of Lent in the Church Calendar. Lent is a time of fasting that helps us prepare ourselves for the joyful celebration of Easter. It is a time where we can prayerfully examine ourselves, when we consider if there is anything in our lives that separates us from a full and loving relationship with God. The Genesis reading for the first Sunday of Lent tells the story of the first choice to distrust and disobey God, a choice that led to us being separated from God because of sin.
I want to encourage you to make time this season of lent to examine yourself with humility, asking God to reveal anything that might be separating you from God or from others. The devil is cunning, and sin can sneak into our hearts and minds without it always being obvious to us. If God reveals to you things that need to change, may you not be like Adam and Eve – covering yourselves and allowing shame to cause you to hide from God in the bushes. Instead, may you be reminded that the Father is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and full of grace and mercy. God is waiting for you with open arms to embrace you and forgive you. May you be encouraged that, through Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within us, giving us the power and guidance we need to follow God’s way in our life.
Prayer:
Holy God, Lent is a time for reflection, self-examination, for prayer, and for renewed commitment to You and Your ways. May we humbly seek your guidance this Lenten season and be willing to change where necessary. May we be reminded of abounding grace and mercy, your steadfast love, and that you have given us all we need to faithfully follow you all the days of our lives. Amen.
Rev Kat Wood
NTC Office Manager