Scripture
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. – Matthew 6:18
In today’s teaching, Marc talks about fasting, the third pillar of Jesus’ faith. He explains that fasting is ultimately about repentance. The entire purpose of fasting is simply to humble yourself and demonstrate to God that you are serious about changing your ways.
Secondly, Marc shows us how God calls the people to fast, because repentance and fasting in the Bible is not an individualistic activity. Rather, whenever we read about these ideas about fasting and repentance, it was about the community coming together. Then, by their change of behavior, they’re calling upon God to act redemptively on their behalf.
Question: What would you like to see changed in you through prayer and fasting? What do you need to repent from?
Family Chat: Is there an area in your life that you need to repent from? Maybe God has been talking to you about this your heart, but you haven’t done it yet.
Take Action: Choose one day to fast with your accountability partner, your family, or your life group. On that day, a day of repentance, identify and pray together through those behaviors in your life that need to change, those things that are creating a barrier between God and you.
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Scripture When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. – Matthew 6:16-18
Today we are reminded that our spirituality is not about drawing people to ourselves, but drawing glory to our Father. And when we fast, it is a time of repentance, a time to take a very clear inventory of our lives and behaviors, and a time to invite the Holy Spirit to show us the things that are creating barriers between God and us. True fasting involves repentance.
Marc teaches us that fasting is a discipline we practice not just individually, but corporately as we practice fasting together with our families and our life groups. Just as we don’t need to wait for the church to organize opportunities for us to give to others, we also don’t need to wait for the church to organize a time of fasting, prayer, and repentance.
Question: What will you fast for? What will you fast from? Who will you fast with?
Prayer Starter: Jesus, I invite You to show me what You want me to set aside during this time of fasting….
Family Chat: As a family, talk about something you can give up to spend more time with Jesus, like social media or video games. Ask Jesus to help you know what to fast from.
Take Action: Set aside one day this week to fast and pray with your family and/or your life group. Repent to the Lord for the things that are creating barriers between Him and you.
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Scripture
When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
“‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”– Luke 14:15-24
Jesus told parables to help His audience understand in everyday language the great truths of God. In Hebrew, the word “parable” means “to give an example.” Parables are not allegories (where you identify everything in the story), but they are about communicating a point.
In Luke 14, Jesus tells a parable of a man who hosts a big banquet and sends his servant out to gather those who have received invitations, but those people gave excuses as to why they could not attend. He then sends his servant to bring more people in; he has a lot of food, and he wants it eaten!
The purpose of this parable is to be prepared. You never know when those moments of your life need to be, even the moment of your own passing. Be ready to answer when the Master calls.
Question: Are you living every day in such submitted obedience to God that no matter when the moment comes, you are ready to meet Him?
Family Chat: As a family, ask Jesus if there is something standing between you and God. Is there something standing between you and each other? Pause and listen during your prayer; He will talk to you. 🙂
Take Action: Today, share with someone in your sphere of influence what your relationship with God means to you.
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Scripture
The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. – Luke 12:42-48
Jesus wants us to be watching and waiting for His return, and in the meantime to be working—to be good stewards—until He returns. In Jesus’ day, a steward would be the person entrusted with their Master’s property. He had work to do to take care of the people and the land under his supervision. We are also called to be stewards of God and servants of man.
We all have influence, and we are all called to make disciples of Jesus, to help others grow closer to Him. This is the ministry we have all been given as believers (see 1 Peter 4:10). God wants all of us to steward the specific gift that God has given each of us, but there is also one gift we have all been given, and that’s the gift of Christ in us.
Question: What is the gift that God has given you, and how are you putting that gift to work to support and influence others? Who in your life is more like Jesus because of how you’ve partnered with God?
Family Chat: Did you know your age doesn’t matter when it comes to serving? Brainstorm ways you can serve at your church, in your community, or in your home.
Take Action: Serve a small need on behalf of one other person today.
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Scripture
At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight the cry rang out: “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.”
“No,” they replied, “there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.” But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. “Lord, Lord,” they said, “open the door for us!” But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.” Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. – Matthew 25:1-13
In today’s devotional, Heather Hoyt examines the Parable of the Ten Virgins: five wise virgins come prepared with extra oil to last the night, in comparison to five foolish virgins who do not bring enough.
She explains that the five foolish virgins represent those who have an appearance of godliness without a relationship with Jesus, who “honor [Him] with their lips but their hearts are far from [Him],” (see Isaiah 29:13).
Jesus’ contemporaries’ idea of repenting the day before you die has an implication of remaining steadfast in a heart of repentance. This was the focal point of being a follower of Jesus: not just approaching our faith as a check-off list, but daily repenting, loving Him with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.
Heather challenges us with this thought: are we looking for Him, or are we longing for Him? Is the pursuit of His presence the primary focus of your life?
Question: How full is your lamp? What might be causing the oil to leak from your lamp—a challenging relationship, a negative attitude, jealousy, greed, selfishness, pride, or something else?
Prayer Starter: Get quiet before the Lord and ask Him to reveal to you how full your lamp truly is. Then ask Him to reveal the things that threaten to take His place in your life. Hold your hands open before the Lord and begin to surrender whatever it may be, however big or small.
Prayer: Jesus, I come before You in humility, repenting today of putting ______ first in my life over pursuing You and You alone. Where my love for You has grown dim, I confess that as sin and turn back to You. Thank You for Your forgiveness! I choose You today above all other things. I invite You to fill me again with Your Presence, that my lamp today would burn brightly in my world.
Family Chat: If you have a relationship with Jesus now, is there anyone that you need to share the love of Jesus with?
Take Action: In the area(s) of your life that you filled in the blank in confession in the above-suggested prayer—whether it’s in regards to your schedule, your agenda, your job, your family, your entertainment, or something else—phone a friend and confess those same things to him or her. The Bible says that if we confess our sins to God, He’ll forgive us (see 1 John 1:9); but it also says that if you confess your sins to one another, you’ll be healed (see James 5:16).
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Scripture
John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
“What should we do then?” the crowd asked. John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
– Luke 3:7-14
In this passage, we understand that the “fruit” of repentance is all about how we live out our faith in relationship to other people.
Repentance cannot just be something that we do inside of ourselves, because it’s not about “just me and God.” In the Bible, repentance always plays itself out in all our relationships: our family relationships, our work relationships, our relationships in the community, and yes, also our relationships with God.
God is the one who has command of our lives, and He calls us to repent and humble ourselves in front of those we are in relationships with.
Question: How do you bear fruit in keeping with repentance? How does your repentance affect how you relate to others?
Family Chat: When was the last time that you apologized to someone? Is there anyone you need to repent to now?
Take Action: Repent in your relationships for the things that you have repented to God about.
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