Sunday review: March 21-26

It’s possible we’ve never in our lifetimes been more aware of our need for God. Nations rage, local churches struggle, and believers question their faith. The source for calm in challenging times is God’s Word that has guided his followers through the ages. Each post this week is based on potent passages from that Word. Remind yourself of the strength they offer as you choose some of these devotions to read again.

March 21
None of us knows whether we will have 40 more seconds or 40 more years to fulfill our calling. In some ways, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is to use the time we have faithfully following God wherever he leads.
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March 22
To be healthy spiritually we must find silence. Our lives fight against the noise. And we have many wonderfully noisy jobs and relationships. Children make noise. Conversations are spoken. Music is important. You get the point. But sometime in each day, even if for just a few minutes, we must find silence where we can meet God alone. Where we breathe in the silence. Where we wait, listen, and remember.
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March 23
It shouldn’t surprise us that women played prominent and sacrificial roles in serving Jesus during his ministry and in the life of the early church. Jesus was clearly comfortable with women serving in many significant ways during his ministry. I suspect you would agree that it’s hard to imagine how any congregation anywhere could or has survived without the tireless service of women in the local church.
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March 24
What would happen if we were more willing to engage in conversation with strangers? I suspect we would learn that in those conversations God might speak to us. Sometimes we think we are the only ones with the answer or the ability to encourage or help another. Sometimes God places strangers in front of us to minister to us, even though we think we have nothing in common with them. It is in these exchanges that we discover the bigger reality of how God is renewing and transforming lives everywhere.
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March 25
Today my daily Bible reading also included verses from Romans 12 where Paul tells believers to repay no evil with evil. Even in the worst situations, we are called not to retaliate but rather to live peacefully with one another. Paul goes as far as telling us to feed our enemies if they are hungry and give them something to drink if they are thirsty. That’s a long way from publicly accusing and shaming as we often are so quick to do. According to Jesus, there is grace and mercy even for those who do wrong. And aren’t we glad to know that!
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March 26
While we wait to see God work, we can remember in our present situation what really matters, and that is the surpassing worth of being in communion with Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:8). When we’ve lost much, Christ comes and reveals himself as more valuable than what we’ve lost. When we have plenty, Christ reminds that he is more valuable than anything we could accumulate. Paul’s imprisonment is a great example of God’s sweetness in our suffering. As Paul is sitting in jail, he has every reason to lose hope and be doubtful. However, his response to that circumstance is a beautiful thing and a wonderful reminder we can use even our present suffering to bring God glory.
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