Lent 2024 | Day 17

ByJanet Nygren
Day 17 (Monday, Mar 4)

As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly, to re-center my scattered senses upon the presence of God.¹

Pause and pray.

Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. (2 Timothy 2:11-14)

Think about it.

As we continue to think about the J-Curve, these words of Paul to Timothy, his disciple, should look like they are following a familiar pattern. Dying with Jesus means rising with Jesus. Paul is not afraid to tell us this repeatedly–it must be important! In this example, he puts special emphasis on quarreling about words. He is particularly concerned about false teachers. As we focus this week on a tendency to insist on what we think to be right, it is not so different from the people Paul is warning against.

Consider.

Do you ever get in arguments about what you think or remember? It’s a common trait in my family. We can get so insistent about minor details, trying to prove the other person wrong, or inferior. While it might overlap somewhat with concerns for reputation, it seems more concerned with my opinion about myself than others’ opinions about me. If you dig below the surface, what might insisting on your own opinion say about your heart?

Pause and pray.

Jesus, help me trust you.

“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” (Luke 6:45 NLT)

Notes

1. Prayer used daily in Lectio365 found at https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/lectio-365/