Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 72

Devotion for Wednesday after Lent 1

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.” ‘But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” ~ Matthew 22:1-14

For years, this Scripture troubled me. If the king brought in whoever could be found on the highways, how could the guests be expected to be prepared with wedding clothes? Then I heard a sermon that clarified it. Guests did not have to provide their own wedding clothes. The host provided the appropriate garments. All the guests had to do was to put them on, yet one guest was too lazy to do that. We don’t have to bring anything for our own salvation. Jesus provided everything we need on the cross. We just have to put on the garment of His salvation and accept Him as Lord. If we don’t take that step, we will be cast into outer darkness.

Thank You, Lord, that You provide the wedding garment for me when You invite me to the great wedding feast of Your Son. Let me accept the garment of salvation and wear it joyously. In the name of Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Devotion for Tuesday after Lent 1

And He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and put a wall around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers. They took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others. He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ They took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others.

Have you not even read this Scripture:

‘The stone which the builders rejected,

This became the chief corner stone;

This came about from the Lord,

And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the people, for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so they left Him and went away. ~ Mark 12:1-12

As the vineyard sent servants and his son to collect payment from his tenant vinedressers, God sent His prophets over and over and over again to warn His people to give up iniquity and turn to him and to announce the coming of the Messiah. Few listened, and many treated the prophets shamefully. Finally, God His only Son—and God’s chosen people killed him in the most horrific way. We look back at the Israelites and wonder how they could have ignored God’s Word spoken through His prophets and through His Son. How could people have killed the Son of God? But we are in no position to point fingers and condemn the Jewish leaders who had him arrested and condemned or the Roman soldiers who put Him to death. Even with the benefit of Jesus’ sacrifice and Resurrection, we neglect God’s Word. We go our own ways, “do our own thing,” try to run our lives without the Lord.

Holy, Everlasting God, I come to You in sorrow at how often I have tried to live my life the way I want rather than the way You want. Make the desires of my heart, Lord, the same as the desires of Your heart, and give me the desires of my heart. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Devotion for Monday after Lent 1

“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him. ~ Matthew 21:28-32

Maybe we think that we are destined for Heaven because we were born into a Christian family, raised in the church, and profess to be Christian. We say we are following Jesus, but are we really? Do we go through the motions of faith without really believing? Are we putting something else before God in our lives? Do we say the words but fail to live in God’s will?

Father God, search my heart and show me where I fail You. Give me true faith that leads me to do Your will, to live my life every day of the week as I proclaim on Sunday. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Devotion for the First Sunday in Lent

I will tell of Your name to my brethren;

In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

You who fear the Lord, praise Him;

All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,

And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. ~ Psalm 22:22-23 (NASB)

Sundays in Lent are not counted as part of the forty days of penitence. Sundays celebrate the Resurrection so are always a feast day. Let us celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection in the midst of our Lenten penitence. Let us tell others about our Lord and praise His name.

Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who loves me so much I can’t begin to comprehend it, today I just praise Your Name. I worship You for Your majesty, glory, omnipotence, omniscience, power, grace, mercy, and love. In the name of Your Son, filled with the same majesty, glory, omnipotence, omniscience, power, grace, mercy, and love. Amen.

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Devotion for Saturday after Ash Wednesday

And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”] ~ Mark 11:22-26

We’re all happy that God forgives our sins; otherwise we would end up in Hell for sure. But we usually don’t think our sins are as bad as those of people who have hurt us. We may feel such deep pain that we believe what was done to us is unforgivable, but nothing is unforgivable to God. Jesus told us that if we do not forgive, God does not forgive us. We may protest that what So-and-So did hurt too much to forgive. But Jesus took our sins on him to the cross. He suffered and died the most horrible of deaths to atone for our sins. All He asks is that we accept Him as our Lord and forgive others as He has forgiven us.

Heavenly Father, forgive me for being unforgiving. Give me a fraction of the love and compassion of Jesus. Remind me that no one has as much to forgive as You—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost—yet You freely forgive all those who come to You. You not only want but You require us to do the same. Give me the love and mercy to do so. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

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Devotion for Friday after Ash Wednesday

On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.” ~ John 12:12-19 (NASB)

The people welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem with shouts of praise, and people went out to meet him after hearing about him raising Lazarus from the dead. But the people weren’t going out to worship the Messiah—they were going to see the man who performed miracles, maybe because they wanted miracles for themselves. The Pharisees saw the people flocking to Jesus and didn’t like it, because they wanted people to come to them instead. That’s a lot of selfish motives, but we aren’t any better today. Many people who call themselves Christians live the way they want instead of the way Jesus says, because they want the benefits of following Jesus without the sacrifice.

Lord God, show me any selfish motives I have. Cleanse my heart and give me pure motives so that I follow Jesus, the Lord of lords and King of kings, out of faith and love. In His name. Amen.

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Devotion for Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.” The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus. ~ John 12:1-11 (NASB)

Judas probably sounded righteous to those who heard his question, but he had evil motives. He didn’t want to give to the poor—he wanted to steal the money. Although we probably aren’t thieves, we may say or do the right thing for the wrong reasons. Rather than having a sincere desire to help, we might give to the poor to receive adulation for our generosity or attend church services because our employer/spouse/someone else important to us expects it. Though the poor will benefit from our selfish gift, our spiritual life will suffer.

