Category: Lent

Posted in Devotions, Lent

“Drunk with the blood of the saints”

Posted on by William Douthwaite

2020 “By His Blood” Lent devotion #45

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash

And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. (Revelation 17:6)

Symbolic of the evil which is very real in our world, the “woman” of Revelation has taken the lives of many believers. Martyrdom has always been a possibility for those who follow Jesus, who clearly said, “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” The way of the cross is suffering, self-sacrifice and yes, death itself. Trusting him means trusting him with our lives, not trying to hold onto them ourselves. 

While most who read this live in a nation where there is freedom to worship, many Christians in other places do not enjoy that privilege. To profess Christ, to be baptized, to assemble for worship or even have Christian friends is a death wish. Persecution is real, harsh and unrelenting. Following Christ is a treacherous path for them. 

And yet, they follow Christ. They don’t play it safe. They risk it all to call him Lord. They have truly taken to heart Jesus words not to fear those who can only hurt your physical body but can’t touch your soul. Instead they fear, love and trust the only who cares deeply about their bodies and souls. Their own lives are not nearly as valuable as the life they have found in Christ.

Like a treasure they’ve discovered in a field or a one-in-a-million precious pearl, they would never dream of giving up their precious Lord. 

You can’t hold on to both your own life and Christ. It’s one or the other. Since he’s the one who holds the power of life and death, I would rather be in his hands than my own. 

But that’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself. 

Lord, thanks for the life I have in you no matter what. Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent

“Seas, rivers and springs of blood”

Posted on by William Douthwaite

2020 “By His Blood” Lent devotion #44

Photo by schuetz-mediendesign on Pixabay.com

The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea. The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. (Revelation 16:3-4)

The idea of all the water being turned into blood is reminiscent of the first plague God sent on Egypt to persuade Pharaoh to let the nation of Israel go free. Pharaoh refused. It would take nine more plagues before he would finally relent and release them. One after another, the Egyptian gods of sun, amphibians, darkness, livestock and rivers would submit to the authority of the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

The hardest to convert? People. Pharaoh was not about to roll over for a foreign people’s god. In fact, God’s own people of Israel weren’t one hundred percent sure he was the real deal. God sent many of these plagues for the specific reason of showing Israel who he was. Yet even after seeing the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, manna on the ground and water from a rock, they still wondered if their God was actually capable of caring for them! 

What does it take to move us to submit to God’s authority? How many natural disasters must occur before we turn to him for help? How much must we suffer before we finally repent and turn to him for mercy? 
What do you think is going on when pollution kills sea life? What do you think is happening when toxins show up in our ground water? How many die around the world in places where there is no source of clean water? 
Is somebody trying to tell us something? 

Our God is always trying to tell us something. His word is living and active, proclaiming an eternal gospel. Though everything in this world will pass away, his word will endure forever. 

It’s time to listen!

Lord, I’m listening. Speak to me through your powerful word, and lead me in paths of righteousness. Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent

“Blood flowing from the winepress”

Posted on by William Douthwaite

2020 “By His Blood” Lent devotion #43

Photo by Amos Bar-Zeev on Unsplash

The angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia. (Revelation 14:19,20)

The culmination of time and the ultimate judgment of God is compared to the harvest in this passage from Revelation. The harvest was a familiar and anticipated event in biblical times. Sickles are swung, grapes are gathered, and the juice was squeezed out of them to be made into wine. 

The wrath of God can be hard to describe. We may be tempted to ask, “Why is God so angry? Is my sin really that bad?” As those who are sinful by nature, we struggle to comprehend holiness, especially the holiness of God. These verses are an attempt to help us see what’s really going on between us and God. We’re nothing more than grapes destined for the winepress. We are nothing more than poor, miserable sinners destined to suffer the wrath of God. It’s not just what we’ve done. It’s who we are. 

When it is time for harvest, that is, the day of judgment, many will be condemned, forever cast from God’s presence, like a deep and wide river of blood flowing away from the city of God. 

Will that be our fate? By the grace of God, no. Christ’s blood flowed on the cross for us. He suffered God’s wrath in our place, on a cross-shaped winepress. So we are forgiven, we will not perish and we will have eternal life with him in that heavenly city of God. 

We ought never to forget the reality of God’s holiness and our depravity. It makes the saving work of Jesus all that much more amazing. 

