Prayer – Lord, Lent has been celebrated for a couple of
thousand years. I want to honor You Jesus more this year than in all the
previous years—and to be closer to You. Open my eyes and heart that I may see
You more clearly…clothing myself in Your presence. Thank you.
This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it
is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we
first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be
here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining
armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives
for all to see. Don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and
drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and
jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. Romans
13:11-14
Meditate. Read God’s word and listen to what He is saying.
Lent is the forty days, minus the Sundays, prior to Resurrection Sunday. It is a time of preparation to commemorate the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is a time of repentance and often of giving up something or fasting to focus on Jesus and His sacrifice. The result of this sacrificial obedience on the part of the Christian is closer communion with God. Isn’t that just the relationship for which we are striving?
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| Jesus provides a bridge with His life-- giving people hope. What will you do to honor Him? |
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday—which was actually yesterday. What will you do for these remaining six weeks to focus on Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit’s role in your life? Some people have traditionally given up some food, like sweets or sodas, but that is generally not a spiritual component in your relationship with the Lord. Consider how you approach God on a daily basis. Do you read His word and pray? How about singing, praising, and worship? Check out your devotion to Lord. Is there any idolatry involved—are you putting anything first in your life before God?
Paul wrote to the Romans that it was time to…wake up,
for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Now is
certainly the time to wake up because things have changed since Paul wrote this
passage. Look at the prophecies that have been written. Israel is back in their
land as foretold, and tensions in the Middle East are such that we are likely
to see a war with Israel and countries like Russia and Turkey. If you haven’t studied
Revelation (beginning with Revelation 12) now is the time to begin. Jesus told
us not to be afraid, but to be prepared. God has provided us plenty of knowledge
about the future—we just have to dig into His word to understand it. This is an opportunity to know more about God and His plan for all of mankind. Obedience
is the key. Jesus was obedient…will you be?
Verses of Salvation ~ While Jesus was here on earth, he
offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could
rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence
for God. Even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things
he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he
became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. Hebrews
5:7-9
© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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