Lent Call: Repentance, Love as Action, Share Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: The Nature of God's Love as an Action

God’s love is not a reaction to our worthiness but a proactive choice to will our good. It flows from His very character, which is merciful, gracious, and abounding in steadfast love. This divine love is not an emotion that must be earned but a powerful force that moves toward us even in our sin. Understanding this truth redefines how we see God and how we are called to love others. It is a love that initiates, heals, and transforms. [38:23]

The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:5-7 NRSV)

Reflection: Consider a relationship where you find it difficult to feel loving emotions. How might choosing to act in love—to will that person's good—look different from simply waiting to feel affection?

Day 2: Repentance as a Joyful Realignment

The season of Lent invites us into a time of intentional reflection and repentance. This is not a practice of begrudging guilt but a joyful celebration of God’s grace that makes new beginnings possible. Repentance is the process of turning our hearts back toward God, acknowledging our need for Him in every area of our lives. It is an act of faith that trusts in His promise to cleanse and restore. [11:13]

If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NRSV)

Reflection: What is one specific area of your life where God might be inviting you to experience the joy of realignment with Him through repentance this week?

Day 3: Living a Faith That Is Seen and Heard

A faith that remains private and unexpressed can become a missed opportunity for those around us. Our families and friends need to see and hear the reality of our relationship with Christ through our daily actions and words. This is not about pushing religion but about naturally sharing the difference God makes in our lives. It is about letting our light shine so that God may be glorified. [14:30]

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 NRSV)

Reflection: Who in your immediate circle of relationships may have seen your moral life but not yet heard about the Christ who empowers you to live it?

Day 4: Willing the Highest Good for Others

The highest good we can desire for anyone is that they would know Jesus Christ and live in the presence of His love. This is the ultimate expression of biblical love—to actively work toward another person's eternal good, not just their temporary comfort. This perspective shifts our prayers and our interactions, moving us from passive well-wishing to intentional love in action. [47:10]

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you. (Ephesians 1:17-18a NRSV)

Reflection: For someone you love who does not know Christ, what is one loving, non-coercive action you could take this week that points toward the highest good for them?

Day 5: The Urgency of a Shared Testimony

Our testimony is not just a story of what God did decades ago, but a living account of what He is doing now. Sharing this ongoing work demonstrates that our faith is a current, vibrant relationship. There is an urgency to this sharing, born from love, recognizing that we are not guaranteed unlimited time with the people in our lives. Our calling is to be ready to give a reason for the hope we have. [48:35]

But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you. (1 Peter 3:15 NRSV)

Reflection: What is a recent, specific example of God’s activity in your life that you could naturally share if the opportunity arose today?

Sermon Summary

Prayers open with petitions for soldiers, the sick, and those unable to attend, followed by the Lord’s Prayer as a corporate plea for God’s provision and guidance. Lent receives a clear definition as a forty-day season of intentional repentance that prepares hearts to celebrate Easter’s victory. Repentance becomes a joyful turning rather than a begrudged duty, with a specific call to repent of failing to share the gospel and to live the gospel authentically day by day. Communion appears as a reminder: bread broken and cup poured to call believers into continual remembrance of Christ’s presence. A childhood memory contrasts church attendance with an absent, lived relationship with Jesus, exposing how mere ritual without visible discipleship leaves faith untransmitted. Exodus 34 supplies a theological center: God proclaims himself merciful, gracious, and steadfast in love, grounding love as originating in God and flowing outward. Love receives a practical redefinition as an action that wills the good of another, not a feeling that reacts to worthiness; this reframing calls for persistent, concrete acts toward another’s highest good. The highest good receives sharpening as true knowledge of Jesus Christ rather than relief from pain, wealth, or comfort—those goods often undermine dependence on God or true empathy. Practical evangelism gains urgency through an offered statistic: reaching an unbeliever typically requires persistent, repeated sharing—quiet avoidance can become neglect rather than love. Testimony must stay current: sharing what God does today proves more evangelistic than recounting only past conversions. The conclusion issues a clear invitation to respond—by altar, seat, or song—and prays for submission to be active instruments who bring others into the love of the Father.

Key Takeaways

1. Repentance prepares for Easter Repentance here functions as a spiritual boot camp: forty days that re-orient desires and reshape habits so Easter’s victory lands deep in the heart. This turning asks for celebration, not shame, because repentance restores clarity about dependence on God. Embracing repentance means choosing daily small acts that witness to a deeper reality. [10:33]
2. Love is action, not feeling Love must be recast as a deliberate commitment to another’s good, independent of emotional response or perceived worth. This view frees love from performance metrics and makes it measurable by choices, not sensations. Acting in love allows persistent care for those who resist or wound us. [39:32]
3. Highest good: know Jesus Christ The truest blessing anyone can receive centers on relationship with Christ, not on painless living or material abundance. Wishing someone immunity from suffering can strip them of meaningful connection and growth; the highest good invites dependence on God’s transforming love. Pursuing someone’s spiritual well-being reframes priorities and actions toward eternal flourishing. [47:10]
4. Share faith with urgency Effective witness requires repetition, presence, and up-to-date testimony rather than polite silence or distant moral example. The claim that unbelievers often need many exposures to the gospel stresses responsibility, not guilt—loving action looks like patient, persistent outreach. Avoiding the hard conversations can become neglect; consistent sharing honors the time-sensitive nature of life and grace. [51:53]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:12] - Opening Prayer and Petitions
[10:33] - Lent: Forty Days of Repentance
[12:14] - Communion: Remembrance of Christ
[13:36] - Family Faith vs. Mere Attendance
[35:56] - Reading: Exodus 34:5–9
[38:06] - God Declares Himself Loving
[39:32] - Defining Love as Action
[47:10] - The Highest Good: Knowing Christ
[51:53] - Urgency and Practical Evangelism
[56:20] - Response: Altar and Commitment