Thank you, Lord, for the blood of Christ that flowed from the cross. Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent

“Conquering by the blood”

Posted on by William Douthwaite

2020 “By His Blood” Lent devotion #42

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:11) 

Who has been conquered? The dragon. AKA the serpent. AKA the devil. AKA Satan, the accuser and adversary himself! Praise God! He’s been wreaking havoc ever since he got the chance to speak in the garden, play with Job’s faith, tempt Christ and prowl around like a lion. It’s about time!

The secret to victory has always been and will always be the same: “the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.” Our Lord’s death and resurrection has taken away the sting of death, which is sin (1 Cor. 15:16). Our sin has been paid for, we are forgiven, and we are free from the schemes of the devil. The testimony of that truth, from the law to the prophets to the wisdom literature gives us the victory. The testimony of the eyewitnesses, the gospel writers, the men who spoke from God moved by his Spirit provide the power to save us!

This is such a powerful yet basic Christian truth. Why, then, is it so easy to forget? Why is it so easy to drift into thinking that we’ve lost, that the powers of evil have overcome, that we don’t stand a chance?
Maybe, just maybe, you’ve haven’t been consuming enough of God’s Word. Maybe you have stuffed yourself with news feeds, social media, fake news and rumor. Maybe you just aren’t getting your minimum daily requirement of the scriptures. 

Here’s my prescription. First, read your bible. Every day. Yes, every day. First thing. Before you check your email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or newspaper. Hear from God first, and let him set the tone for every other bit of information you take in. 

Second, read your bible. Read the fun parts (like Ehud stabbing the fat king in Judges). Read the boring parts (like the sacrifices in Leviticus). Read the racy parts (like the Song of Solomon). Read the challenging parts (like sell everything you have and give to the poor). Read the scary parts (like the beasts of Revelation). Read the sad parts (like the passion of our Lord in the gospel). Read the challenging parts (like the admonition to tithe in Malachi). Read the really challenging parts (like don’t get divorced). Read the crazy parts (like talking donkeys). 

Third, read your bible. Every inch of it will point you to the perfect, blameless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. By his blood, shed on the cross, you will conquer. You’ll come out on top. You’ll be victorious. 

And you know what? You will have a testimony, a story to tell!

Thank you, Lord, for the win! Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent

“A third of the sea”

Posted on by William Douthwaite

2020 “By His Blood” Lent devotion #41

Photo by Aneta Foubíková on Unsplash

The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. (Revelation 8:9)

Here’s a shocking vision of bloody currents in the ocean from dead sea creatures and sailors. What could this be? Is this an image of war and sunken naval vessels? Or volcanic eruptions that spew molten rock into the ocean, spawning tsunamis that wipe out harbors and coastal communities? No matter what you envision, it is certainly unsettling.

It is precisely what Jesus said would happen. He spoke of wars and rumors of wars. He described earthquakes that would rock our world. As horrible as it might sound, though, it’s just business as usual. It’s not the end. Not yet, anyway.

It is however, a call for faithfulness, endurance and the continued proclamation of the gospel. That means we trust God, we remember we’re in this for the long haul, and we have a message of hope we do not want to keep to ourselves. We have the best news of all of a Savior who has overcome sin, death and the power of the devil by his suffering and death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. Nothing in this world or from anywhere else can separate us from his love.

Crazy headlines of a world coming apart at the seams are supposed to remind you of why Jesus came. They are like big, flashing neon signs telling you to “Repent!” Turn back to God and find your hope and security and peace in him!

Lord, I’m paying attention. Thank you for coming here and being here for me. Amen.

Posted in Devotions, Lent

“Hail, fire and blood”

Posted on by William Douthwaite

2020 “By His Blood” Lent devotion #40

Photo by Hans on Pixabay

The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. (Revelation 8:7)

Natural disasters, taking their toll on the earth, are always portents of the end, for this world as we know it will not last forever. Violent hail storms move across the heartland destroying crops. Fires burn out of control, wiping out millions of acres of forested areas. When these things happen, there are always lives that are lost, too. Blood is always mixed in. 

Just as we do, the created world around us waits and yearns to be set free from the calamity that sin has caused. It will happen. We just don’t know when. We don’t know when Christ will return. No one does. 

But these kinds of events are signs that there is an end and that he will come and  meant to move us to repentance. They are meant to wake us up and focus our attention on Jesus who is the only one who can rescue us from a world falling apart at the seams. 

Do you need a wake-up call? Probably. Most likely you take a lot for granted. Jesus loves you too much to let you do that. He gives us  birds and flowers to remind us we don’t have to worry about what we’ll eat or wear. He gives us storms and fires to remind us we need a Savior. And he gives us his word to remind us that he is the Savior, Christ the Lord. 

