Cedar Ridge Community Church: Lenten Devotions: 16th Day of Lent

John 3: 1-21 (New International Version)

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

“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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

Friday, March 13, 2009

16th Day of Lent

VESSEL
By Debra Rienstra

Fill me,
for I have nothing.
Dry as a desert widow,
I offer dust to travelers.

I pour and pour
till my edges ache.
Mirage of fragrant oil
recedes to thinner
nothing.

Empty,
I set myself aside.

How curious, though---
a pale surface
glossed with light;
spiraled pattern of your making
dashed with color;
I a concave stillness
Waiting, opened
in wonder.

Let me hold nothing too long
for empty
I am beautiful.

...And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Romans 5:2-5 (NIV)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: How often I try to pour myself into others - only to find that it's dust, not the water that they really need. I try to fix things, plan things, meet expectations... all dust. What I really need & what the world really needs is to be filled with the refreshing, life-giving water of Jesus. Because when we're filled with his living water, you can still see the beautiful swirls of color that disappear when we're filled with self. Fill me with springs of eternal water and empty me of the dust of self, that I may be beautiful in thought, word & deed, a piece of your kingdom here on earth.; March 13, 2009 at 7:07 AM
Anonymous said...: Amen!; March 13, 2009 at 7:12 AM

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Friday, March 13, 2009

16th Day of Lent

2 comments: