Unlike Christmas, which is always on December 25, the timing of Easter Sunday depends on things like Equinoxes and new moons. In 2023, all of that lined up to place Easter in April. But in 2024, Easter will come upon us earlier (March 31). It seems that we were just celebrating Christmas, but all of a sudden the season of Lent has come upon us!
In this period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, we examine our lives and adjust our life’s walk to bring bring us closer to God. We consider the roadblocks in our spiritual lives and look for the Spirit’s leading to find new paths.
Use this booklet of Lenten Devotionals, written by “non-professional” members of a variety of churches, to help guide you through this special time of the year.
Daily Devotions for Lent 2024
The devotional is presented in PDF format. Instead of presenting the entire booklet in one file (and forcing you to scroll through the whole thing to find the current date’s article), the booklet is broken up into separate week-by-week files.
To read the article for any given date, scroll down to the desired month, and click on the button for the desired week. Except for week 1 (which begins with Ash Wednesday) and week “7” (which includes Easter Sunday), all the files begin with Sunday and run through Saturday of the indicated week.
Enjoy; and may God bless your devotional time!
February 2024
The Lenten season (and first devotional) starts out with Ash Wednesday (February 14). Week 1 is this short “week” from Wednesday through Saturday. Week 7 continues past Saturday March 30 to include Easter Sunday…
Week 1 Ash Wed. through Saturday 2/17
Week 2 Sunday 2/18 through Saturday 2/24
Week 3 Sunday 2/25 through Saturday 3/2
March 2024
Week 4 Sunday 3/3 through Saturday 3/9
Week 5 Sunday 3/10 through Saturday 3/16
Week 6 Sunday 3/17 through Saturday 3/23
Week 7 Sunday 3/24 through Easter Sunday
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If you’re looking for a specific article or author, open the below box to view the list of articles. Shown in the list are the booklet page numbers, article title, and author. Click on the “Week number” to open the corresponding file…
Table of Contents
Week 1
- 5 Enter into the Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Christine Day
- 6 Following Jesus Starts with the House Next Door . . Char Gaylord
- 7 Qualified? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marge Suiter
- 8 A Heart Set on God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Larry Bakely
Week 2
- 9 Lenten Denial or Self-Denial? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Gary Turk
- 10 Priceless and Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jane Fish Harre
- 11 Angels Watching Over Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheryl Ricciardelli
- 12 Knowing God Through His Word . . . .. . . . . . . . Betty Little
- 13 Blessing upon Blessing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marsha Hahn
- 14 Lesson from a Detour . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . Diane Sizemore
- 15 The Never-Ending Story . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Sherry Zappola
Week 3
- 16 Trust in the Lord . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sue Dietsche
- 17 Breaking the Fallow Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gilda Picioccio
- 18 Your Past, Your Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ted Frett
- 19 Pete’s Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . Claudia Cuddy
- 20 God Sees You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ellen McCormack
- 21 Trusting God to Provide . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Kellie Heisler
- 22 Inner Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Bennett
Week 4
- 23 The Bait of Satan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lynn Kopko Stankard
- 24 Are We Listening? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Perrin Scott
- 25 Training at the Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diana McMillion
- 26 Patience, Faith, and Hope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathy Chando
- 27 Restored Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Glenn Conaway
- 28 Whose Opinion Counts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dolores Kiger Daniels
- 29 The Apple of His Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grace Eldridge
Week 5
- 30 All Are Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kim Tortella
- 31 Toes Pointing Toward the Sky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Denise Kostiak and Stan Benfield
- 32 The Pursuit of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Constantine
- 33 The Living Thirst Quencher . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Kim Wecht
- 34 Hungry for God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kayla Harrison
- 35 My Redeemer Lives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michelle Levesque
- 36 Praise Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jane Koponick
Week 6
- 37 Forgiveness Is a Choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Shirley Goodman
- 38 Shine On! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deb Mongiardo
- 39 Plant a New Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Dave Bailey Sr.
- 40 Becoming Irresistible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kayt Marra
- 41 Keeping a Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carol Atkinson
- 42 You’ve Got a Friend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brenda Freitag
- 43 Keeping the Plates Spinning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beth Price
Week 7
- 44 On the Way There . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . Lacy Haynicz
- 45 33 Years for Our Sake . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . Diana Clark
- 46 Are You a Child of God? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . George H. Armstrong
- 47 Pray First for God’s Will . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barbara Buck
- 48 Come Sit with Him in the Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . Linda Turk
- 49 A Zeal for Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bonnie Doebley
- 50 The Best Is Yet to Come . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . Suzanne Alton
- 51 Being Renewed Day by Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Martin
- 52 Follow the Lamb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . MaryAnn Diorio
Introduction (From the Editors)…
Wow! This season is a record-breaker for the number of churches our writers have come from. There are 27 churches represented in this booklet of devotionals. We are so grateful for our writers and for you, our readers, and the enthusiasm you show (and share) regarding these daily readings.
When we started working on the booklet, it seemed daunting that 47 devotionals (for Lent) would be needed. This year, some came unsolicited. We reached our deadline, needing only five more. There was not a glimmer of doubt in our minds that the Lord would send the five. The next morning, three more arrived in the same hour. And then two more came. All 47 arrived by the day after the deadline.