Thanks for the wake-up call, Lord. I needed that. Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent

“A bloody struggle against sin”

Posted on by William Douthwaite

2020 “By His Blood” Lent devotion #39

Photo by Hans on Pixabay

In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:4)

The writer of Hebrews is encouraging his readers to run the race with endurance, that is, to stay faithful in a hostile world, not getting weary or fainthearted. They can do this by looking to Jesus and never forgetting the hostility He experienced from sinners. 

It was tough for some early Christian believers. When they came to faith, they suffered public embarrassment, the loss of property and prison time (Hebrews 10:33-34). But it could be worse. Faithfulness to Christ might just mean physical injury and even death. 

That’s how it ended for Jesus. He was faithful to his anointing and his mission as the Christ. But he would pay for it. Big time. He would shed blood on the cross, for your sins and mine. 

So sometimes faith is hard. Forgiveness is hard. Mercy is hard. Loving your neighbor is hard. Obeying God is hard. Giving a tithe is hard. Not complaining or grumbling is hard. Not being anxious is hard. Witnessing is hard. 

Would it help if I told you, “It could be worse. You could have to die for your faith”? Probably not. All those things would still be hard!

It was hard for Jesus, but he focused on something different. He focused on the joy set before him rather than the shame of the cross. The journey may be hard, but the destination is worth it. That’s why you always want to focus on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith. He’ll get you there. 

When it’s really hard, Lord, thanks for mixing your joy into my journey. Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent

“I’m going in”

Posted on by William Douthwaite

2020 “By His Blood” Lent devotion #38

Photo by Ágatha Depiné on Unsplash

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22)

When I go to…
…my daughter’s house…my son’s house…my in-laws’ house
I have no doubt they will welcome me, give me something to drink, offer me some snacks, and let me hang out with them for a while. 

Am I that confident to enter the holy places?

In a word. No. 

The holy places? That’s where God is. The nation of Israel was content to let Moses go up in the cloud while they watched at a distance. The priests did their thing in the holy place of the temple while I watch from outside. And I am content to let Jesus be my intercessor before God, paving the way for me to be in heaven one day.

But today? I’ll keep my distance, thank you. 

It’s time to get past that. I’ve been forgiven because Jesus shed his blood for me on the cross. I am confident that he is my Savior. I have no doubt that I am clean and righteous in his sight. 

So I’m going in. I’m going in by prayer. I’m going in through his word. I’m entering in through the waters of my baptism and the sacrament at the altar. 

Jesus has opened the door for me. I’m going in!

Thank you, Lord, for making a way for me to be in your presence today and forever. Amen. 

Posted in Devotions, Lent

“Almost everything is purified with blood”

Posted on by William Douthwaite

2020 “By His Blood” Lent devotion #37

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. (Hebrews 9:22)

Wash your hands. Wash ‘em again. Wipe down everything. Stay six feet away. Stay home. We all know the drill. Our lives in the age of the Covid-19 virus are defined by avoiding germs. 

Go back several thousand years to the time of Moses. Purity, cleanness and separation are a big deal. They just did it differently. “Under the law almost everything is purified with blood.” In preparation for worship, everything is sprinkled with blood. Using a branch of hyssop as a tool, Moses sprinkled the book of the law, the people, the tent and all the vessels used for worship with blood. In other words, if you want to go to church, you’re gonna get sprinkled with blood!

Just imagine showing up at church and seeing a drop of blood on the page of the hymnal with the opening song. Or spying drops of blood on the tile floor of the chancel. Blood on your white dress shirt or on the sidewalk out in front of the church. You’d be mortified. Yes, we live in a much different time, don’t we?

Let’s think about it in a spiritual sense for a moment. What is it like for a sinner like you to come into the presence of the holy God? It’s terrifying. It’s foolish. It’s unthinkable. Every bone in your body says, “Don’t do it!” 
But Christ has died for your sins. His blood paid the price. If you can hide behind his perfect life and innocent suffering and death for you, maybe you’ll stand a chance. 

That’s what it’s all about. The blood of bulls and lambs and goats were just reminders of what the Messiah would do. He would make a way, a way for you to be able to embrace the God who is able to do so much more than anything you can imagine. His blood means our sins have been paid for. His blood means we are forgiven. 

Let’s not mince words. Worship is messy. But I am forgiven. A few stains here and there are certainly worth it. 

Thank you, Lord! I am forgiven and I am clean by your blood. Amen.