Lent Day 11: Three Things

On this eleventh lenten morning, I am grateful to be awake and alive. 

I am further thankful that not only am I granted the honor of interacting with individuals from all walks of life in the physical sense, I am also surrounded in a spiritual sense by fellow living Christ-followers and a great cloud of witnesses -- men and women of faith who have already gone on to be with the Lord. Together, both the people in this life and those who have passed on inspire me to surrender anything and everything that hinders my fruitfulness in the Lord.

Indeed, total surrender to Christ is the objective of Lenten thought.

So, I thank you for joining me on this journey. As we continue to look forward to Easter and the powerful joy that comes to us through our Risen Lord, three things of importance come to mind: 

-  the Word of God 

-  the work of God  

Faith in CHRIST alone!

-  the people of God

Let us unpack these three things:

John 1:1 speaks of the first one, 

“In the beginning was the Word, 

and the Word was with God, 

and the Word was God.” 

On the second, John 6:29 enlightens us in this way, 

“The work of God is this: 

to believe in the One He [the Father] has sent.” 

And of the third one, Peter says, 

“ . . . you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, 

a holy nation, 

a people belonging to God, 

that you may declare the praises of Him 

who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. 

Once you were not a people, 

but now you are the people of God; 

once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

1 Peter 2:9-10, NIV

Armed with the above knowledge, how could we not be gratefully spreading joy all over the place in all of our interactions? Furthermore, how does attending “church” or being a part of a local body of believers keep these three fires burning?

In answer to the first question, the Bible shows us how God uses His Word, His Work, and His people to impart joy. Acts 8 describes how Saul was once an influential opponent of the gospel. He persecuted the church so fiercely that untold numbers of Christ-followers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Though utterly unaware, God used him to propagate the gospel even before he became Paul because the scattered believers preached the Word wherever they went, unearthing joy on their path. Might we pray that God would convict our hearts to share God's Word similarly in our respective corners, whether at home, in the neighborhood, or the workplace, regardless of our circumstances?

"So send I you by grace made strong to triumph

O'er hosts of hell, o'er darkness, death and sin

My name to bear and in that name to conquer

So send I you, My victory to win.

So send I you to take to souls in bondage

The Word of truth that sets the captive free,

To break the bonds of sin, to loose death's fetters

So send I you, to bring the lost to Me."

-- Extracted from So Send I You, Margaret Clarkson

The Bible addresses the second question by depicting the local church as a physical representation of God's temple/tabernacle—a place that brings together God’s Word, His work, and His people. In Ephesians 2:19-22, Paul mentions some terms to that effect: 

a) We are God's people and members of God's household

b) We are built on the foundation of the Word of Christ as the chief cornerstone

c) We are built on the foundation of the Word (spoken by the apostles and prophets)

d) We are a building that is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord

e) We are a construction project (being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit)

"Let it be said of us

That the Lord was our passion,

That with gladness we bore

Every cross we were given;

That we fought the good fight,

that we finished the course

Knowing within us

The pow'r of the risen Lord."

-- Extracted from Let It Be Said of Us, Steve Fry

Can we say that our prayers focus on the Word, the work (belief in Christ), and the people of God? Can we say that the local church provides a laboratory experience for all Christ-followers and seekers to experience and receive the Word, the work, and the people of God in a biblical way? Can we say that, when we are scattered in our respective homes, neighborhoods, jobs, and the like, those around us can sense the joy inherent in God’s Word, His work, and His people? 

Let us ask God to keep our fire burning:

Lord Jesus, we are so very humbled by Your grace, so overwhelmed by Your love. You have ladled us up from the swamps of sin and brought us to Your kingdom of light. What an honor it is to be entrusted with Your very Word! What a sweet mercy it is to be charged with the task of surrendering everything that so easily entangles and, instead, trusting Christ to be the sole source of our salvation! What security it is to be Your precious possession, Your people, Your priesthood! Be glorified in us as the goodness of Your work within us give rise to Your worship! In Christ's holy name, we pray. Amen!

Lent Day 10: Chosen

It has been ten days since the Holy Spirit led me to commence this lenten journey by choice. I praise the Father for allowing me to choose this vibrant and daily reminder and I thank Jesus for helping me keep this commitment through His finished work, His righteousness.

Praise His wonderful name!

Holy Jesus, 

may my motives for this endeavor 

be pure and pleasing to You! 

Strip from my heart 

any and all traces of potential desires 

to appear holy 

and please keep me humble and grateful. 

May I honor You completely!

In Your hallowed name, I pray. 

Amen!

And today I sing,

"Refiner's fire,

My heart's one desire

Is to be holy,

Set apart for You, Lord;

I choose to be holy,

Set apart for You, my Master,

Ready to do Your will."

-- Extracted from Refiner's Fire, Brian Doerksen

Chosen.

         Choice.

                 Choose.

Once chosen, a person is invited to go down the ladder of humility to contemplate the choice given them by God, and to step further down onto the rung of obedience -- to choose to embrace God's summons of faith, love, and peace.

So it was with Abraham.

So it is with Abraham's descendants.

So it is with . . . us!

The Lord chose Abraham and, through him, chose his people—Israel—to live in a manner that is set apart and pleasing to Him. One significant benefit of God’s choice is this: All nations are blessed through Abraham. This blessing is ultimately manifested in the Father’s placing a descendant of Abraham on His eternal throne, thus broadening His choice to establish a new and complete Israel based upon faith in Christ Jesus alone.