This marks our 25th Lenten booklet. Topics range from Lenten practices to learning a lesson in a detour to hearing God as you clean an oven. The devotionals are heartfelt and from many perspectives. All of them, however, claim Jesus to be our Lord and Savior who made the ultimate sacrifice for each of us. We only have to say yes to God that we want to be part of His kingdom — both here on earth and in heaven someday.
On another note, we are excited to share that more than 700 yearlong daily devotional books have been sent out or picked up, which means there is a community of that size out there reading the same meditations on the same day. Such power in that!
To learn more about this yearlong daily devotions book, click this button: Words for Life
We look forward to your email comments, both positive and challenging. We will respond. We hope you are blessed by the messages in this devotional booklet.
Where Did these Books Come From?
The articles in this booklet were written by members of 27 different churches located in NJ and across the country. The booklets were published in hardcopy form and distributed within the participating churches.
The articles were written by members of the following churches:
(“UMC” stands for United Methodist Church):
- Aldine UMC (Aldine, NJ)
- Belin Memorial UMC (Murrells Inlet, SC)
- Bethlehem Lutheran Church (Delmar, NY)
- Calvary Chapel Gloucester County (Blackwood, NJ)
- Church of the Risen King (Pennsauken, NJ)
- Clayton Baptist Church
- Evangelical UMC (Clarksboro, NJ)
- First Presbyterian Church (Pitman NJ)
- First United Methodist Church (Glassboro, NJ)
- Grace Community Church (Falcon CO)
- Lititz UMC (Lititz PA)
- Living Hope Worship Center (Swedesboro, NJ)
- North Raleigh UMC (North Raleigh, NC)
- Pitman Church of the Nazarene (Pitman NJ)
- Pitman UMC (Pitman NJ)
- Providence Orthodox Presbyterian Church (Mantua NJ)
- Redeemer Alliance Church (Robbinsville NJ)
- Repaupo UMC (Repaupo NJ)
- Richwood UMC (Richwood, NJ)
- Shehawkin United Methodist Church (Starrucca, PA)
- St. Paul’s UMC (Bridgeport NJ)
- St. Paul’s United Methodist Church (Paulsboro, NJ)
- Trinity United Methodist Church (Mullica Hill, NJ)
- True North Church (Mullica Hill NJ)
- United Methodist Communities (Pitman, NJ)
- Wesley Church of Elkton (Elkton MD)
- Zion United Methodist Church (Clarksboro, NJ )
How can I get a Printed Booklet?
It’s convenient to be able to view the devotionals electronically, but if pinching, zooming, and scrolling aren’t for you, printed booklets are available. The printed booklets contain the same material that’s presented on this website page, and they’ve been distributed to most of the above churches. If you would prefer to have the printed version and your church doesn’t have any copies available, please contact one of the editors:
- Claudia Cuddy • editorcuddy@mac.com
- Beth Price • eprice7@comcast.net
- Marsha Hahn • mhahn16@comcast.net
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Who is Charles Spurgeon???
As you read through the booklet, you may notice that it contains a lot of quotations from a preacher named Charles Spurgeon.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892), one of the most influential preachers of the last several centuries. He served at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London preaching lively and compelling sermons. He began preaching at the age of 16 and became a pastor two years later at 18, preaching well over 3,600 sermons during his lifetime. His sermons and writing are known for pithy and powerful explanations of biblical truth.
It is estimated that before his death, Spurgeon preached to more than 10 million people. His words are preserved in his thousands of sermons, many biblical commentaries, and books.
Source: Kevin P. Halloran, 100 of the Best Charles Spurgeon Quotes, 2018.
A collection of Charles Spurgeon’s writings are captured in a daily devotional book called “Morning and Evening.” Click this button to read today’s “Morning and Evening” article: Morning and Evening
What is Ash Wednesday???
The first day of Lent is always a Wednesday, called Ash Wednesday. This originated from the ancient times when people marked times of fasting, prayer, repentance, and remorse by placing ashes on their foreheads (2 Samuel 13:19, Esther 4:1-3, Job 42:6, Jeremiah 6:26). This scriptural custom entered the Church from Judaism. Receiving ashes on the forehead on Ash Wednesday symbolizes that the person is going to begin a period of sober reflection, self-examination, and spiritual redirection. Traditionally, the ashes for the Ash Wednesday service come from burning the palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebration.
For more about Ash Wednesday, check out the following “Chuck Knows Church” video…
What’s Next?
Devotionals like these are great ways to learn how to apply the Bible to your life. The personal stories are inspiring and help you to grow. But even after Easter, you’ll still need to be constantly reading and studying the Bible. At Pitman UMC, we offer the following opportunities (and your own church likely offers similar ones if you’re not from Pitman UMC). Use the below buttons to learn more:
Share Your Stories…
If you’ve found these devotionals to be useful, tweet the link or share this article with your Facebook Friends. Use the below buttons to share on any social media.
As you read these devotionals, you are opening yourself up to hearing from the Holy Spirit. If something in an article hits you, please share it and let us know how God has spoken to you. Post a comment in the form at the end of this article (your email address won’t be published).
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For other daily devotionals , visit our Devotionals Page:
Daily Devotionals
