Lenten Daily Devotional Guide

Good stories bear repeating. The Christian story is not only good. It is true.

The Gospel of Luke is concerned with the truth. In his telling of the Christian story, Luke assembles an “orderly account” for his addressee, “most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3). Luke has investigated “the events that have been fulfilled among us,” collecting stories of eyewitnesses and “servants of the word.” He wants Theophilus to “know the truth concerning the things” he’d been taught (Luke 1:4). Luke’s message is for Theophilus. It is also for us.

Theophilus is a name of Greek origin, translating to “lover of God.” This name could refer to a historical person. It may be a code name, protecting the identity of a person who would be persecuted if discovered to be a disciple of Jesus. Or it may be a stand- in for the general reader, any seeker engaged in the relational, loving pursuit of God. In other words, it could be you.

This Lent we direct our attention to the good, true story told by Luke. In it, we encounter a good God announcing good news and doing good works pointing to the arrival of a good, lasting kingdom, revealed among us in and through a person: Jesus of Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21). In this account, Jesus compares God to a good parent who knows how to give good gifts to his children, the greatest of which is the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). In his teachings, Jesus audaciously claims his Father is pleased to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32), which sounds like a good gift to me.

After humanity did their worst to Jesus on Good Friday, there was good news on Easter Sunday: God had raised Jesus from the dead (Luke 24:5). Following his resurrection, Jesus had a good news mission for his disciples, instructing them that “repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in [the Messiah’s] name to all the nations” (Luke 24:47). You may have read Luke’s story in the past. But good stories bear repeating, and even more so when they are true.

These Lenten writings will walk us through Luke’s story. This is a devotional guide, and when reading literature, the genre makes a difference. Devotional writing directs the reader’s attention towards God. At its best, it reminds us of what is true, inspires us for faithful living, and exhorts us toward righteous action. It informs the mind, shapes the heart, and strengthens the hands for service unto the Lord. It invites us to worship, pray, and grow. It provides rest for the weary, bread for the hungry, and living water to the thirsty, enough to renew us for the next leg of our journey and the challenges before us that day.

In this devotional guide, you are invited to seek God alongside the students, staff, and faculty of Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Each day’s devotional entry links to a Scripture passage, includes an excerpt from that passage, contains a short meditation, and leads the reader in a brief prayer. Our goal each day is to read God’s Word, seek God’s will, and do God’s work. Our prayer is that God, by grace, would lead his people to increase in faith, hope, and love that we might proclaim, demonstrate, and embody the Gospel.

This guide has been composed and compiled by those Christ has gathered as part of the Seminary community. We offer these meditations to the world, inviting all people into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, especially those who may be considering Jesus for the first time. It is also our prayerful desire that those walking with Christ would be encouraged in their faith in the days ahead.