Editor’s note: The word “apology” is used here not to imply guilt or regret, but rather to communicate a desire to make clear the grounds of a course, belief, or position. In this piece, the the word “apology” is a noun meaning “words offered in explanation.”
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Text: Psalm 78:1-7, Habakkuk 2:3, Galatians 4:4-5, Colossians 2:6-17
The grand narrative of God’s Word through history is more than a tall tale. It is a historical record of real events with real people in real places and in real time. Indeed, as Paul makes plain in his letter to the church at Corinth, if Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection did not actually take place in time and space, then all is lost. We of all people are most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:19).
God not only authored the Bible’s true story, He’s its lead actor. Behind the flood, the call of Abraham, the Exodus, the rise of King David, the exile and return of Israel, and every other redemptive act—God is present and the prime mover. On every page of the Bible, God is the hero of the story. As the author and hero of redemption, God calls His people to remember the great things He has done (Deuteronomy 8:1-3).
One of the means God used to stir the mind and imaginations of His people to remembrance was a calendar. From the Day of Atonement to the weekly Sabbath, to the annual feasts and festivals, God calendared salvation history in order to help the prone-to-forgetfulness Israelites relive their redemption each year (Leviticus 23).
Rightfully so, the shadow of the Old Testament calendar faded in the bright light of Christ’s fulfillment (Colossians 2:16-17). Although God issued no new calendar requirement for the New Testament church, He gave His people the freedom to order their days while maintaining the commitment to remember the redemption of Jesus Christ (Romans 15:4-9, Galatians 3:1-4, Romans 6:5-11, 2 Peter 1:3-11).
Not as a biblical requirement but as a discipleship tool, the early church began marking the days by the life and ministry of Jesus (Advent to Ascension) and the life and ministry of His church (Pentecost to Ordinary Time). Many Christians throughout the centuries have kept the practice, finding it a helpful means of remembering and connecting to both the life of Christ and the reality of His church, reaching around the world and across generations.
In that spirit, we invite you to join us for the forty days of Lent, as we read Scripture and prayerfully prepare for the heartbreaking and heart-mending climax of the Christian year—the crucifixion and resurrection of our Savior.
Pastor Nate Shurden is one of the local pastors who serves She Reads Truth & He Reads Truth by providing theological oversight and pastoral counsel. Nate holds a Masters of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. In 2010, he helped plant Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Franklin, TN, where he still serves as the senior pastor. He is married to Christy, and they have four young children.
Having grown up Catholic, I always participated in Lent, etc …we have been attending non denominational churches now for over a decade, and I’m thankful our current church participates in Lent. I enjoy the season, the special focus, the motivation. As for the men that have been supplying our past two devotionals…I find lately I am so hungry and excited for God’s word and leaning in that I don’t care who gives it, as long as it’s spiritually and biblically sound. Love this group!
Amen! If we are focusing on gender, whether male or female, we are not focusing on Christ.
Amen! We need to be less focused on gender and more focused on the Word of our Lord.
Amen!!!
I just want to say thank you to SRT for this Lent study and for walking in obedience to what God has placed on their hearts. Our focus should not be on who the writer is, but instead praying and asking the Holy Spirit what He wants to reveal to us through it. I pray that we do not become so focused on the fact that guys have been writing for the last two days and miss out on the awesome word God has for us. Instead I hope we can praise God for these men and thank Him for the word He has placed on their hearts for us.
Indeed! I in part dislike women’s bible studies because I think we miss out on learning what men can also teach us. There’s more than just Ruth, Esther and Proverbs 32!
*Proverbs 31
I think part of my personal problem is just that we hear from men all the time. They dominate the pulpit, the blogs, the theological thoughts, the books… I like that there is a website here where women can be heard and appreciated. I’m enjoying the readings, but it’s important that we focus on the fact that women are heard less in the Church, and men dominate more of the spiritual sphere. I feel a personal call to fight for that, but that’s really just my own thing. It doesn’t have to be everybody’s.
This! Stir us, Holy Spirit!
I took one night away from the business ( albeit blessedness ) of being a mom of three ; a wife and an author – and I sojourned for 35 ish hours on snowy , quiet Cape Cod .
To hear myself think and to pray was a treasure I can’t explain .
I walked alone ( but not really ) with HIM on a snowy beach , I sipped coffee alone ( but not really ) in bed reading the Genesis devotional plan here. I prayed and sang to HIM and I realized what it felt like to be HIS bride .
How loved and cherished we were to each other .
My Father and my Creator and Physician.
It was my own kick off to lent – which I haven’t explored in years .
The rub is how to keep that relationship healthy when at home and serving my family and my career .
