by Oscar “Smiley” Parham

First Sunday in Lent
Sunday, March 6

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Thanksgiving That Opens the Provisions of God

“And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land which you, O LORD have given me” (v. 10, NKJV).
How would you feel if you blessed someone by giving them a brand-new car and they didn’t say thank you or show any form of gratitude? Many times, we take God’s blessings for granted by not giving him thanks. We give God thanks by giving him our best (our first fruits), but too often, we give God the part of us that we don’t want. Whether it be our time or our money, we give God the parts that don’t mean much to us. God asks for our first fruits—he wants the part that you want. Giving God our first fruits is how we thank God for what he has already given us. It’s one thing to thank God with our mouth, it’s totally different to thank him with our actions.

Father, forgive me for my ungratefulness. Help me to give you my best in the future. Amen.

Monday, March 7

Psalm 91:1-8

Under God’s Protection

When I was a kid, sometimes thunder would clap so loud it reverberated through the entire house. It scared me so badly that I would run to my mother looking for safety. My mother would comfort me by hugging me and telling me not to worry. Even when the thunder clapped louder, somehow I felt safe and protected in my mother’s arms. This is what childlike faith looks like. I really felt that my mother could protect me from the storm.

In today’s psalm, the psalmist provides a picture of God acting as a mother hen (v. 4), providing protection and support to those who trust in him and come into his presence. The psalmist also makes clear that we do not only come to God when we are in trouble—we dwell in God. To dwell in God demands interaction, communication, time, and trust. When we have this type of relationship with God, we will always be prepared for the storms of life.

Father, I thank you for your divine protection and for being able to feel safe in your presence. Amen.

Tuesday, March 8

Psalm 91:9-16

God with Us

I remember finding the Lord in prison and staying in his presence. I would get up around 8 a.m. each day and read my Bible until 1 a.m. the next morning. I repeated that process every day. As a result of constantly being in his presence, I began running around the prison telling everyone what “thus says the Lord.” Of course, that resulted in my being heavily persecuted by people who once called themselves my friends. I became frustrated because I didn’t understand the power of enduring persecution, but then God showed me in this passage that he is always with me. This became clearer when I read 2 Kings 6, where the king of Syria was angry at Elisha because he was hearing from God. So he sent an army and surrounded the house of Elisha and his servant. His servant panicked because he could only see in the natural. But Elisha asked God to open his eyes so he could see that he was protected. There is comfort in knowing that God is with us.

God, I surrender to you, knowing you will never leave me or forsake me. Amen.

Wednesday, March 9

Luke 4:1-4

Understanding I Am

We all go through trials, tribulations, and temptation. Sometimes we cause them ourselves, but many times we are led there by God. Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Spirit of God. The wilderness represents a place of trial and testing, and many of us wonder why God would lead us into such a place. When God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, he brought them out with vast riches and led them into the wilderness where they couldn’t spend anything. While they were crying and wondering why God would lead them into such a situation, God came to them and told them, I allowed you to hunger, then I fed you with manna. I allowed you to get thirsty, then I brought water from a rock (Deuteronomy 8:3). God did these things so the people would know that he is the Lord our provider and that humans definitely do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

I thank you, Lord, for allowing me to go through everything I have experienced to show me who you are. Amen.

Thursday, March 10

Luke 4:5-8

The Provision of God’s Word

The enemy attacks us from all angles. According to the Bible those attacked fall into three categories: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. In Ephesians 5 we see God preparing us for battle by telling us to put on the whole armor of God. While most of our weapons are meant to protect us from the attacks of the enemy, God did give us one weapon to fight back. Satan attacked Jesus from all angles, and Jesus withstood the attacks through the Word of God. Every time the enemy attacked, Jesus defended by saying, “It is written.” When we are attacked by the enemy, we are not to lean on our own understanding but we trust that God’s Word is our provision.

God, help us to center our lives on your Word, for your Word is our provision. Amen.

Friday, March 11

Luke 4:9-13

In All Your Getting, Get Understanding

I used to be into apologetics as I defended the gospel against those who would attack Christianity and the Bible. The trouble came from those who used the Bible to attack the Bible. When this occurs, we must learn not to lean unto our own understanding. There have been many times where I have defended the Word, and someone quoted the Word trying to destroy the Word.

This is what the enemy does in this passage. When the serpent tricked Eve, he tricked her, not because she didn’t know the Word of God, but because she didn’t understand it. She knew that God said, “Don’t eat from the tree,” but she didn’t understand what he meant about knowing good and evil. The difference between Eve’s confrontation with the serpent and Jesus’s confrontation with Satan is that Jesus not only knew the Word, he understood the Word. That’s why God says in Proverbs, “In all of your getting, get understanding.”

Thank you, Lord, for your Holy Spirit who helps me understand your Word. Without it, I could understand nothing. Amen.

Saturday, March 12

Romans 10:8-13

God’s Simple Formula

Second Kings 5 talks about Naaman, a Syrian commander who was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Leprosy was a disease of the flesh and those who were so afflicted could not enter the presence of God. One day, Naaman was told about a prophet in Israel who could heal him of his leprosy. So Naaman went to this prophet to be healed of his disease. When Naaman arrived at Elisha’s house, Elisha sent his servant to tell Naaman to go wash in the Jordan river seven times in order to be healed. But Naaman became furious. He expected Elisha to come out and call on the name of his God and wave his hand all over the place to heal his leprosy. Naaman’s servant talked some sense into Naaman by reminding him that if Elisha had asked his to do something great to be healed, would he not have done it? All he asks is that you wash and be clean. Likewise, God’s simple formula for salvation is, believe and be saved.

Father, thank you for washing me and making me clean from sin. You are truly amazing and awesome. Amen.

About the Author: Oscar “Smiley” Parham

Zion, Illinois – I was recently released from the Illinois Department of Corrections after serving a 30-year sentence for a crime I didn’t commit. I was granted a commutation of sentence on January 11, 2019, by Governor Bruce Rauner. Since being released, I have become a youth and adult mentorship director of Legacy Reentry Foundation. I am also pursuing my graduate degree in Christian ministry and restorative arts from North Park Theological Seminary. I speak to legislators for Parole Illinois who are fighting to bring a parole board back to Illinois for those who are unjustly sentenced and those who deserve a second chance. I am doing what I can to give back to society.