Heavenly Father, cleanse my heart and purify my motives. Give me a sincere desire to serve You by helping others. Awaken a thirst for worshipping You. Wash away my desire for praise and recognition of the world, and instill in me a desire to hear You say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Devotion for Ash Wednesday

1When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

5″Say to the daughter of Zion,

‘Behold your King is coming to you,

Gentle, and mounted on a donkey,

Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'”

6The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. 8Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.

9The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David;

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;

Hosanna in the highest!”

10When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.” ~ Matthew 21:1-11 (NASB)

We start Lent reading about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This story dramatically demonstrates how God’s plan is fulfilled in Jesus. Every detail was determined from the beginning of time, even to a donkey and a colt being tied in a certain village—just waiting for Jesus to send His disciples to get them. That small detail—the animals being in precisely the right spot and the villagers not stopping these strangers from taking them—is a perfect example of our perfect Lord’s perfect plan.



Lord God, I am awed at Your plan, created by love and executed with precision. Though I don’t always understand why or how certain things happen, I realize that You know exactly what will happen and everything is in Your will. Thank You that You loved me enough to send Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. During this Lenten season, give me a deep sense of penitence and gratitude for Your grace. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Ash Wednesday/Lent

If you’re not part of a liturgical church, you may wonder why folks are going around today with a black cross on their foreheads. Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the penitential season of Lent.

Although there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, Lent is considered to be a 40-day season because the six Sundays are not considered part of the Lenten fast days. Every Sunday is a little Easter in memory of the Resurrection, so the 40 days of Lent are 40 days of fasting and penitence in preparation of the holiest day of the liturgical year, Easter Sunday.

On Ash Wednesday, liturgical Christians attend church services for the Imposition of Ashes, in which a priest or pastor makes the sign of the cross on the penitent’s forehead in ashes, in many traditions saying, “Remember, o man, that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.” The ashes symbolize repentance, and the cross reminds believers of the great sacrifice Christ made for us sinners at His Crucifixion.

Many Christians fast—often a dietary fast, or give up something, for Lent. A Christian can give up anything that comes between him or her and the Lord. While many people give up sweets or meat, some Christians give up social media to spend more time in God’s Word. Whatever we give up should not only be a sacrifice—a penance, but it should also bring us closer to God—such as giving up Facebook and adding Bible reading.

As you see from my Goodreads page, I read a lot, especially fiction. During Lent I read only Christian nonfiction books. Giving up fiction is a sacrifice, as I do enjoy reading stories. And the nonfiction Christian books I’m reading bring me closer to God.

I also add extra devotional reading to my daily devotions. I keep a prayer journal, recording my Scripture readings, my thoughts on the reading, and a prayer. Each year, I post my devotions from the previous year on my blog. I hope these verses from God’s Word, my meditations, and prayers from my heart will add to your own devotions this Lent.

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Guest Post from Nazir Adams: Three Ways to Establish Yourself Online as a Freelance Writer

With so many writing opportunities all over the world, freelancers are ideal candidates to take on short and long projects for companies who need a little help. But, sometimes it’s hard to establish yourself and get noticed when you’re just starting out.

In this article we are going to look at three ways you can establish yourself in the online world as a freelance writer, in order to earn a living out of your passion and be the best writer you could be.

Be a Good Writer

This point may seem like common-sense, but in order to be noticed online you need to be a good writer. Being a good writer means your work is original, you have impeccable grammar and spelling as well as self-discipline, you’re comfortable writing about any topic given to you, you can express yourself with ease, and you do not mind writing each and every day of your life. But that’s not all; in order to be a good writer, you should always consider further study—whether you’re getting your first qualification or building on one (or more) you already have—because with a qualification you may find it easier to get a job.

Communicate a Lot

You cannot work as a hermit if you want to establish yourself. Instead you will need to market yourself, find new business, and chase leads that may end up forming great business relationships for the future. But, communication doesn’t end there. In order to keep your clients happy and fulfil their every need, you must stay in constant contact with them while you are writing for them, turn the work around quickly, and see to any changes they want or need done. Fortunately, most of this communication can be done from behind your desk, using phone and email, which makes the process a lot easier.

Get Involved in the Writing Community

In order to be noticed, you will need to make your presence known. You can do this by being active in writing groups and freelance writer associations, where you can meet other writers, acquire information, and ask for any much-needed advice, as well as establish your credentials as a writer. To find these groups and associations, all you need to do is a quick and simple search on Google. You should look for groups that have meet-ups, so you can meet members in person, and seminars and guest speakers, so you can continue to grow and learn more and more about your field. Find those that offer advice on publishing and marketing and those who will share their publisher contacts, job leads, and networking opportunities where you can do the same.

Author Bio

Nazir Adams is a business writer who is driven by company dynamics, CEO insights, and creative outputs. Nazir is a SEO manager working on clients such as Regus, Dubai Properties, and Atlantis the Palm.

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