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Exodus 34:5–7 (NIV)
Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

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Observation questions

According to Exodus 34:6–7, how does God describe his own character?
In the sermon, how was love defined differently from how culture often defines it? [39:32]
What practical example was shared about growing up with church attendance but lacking a visible relationship with Christ? [13:36]
What statistic was mentioned regarding how many times someone typically needs to hear the gospel before responding? [51:53]

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Interpretation questions

Why is it significant that God *proclaims his own name and character* in Exodus 34, rather than leaving it to human interpretation?
How does understanding love as *action rather than reaction* change the way we relate to people who are difficult or seem undeserving? [39:32]
What might be the long-term effect on a family if faith is practiced only as ritual and attendance, without visible relationship or testimony? [13:36]
If it’s true that people often need to hear the gospel multiple times before believing, what does that imply about our responsibility toward those who haven’t yet responded? [51:53]

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Application questions

Love is defined as *willing the good of another*, not waiting until they seem worthy. Who in your life is difficult to love right now, and what is one practical action you can take this week to seek their good? [39:32]
The highest good for anyone is to *know Jesus Christ*. Is there someone you’ve been avoiding sharing Christ with because you’re afraid of their reaction? What would it look like to gently and persistently point them toward him? [47:10]
Repentance is meant to be a *joyful turning*, not a burden. What’s one area where God is inviting you to turn back to him with celebration rather than shame? [10:33]
Our testimony isn’t just about what God did years ago, but what he’s doing *now*. What’s something God has done in your life recently that you could share with someone this week? [48:35]
Sometimes what we call “love” is actually *neglect*—avoiding hard conversations to keep the peace. Is there a relationship where you’ve been silent about Christ out of fear? What’s one step you can take to break that silence? [53:01]
How can you make your relationship with Christ more visible and integrated into daily life, so that others see more than just church attendance or moral behavior? [13:36]
If someone typically needs to hear the gospel multiple times, how can you commit to patient, persistent sharing rather than giving up after one attempt? [51:53]

Sermon Clips

And so if I want to truly love them, just staying in my own bubble, just doing what I got going on here is not loving them. It's neglect. And we've got to understand that sometimes what we have called love is neglect. Because love is not that we feel kind about them. Love is not that we send them gifts. Love is not that we take them out to eat, that we spend time with them. Love is that we will the good for them, and the highest good possible is that they would know Jesus Christ. [00:52:45] (34 seconds) #LoveThatWills

There are times everybody's got their moments and if you're if you're saying yes, always, it's either because you're lying or you're newly wed. What are we doing? No. It doesn't always come quite that easy. But do you always love your spouse? Yeah. Even when I don't like them. Right? Even when I'm not happy with what they're doing because I choose to act in love towards another person. See, the love of God is he sends his love out regardless of the worthiness of the person receiving. [00:41:40] (33 seconds) #LoveBeyondFeelings

Another definition would be to will the good of another. Alright? To work towards the good of another. Notice, I it it says nothing about how I feel about them. It says I'm working towards their good. I'm wanting their good. I'm praying for them to benefit. I'm not praying as David did to bash my baby's heads to get my enemies' baby's heads against the rock and and all of that kind. I'm not looking to curse my enemy. I'm looking to bless my enemy knowing that the love of God transforms my enemy. [00:43:28] (32 seconds) #WillGoodForOthers

But they didn't share any urgency with me about knowing Jesus. And I live right down the road from when we moved when I was 10, and I had no foundation under me. Those that you love may live near you, they may not, But they may move into a time in life and a situation where they're gonna get a lot less of your influence. And so I would hope and pray that we would will the good of another by wanting the highest good for them, which is to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior to accept him into their lives and walk with him, not as a decision that they not make, not as a prayer that they pray one day, but as a lifelong venture. [00:54:52] (44 seconds) #LeadLovedOnesToChrist

I respect them. I honor them. I love them apart from any feeling or emotion I have about them, from any decision about their worthiness or their unworthiness. Instead, I just love them. And what that means is I work towards the best good for them. And that means if they don't know Christ, then the best good that I can do for them is point them in that direction continually. [00:50:59] (30 seconds) #HonorPointToChrist

So what would be the highest good that you could wish for someone? That they wouldn't have any pain in life? That that nothing in their body would ever hurt? How many of you got aching knees and hips and joints and backs and everything? How many have been struggling with the flu in the last couple of weeks? Wouldn't it be a blessing to never have to deal with that kind of pain? Then how would you ever empathize with those that are going through it? [00:45:17] (26 seconds) #PainShapesCompassion

The amount of pain that you feel when someone passes is exactly equal to the amount of love that you feel for towards them. Or proportional, I should say, to the amount of love you feel towards them. So if you wish for someone never to have pain of loss, what you're wishing for them is to never have close relationships. Well, that's not the highest good of anyone. So a lot of these things that we're looking at like pain in the mind, pain in the body, pain in finances in this world, a lot of those things can have positive benefits. Right? We don't really know what's good and what's bad as we talked about a couple months ago. [00:46:18] (41 seconds) #GriefReflectsLove

The highest good in this world is to know Jesus Christ, to know God and to live in the presence of his love. It's not to get your actions straightened out. It's not to get the way that you behave worked out. It's to know Jesus Christ and experience his love and live in that love, to have a relationship with Christ. That is the greatest thing that we can hope for anyone. So do we work towards that end? [00:47:06] (33 seconds) #ChristIsHighestGood

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