Lent Devotional 2019

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About Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Rooted in the Reformed tradition, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is committed to the formation of women and men for theologically reflective ministry and to scholarship in service to the global Church of Jesus Christ.

Become a Student

Certificate Programs

Special Programs

Faculty

In addition to their on-campus duties, our faculty are experts in their fields and are available to preach and teach. Learn more about their topics of research and writing and invite them to present at your congregation or gathering.

Events

The Seminary hosts a wide range of events—many of them free!—on topics of faith including church planting, mission, vocation, spiritual formation, pastoral care and counseling, archaeology, and many more. Visit our calendar often for a listing of upcoming events.

Visit PTS

Interested in the Seminary? Come visit us!

Stay in Touch with PTS

Sign-up to receive the Seminary's newsletters: Seminary News (monthly), Church Planting Initiative (monthly), Continuing Education (monthly), World Mission Initiative (monthly), Metro-Urban Institute (quarterly), and Kelso Museum. Alums, there's also one for you!

Lent Devotional MARCH 7, 2019

Scripture

Deuteronomy 7:6-11

6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession. 7 It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you—for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 It was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath that he swore to your ancestors, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 10 and who repays in their own person those who reject him. He does not delay but repays in their own person those who reject him. 11 Therefore, observe diligently the commandment —the statutes, and the ordinances—that I am commanding you today.

Devotional

Gary Glasser / Vice President, PTS Student Association

It is really miraculous to be considered a treasured possession by the Lord our God, is it not? Just let that thought rest with you for a few moments. We are his people, his prized possessions! And not because of anything we do to deserve it but just by believing in him and loving him. And not because we are many, not because we are the best, not because we are the biggest. In fact, we are the least of all peoples!

I witnessed the Lord’s work with his treasured possessions when I was in India on a mission trip. In this area, almost all the women work on giant tea plantations picking tea leaves in the hot, relentless sun. They constantly have to bend over to pick the tiny tea leaves and put them in a burlap sack they each drag behind them. At the end of every day their bags are weighed, and if they haven’t met their quota they don’t get paid. (But their tea leaves are kept by the owners.)

One night I attended a Bible study led by two women in a hut that wasn’t tall enough for anyone over 5’10” to stand up straight in. That night two more women attended for the first time; they’d slipped out of the surrounding forest into the hut with several candles serving as a beacon. I watched as the new attendees listened rapturously with smiles on their faces to the words of Scripture. They sat there until it was time for them to go, as it had gotten dark and there was a rogue elephant at large in the forest. I felt like I was watching the work of Jesus’ earliest disciples as they spread the word. I watched as four tea-leaf gatherers received the word of God and knew they were among God’s prized possessions.

Isn’t that something? In a world of people consumed with trying to be the best, the richest, the strongest, the most popular, God reminds us that he does not love anyone for being the greatest but because he has chosen us, and we are simply to follow him and stay true to his commandments. He will love us, no matter how numerous or powerful we are or how poor and burdened we may be.

Prayer

Dear God, grant me the clarity each day to go out into the world and notice those you put in my way to provide them evidence of your love for your treasured possessions. Let me share the gratitude I feel for the life you have given me and extend myself to others.

Lent Devotional MARCH 7, 2019

Scripture

Deuteronomy 7:6-11

6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession. 7 It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you—for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 It was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath that he swore to your ancestors, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 10 and who repays in their own person those who reject him. He does not delay but repays in their own person those who reject him. 11 Therefore, observe diligently the commandment —the statutes, and the ordinances—that I am commanding you today.

Devotional

Gary Glasser / Vice President, PTS Student Association

It is really miraculous to be considered a treasured possession by the Lord our God, is it not? Just let that thought rest with you for a few moments. We are his people, his prized possessions! And not because of anything we do to deserve it but just by believing in him and loving him. And not because we are many, not because we are the best, not because we are the biggest. In fact, we are the least of all peoples!

I witnessed the Lord’s work with his treasured possessions when I was in India on a mission trip. In this area, almost all the women work on giant tea plantations picking tea leaves in the hot, relentless sun. They constantly have to bend over to pick the tiny tea leaves and put them in a burlap sack they each drag behind them. At the end of every day their bags are weighed, and if they haven’t met their quota they don’t get paid. (But their tea leaves are kept by the owners.)

One night I attended a Bible study led by two women in a hut that wasn’t tall enough for anyone over 5’10” to stand up straight in. That night two more women attended for the first time; they’d slipped out of the surrounding forest into the hut with several candles serving as a beacon. I watched as the new attendees listened rapturously with smiles on their faces to the words of Scripture. They sat there until it was time for them to go, as it had gotten dark and there was a rogue elephant at large in the forest. I felt like I was watching the work of Jesus’ earliest disciples as they spread the word. I watched as four tea-leaf gatherers received the word of God and knew they were among God’s prized possessions.

Isn’t that something? In a world of people consumed with trying to be the best, the richest, the strongest, the most popular, God reminds us that he does not love anyone for being the greatest but because he has chosen us, and we are simply to follow him and stay true to his commandments. He will love us, no matter how numerous or powerful we are or how poor and burdened we may be.

Prayer

Dear God, grant me the clarity each day to go out into the world and notice those you put in my way to provide them evidence of your love for your treasured possessions. Let me share the gratitude I feel for the life you have given me and extend myself to others.

About Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Rooted in the Reformed tradition, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is committed to the formation of women and men for theologically reflective ministry and to scholarship in service to the global Church of Jesus Christ.

Become a Student

Certificate Programs

Special Programs

Faculty

In addition to their on-campus duties, our faculty are experts in their fields and are available to preach and teach. Learn more about their topics of research and writing and invite them to present at your congregation or gathering.

Events

The Seminary hosts a wide range of events—many of them free!—on topics of faith including church planting, mission, vocation, spiritual formation, pastoral care and counseling, archaeology, and many more. Visit our calendar often for a listing of upcoming events.

Visit PTS

Interested in the Seminary? Come visit us!

Stay in Touch with PTS

Sign-up to receive the Seminary's newsletters: Seminary News (monthly), Church Planting Initiative (monthly), Continuing Education (monthly), World Mission Initiative (monthly), Metro-Urban Institute (quarterly), and Kelso Museum. Alums, there's also one for you!