Be blessed , beautifuls – wherever you are today .
Wow
Loved this! Thaank you for these words!
Praying right along with you that we all can keep our focus on a healthy relationship with Jesus in our ‘ordinary’ days when life is going full speed
This is wonderful and full of peace! Thank you for sharing! Blessings to you, Nicole
I have appreciated the first two readings of Lent. Thank you for posting them. I don’t mean to be nit-picky, but why is it that on a site that is designed for women, men have been the first two writers? Shouldn’t we be speaking to, and hearing from, one another? I enjoy the writings & biblical thoughts of men, certainly… but I feel that since we are declaring #SheReadsTruth, can’t we also assume that #SheSPEAKSTruth, and #SheWRITESTruth? Perhaps in the future days, you will publish writings from women. I just feel disappointed that on my first two days visiting shereadstruth.com, I have only heard from men.
If you look into their other stuff, the writers are generally female. Let us be grateful that we can learn from anyone whom the Lord choodes to use.
The purpose is to seek Jesus. Regardless if the devotional comes from male or female, as long as it points us to the cross, isn’t that all that really matters?
Amen.
And amen.
Most of the time, the writers are women. Occasionally we get men contributors like today.
Hi Ashley! Great question! Don’t worry—we’re still here and have weeks of words from our writing team! Russ and Nate serve on the SRT pastoral counsel, and we asked them to provide a little theological foundation to begin the Lent reading plan. Looking forward to the rest of the Lenten season in God’s Word together!
xoxo-Kaitlin
Awesome! Thanks for your input. :) Keep those ladies’ voices HEARD! Women can lead others to Jesus as powerfully and wonderfully as men. But we all know that, or else we wouldn’t be here, would we?
One verse in particular jumped out for me this morning. Colossians 2:6-7 is a good reminder of the many thanks we should be giving to God on a daily basis. I like earlier how someone said to use a daily habit or daily activity as a reminder to pray. We should also use these times as a reminder to praise God and give him thanks for the blessings he pours over us. Our hearts should be “overflowing with thankfulness” and the Lenten season should be a time where we as Christians are giving the Lord our praise that He did send His son Jesus to die for our sins. It truly is awesome to serve such a good and perfect God. I have a picture hanging in my home that says “start each day with a grateful heart” and it is a good reminder every time I look at it to thank the lord for all he has done and continues to do in my life.
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing!
For the last week in particular, I have been wilting under the mental lists of what I need to do, what I am failing at and how it is too late. Two nights of waking around 2 am with those lists whirling in my mind has got my attention. And glory, this morning Colossians 2:13, 14 has jumped at me like a cleansing balm. Jesus has forgiven all my transgressions, and He has cancelled the certificate of debt, the decrees against me that are hostile to me, (the long list whirling in my mind), and HE has taken it out of the way and nailed it to the cross. Glory be. I might be getting ahead of the study, but I sure needed to read and speak those words this morning.
Michelle,
I have also felt the weight of a to do list this week! And I agree, the 2:00AM wake up calls are the worst. Praying Isaiah 26:3 over both of us today–“you will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.” Thank you Jesus that you cared about us so much you came to earth to live with us, die for us, and raise again for us. Looking forward to studying more of this with you all during this Lenten season.
Kellie, this morning I woke to the song Give Me Jesus going through my mind. What a difference. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercy never comes to an end. They are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness! Thank you for praying over both of us. Grace and peace be yours.
Love this, Michelle! Thank you for sharing this encouragement with us today!
xoxo-Kaitlin
So glad to be part of this study and to be joining this community during this season. Thank you!
I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask for this or not but I could really use some prayers about some decisions Im having to make coming up. I’m young and lost and am just waiting on God to tell me where to go. Thank you! and
Praying for you Brooke!
I will be praying for you, Brooke!
Praying for you Brooke!❤️
Special prayers for God’s loving direction and strength…and most of all His perfect timing!
He listens and He hears, Brooke. Praying for wisdom as you seek His will in these decisions. You can be confident He is with you, and for you!
Lord, I ask for wisdom for Brooke as she seeks your guidance. Please help her make choices that bring her closer to you, and help her turn away from choices that lead her away. Give her friends that know You to help her stay on track and to support and love her. Thank you for giving her a place to reach out for prayer. I pray for Brooke to feel you near her today. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Have a good day, Brooke <3!
Praying for you Brooke! God Bless
Adding my prayers to all the others. Trusting that He will make a way for you…
Praying for you Brooke!! I think we can all agree that we have been in situations like yours with big decisions and choices, but no clear direction. But you are not alone!! We are here for you to pray for you and
to encourage you.
Not sure if this