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Today's Lenten Devotion
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Jars of Clay
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
-- 2 Corinthians 4:6
"Part Time Warriors, Fully Committed" read a recent headline. The article talked about the National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division, headquartered near Tikrit and responsible for four Northern Iraqi provinces. The soldiers used to be part time, but were called to active duty last year. Now they are fully committed to a far off war, as strangers in a strange land.
The reporter, Kirk Semple of the New York Times, interviewed soldiers from all walks of life in the civilian world, a lawyer from Long Island, a mechanic from Schenectady, a letter carrier from New Brunswick. Most seemed ready to step up to the challenge. Some expressed reservations and longed for home, but as the 42nd’s commanding general said, "they took an oath of office and now they have to fulfill it. What was it [their service commitment]? A hobby?"
Paul the Evangelist’s letter to the Corinthians also talks about commitment. Paul tells us that because Believers are His, we can have courage. We have renounced our shameful ways and turned towards God. We have turned away from the broad, easy path onto the straight and narrow one. If people say they cannot see the light revealed by the Gospel, it is because that light is hidden from them. And there is an Adversary who blinds people to the truth everyday.
Part of our duty as Christians is to let the light within us shine. God made light shine on the First Day and, through the Holy Spirit, light shines in our hearts. Even though we are breakable and ordinary, like jars of clay, we shine with the light of our Risen Lord. As Believers we are Fully Committed and must bear witness to His truth. We oppose an enemy as deadly as any roadside bomb and as deceitful as any infiltrator.
So Paul tells us to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.
O Lord,
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed.
We are perplexed by events in this Fallen World, but we do not despair.
We are ridiculed by nonbelievers, but know we are not abandoned.
We are struck down, but we are not destroyed.
Remember us, just fragile Jars of Clay, as we bear witness to your Glory through our actions and do your work in this dark world.
Bring our loved ones home to us quickly and guard them with your strong hand.
Let Todd Scottson from Holy Trinity and all his comrades shine brightly with your light.
Amen
Dennis Blazak
Joyjoywrld57@msn.com
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