Three

Lent is all about preparation – it is a time of spiritual preparation and discipline, which leads us into the mystery of the Cross and Resurrection. In fact, it is not unlike the call of John the Baptist to prepare the way for the Lord.

 Matthew 3:1-3 - In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:  “A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”

Just as John tried to 'make straight paths' for people to encounter Christ, so we take it upon ourselves to get rid of the distractions in our own spiritual paths. By fasting, reading the scriptures, praying, giving (and so on) we try to clear the obstacles that prevent us from meeting with Jesus. 

It is good to remind ourselves that we don’t do this to win favour with God or try and brag about some spiritual ‘brownie points’ – we do this because God loves us deeply and we want to honour that Grace by giving God the attention and praise that is due His name. Jesus himself was loved by the Father long before he did anything miraculous – His father loved him because he was his child. 

“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” - (v.16-17)

Our Lenten experience and commitment is to appreciate how much we ARE ALREADY loved and to draw nearer to the One who gave His all for us.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Two

In J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings Trilogy the last book is entitled "Return of the King." Using this title as our guide we note how Jesus returned to Israel from his exile in Egypt. Although he was still a child, Jesus was the King of Kings and the Father was preparing the way for his future reign.

"When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and told him, "Get up and take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel..." - Matthew 2:19-20

Josephus recorded that Heord died of a mystery illness that plaqued him for many years. It was later referred to as Herod's Evil. Isn't it ironic that the very person who could have healed Herod was the one that he hated and tried to kill. Herod misunderstood the reign of the new King (Jesus) and allowed his advisors and his own evil nature to torture his soul.

In our journey through Lent let us spend time understanding the true purpose of Christ and the gift that He brings to us. If we feel threatened by Jesus then it says something about our desire to hold onto our personal thrones and kingdoms. Lent teaches us to let go and to trust in God's rule.

Allow yourself the freedom to remove your crown and to cast it at the feet of the true King.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

One

Our main focus during Lent will be the Cross and the empty tomb, but we would be wise to also remember the begining of the story. Matthew records it like this:

"Mary will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." - Matthew 1:21

In the Amplied version it puts it like this: "She will give birth to a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus (The Lord is salvation), for He will save His people from their sins.”

No matter what translation you read it in, it still points to the marvellous gift that Jesus is our Salvation. This Saving Grace comes to us through the pain and suffering of a Roman cross, but it opens up the pathway to our Redemption.

In what way has Jesus become your Salvation?
 
Living in Grace
D3LM3 

A fresh look at Lent

On Wednesday, the 26th February, we begin our journey towards the Cross and Resurrection. This special season of Lent begins with a service known as Ash Wednesday and includes a time of personal reflection, challenge to 'give up' some things and a reminder of our need to Confess our sins to Jesus.

I recently wrote an article for Scripture Union Magazine on Lent and so if you would like to check it out, please click onto this link. For those of you who would like the shorter version, I used an acronym for LENT, which includes the following 4 thoughts on what this season means for me.

L - Life (Despite the gore of the cross and Jesus' torture there is a strong thread of LIFE running through the Passion of Jesus)

E - Endings (Even though we fear endings, they are necessary for new things to be birthed in our lives)

N - New (Jesus takes the old ways and improves on them - He offers us a New Covenant and a New relationship with the Father)

T - Transformation (Lent challenges us to be transformed and to look at how we can allow God to change us).

If you want the full story you will have to click onto the link to read the whole article - it is not long, I promise :)

Living in Grace
D3LM3

No Matter what happens

Peter has some incredible words of comfort for us today, when he writes: “My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that the grace of God is with you no matter what happens.” – 1 Peter 5:12 (NLT)

For people who were going through a lot of suffering and numerous trials these timeous words must have been a huge blessing. However, they are not just words for the early church - they are words that are also relevant for us too. 

Remember that NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS the grace of God is with us.
No matter what happens!
God is still with us.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

The courage of Jesus

Morton Kelsey challenges us to look at the cross from another angle - taking note of the immense Courage of Jesus, as well as his deep Love.

"It was his courage as well as his love which led him there (to the cross) and left him hanging on the cross. It was his courage which enabled him to love in those dark hours. The victory which was won there on Golgotha was compounded of three precious elements. of humility, of love and of courage."

May you remember both the LOVE and COURAGE of Jesus today. Remember that he shares both these gifts with us today.

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." - 1 Corinthians 16:13

Living in Grace
D3LM3

The quiet anaesthetic of prayer

I am busy working through an old book written by Jean Vanier entitled "Followers of Jesus". The depth of his insight is truly remarkable and I am challenged by many of the words in his book. One of these goes like this:

"We must have long moments under the anaesthetic of quiet prayer, because Jesus can teach us certain things only if we are under an anaesthetic."

At first glance it may not seem to make much sense, but read it again imagining that you are under anaesthetic for an operation. Duirng this process we place our trust fully in the doctors, believing that when we "come around" again we will be on the road to healing.

Translate this image into our times of prayer with God. Too often I don't abandon myself to Christ during my times of prayer - it becomes too controlled and quick. However, I am challenged today to allow the Holy Spirit to do some surgery in my spirit and to release myself fully into God's care.

Here is another awesome quote from another of Jean Vanier's books:

“We are not called by God to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things with extraordinary love. ” 

Living in Grace
D3LM3