WEEK 2| LENT DEVOTIONAL
This Weeks Readings & Devotion:
Psalm 63:1-8
Isaiah 55:1-9
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9
WEEKLY REFLECTION:
Today’s text takes us to the mystery of God’s Love and the meaning of repentance. We begin with Isaiah 55. The Prophet begins with a sweeping invitation:
“Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters!"
Elsewhere in Isaiah, water is associated with the giving of the Holy Spirit, on a ground that has been dried by sin (32:15; 44:3). This Spirit is a promise and now everyone is invited to receive it. In fact, this living water is available for free! Isaiah lists water, wine, milk, bread because they are daily items. He takes these daily and necessary items and tells us that God is offering the items necessary for our Spiritual life for free. But here the Prophet asks a biting question:
“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”
Isaiah does not accuse them of slothfulness but of desiring life yet wandering aimlessly to get it. Even worse, he says that we are so naturally ungrateful and ignorant that we ignore the free gift God gives in order to chase things that yield no ultimate advantage.
How many times have we sought earnestly to fulfill our deepest longings for meaning, peace, belonging, and security only to end up no better off than when we started? Isaiah is telling us, “Stop. Do not rely on your efforts, but look and receive what God is offering!” Verses 3-5 tell us the content of God’s offer: An eternal covenant with Him. The Witness of this covenant will be the Messiah from the House of David. As this Messiah bears witness to the power of God, He will deliver all people from the power of Sin, and pour out the Holy Spirit on all. This Witness, of course, is Jesus Christ. He came and proclaimed “Good News” to us. By his death, he atoned for our sin and gathered all people to himself. Finally, He gave us the Spirit which unites us to God, giving us every source of provision and comfort needed for this life.
But even with such grace given out, we are prone to reject and even abuse the grace of God. Turn to 1 Corinthians 10. Paul tells us that the Israelites in the wilderness were sustained by the same food and drink that came from Christ. However, instead of relying solely on this food, they turned to idolatry, complaining, and sexual immorality. They presumed themselves to be immune to spiritual danger and put God’s love and promise to the test. As a result, most of that generation perished in the wilderness, not receiving the promised land that abounded in milk and honey. We might think that we are not like the Israelites, but Paul calls them “our ancestors”. Their history is our history. But while they fed and drank on Christ as a shadow, we know Christ and his benefits more clearly, making us more responsible. Paul is telling us, “Watch out. Don’t think that you’re not at risk of repeating your parents’ mistakes.” So while there is still time, Paul tells us to turn from our idols, false hopes, blatant transgression and to fix our eyes on Christ.
This exhortation is urgent. There is a time limit. Turn to Luke 13. Jesus uses tragedy as a context to tell a parable about a fig tree planted in a vineyard. The man who planted the tree was upset because it did not bear fruit. But the gardener intercedes for the tree and asks to give the tree one more year, believing that his efforts will save it. Jesus implies that we are the tree and we are utterly unable to bear good works. But seeing that we were about to get cut down, Christ, the gardener steps in.
But he does not just ask for more time for us to get our act together, he gets involved personally. Just as the gardener digs around the tree, allowing water to come to it, Christ gives us Spiritual water for us to bear fruit in our lives. Just as the gardener puts manure on the tree, showing the intensity of his commitment, Christ humbles himself and dies a bloody death on the cross, showing the depth of his love and care for us. So repentance is not just something that can be done by our own effort, but something that's made available by Christ our Gardner. That’s why Paul can say, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing, he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it”.
Finally, Psalm 63 provides us with the mindset of repentance: an increasing desire and dependence on God.
Consider the Psalmist: “My soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
His desire for God is as basic as his need for water. He shows us that less than this basic commitment to God for our sustenance leads us to sin. What is sin and idolatry but unbelief in God’s promises? A rejection of grace? When the Israelites looked to other gods did they “thirst for God”? No, they did not believe that God would provide. When they complained about the water and the manna, did they say, “your steadfast love is better than life”? No, they rejected His provision. So the way to not be like them is to proclaim at all times, “I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.”
This is true repentance. This is what Isaiah invites us to: “Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.” No matter what you’ve done or for how long you’ve done it, the invitation to repentance still stands. Why? Because God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.” We are prone to measure what God will do based on our own standards. By our own standards, we find it difficult to reconcile with someone who has deeply wronged us. But God shows how vast the chasm is between us because despite wronging Him daily, He still offers Himself freely to us. Why? Because He took on the debt we owed. We feast for free because Jesus paid the price on the cross. So, when we are tempted to think that we’ve sinned too much, that there is no hope, let us look to the cross and remember that our repentance is guaranteed by his precious blood. By his wounds, we are healed. So in our repentance, let us turn to Jesus singing:
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
Contemplative Hymn: Come Ye Sinners