"In Christ alone, my hope is found

He is my strength, my life, my song;

This cornerstone, this solid ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My comforter, my all in all --

Here in the love of Christ I stand."

-- Extracted from In Christ Alone,

Keith & Kristyn Getty

Consequently, we who believe in the power of Christ’s blood can say without a doubt that God has singled us out and assigned to us a lifestyle that is markedly different from that which is practiced outside the faith. In fact, Colossians 3:12-14 validates this point with the following words:

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, 

holy and dearly loved, 

clothe yourselves with compassion, 

kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 

Bear with each other 

and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. 

Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 

And over all these virtues put on love, 

which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (NIV)

Brothers and sisters, we live in a small world. The close proximity that Earth affords and provides undeniably leads us to bump into one another. When these relational “bumper to bumper” collisions take place, strong feelings—hurt, embarrassment, anger, frustration, pride, and the like—are unavoidably felt within. All people (Christians and non-Christians alike) commonly share such experiences. However, because of the grace God has extended to us, we are called to respond in a manner that is quite countercultural.

How so? 

When the ire of impatience rises within, the Word of God tells us to thank God for the people He has placed in our lives and to continually remember them in our prayers of blessing (Rom. 1:8-10). 

When we are tempted to avoid “extra-grace-required people”—as some are in the habit of saying—the Word suggests that we might instead strive to see them expressly for the purpose of mutually encouraging one another’s faith (Rom. 1:11-13). 

When the urge to criticize another wells up, God’s Word exhorts us to be careful with the tendency to judge others (Rom. 2:1-10). 

In truth, God’s glory exits the community of believers when harmony is absent.

It is this gracious response that breeds compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, and love in us. It is this reconciliation, this harmony, this pure love that Jesus sets as a pre-requisite to prayer and worship (Matt. 5:24). 

As we pray today, tomorrow, and throughout the lifelong lent granted to us by the Father, let us remember that we have been chosen and reconciled in Christ.

O, Father, we confess that broken relationships exist within the body of Christ and such display of unforgiveness impedes our progress in our walk with You. Thank You for forgiving us in Christ when we hurt one another, when we tolerate the festering of relational wounds, when we cling to resentment and revenge in our hearts. Remind us, O Lord, that we have been chosen to make peace with those we have wronged and those who have wronged us. Strengthen us today to rend anything that lobbies to discredit Your choice of us and help us rest in Christ's gracious love which renews us to worship You without hindrance or hesitation. Thank You, thank You, and thank You, precious Lord. Amen!

Lent Day 9: Build Up and Keep

On this ninth lenten morning, would you join me in prayer?

Lord Jesus, 

whatever happens today, 

we surrender all that we are, have, or hope to be 

into Your gracious and redemptive hand 

so that we may conduct ourselves 

in a manner worthy of Your gospel. 

We know 

to be worthy of Your gospel means 

that we have no rights of our own; 

we are the clay while You are the potter. 

Whatever we receive or give

is truly a result of Your benevolent grace.

Help us to live 

in humility and harmony within the body of Christ -- 

regardless of background or preference -- 

contending as one person for the precious faith You have granted to us, 

without being frightened in any way 

by those who oppose Your way and Your will. 

May all our ambitions and agendas 

be replaced with Your attitude, O Christ! 

In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen!

The brief letter penned by Jude, the half-brother of Christ and full brother of James, was written because of the writer’s concern that Christians might be drawn away from God’s truth. This uneasiness emerged because some godless philosophies had infiltrated the body of Christ twisting God’s grace “into a license for immorality” (v. 4)—an erroneous viewpoint that denies the lordship of Christ and the true meaning of His costly grace. Hence, Jude wrote to exhort “those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ” (v. 2) to “contend for the faith” (v. 3).

The term “contend” suggests that Christ-followers have something worth defending. Instead of providing us with defensive tactics based on human effort, Jude wrote in verses 20-21, "But you dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."

The two operative verbs in the above passage are "build up" and "keep." Jude claims that we build ourselves up in faith and prayer—both of which depend solely on the benevolent power of God's Word. Graciously, the Lord invites us to familiarize our minds with His sweet promises—one of which tells us that believers receive a faith that is precious through the righteousness of Christ (2 Peter 1:1)—in order that we may grow in trusting that God will do in us what He has already purposed. 

As heretical thought patterns bombard our minds and as we face confrontations from the culture and our own flesh, we can remember that God has empowered us to take a stand. As we remember, we learn to believe. As we believe, we learn to rely on God through prayer. As we rely on God/pray in His name, our belief grows and deepens until our faith in Christ, the sole foundation, increases.

The second phrase “keep yourselves in God’s love” does not suggest a passive condition akin to the inaction of the servant who received (and merely buried) his one talent. Here, the phrase means to "keep" like a shepherd watches his flock—a shepherd remains alert, fights off malicious beasts, feeds his lambs, and works diligently. 

How might we “keep” like that? Might we learn to trust in the One whom the Father has sent? Could we pray that God will convict our hearts and ready our feet to run away from anything and everything that competes or distracts from our intimacy with Christ?

Let us pray that we will persevere in relying on God’s true grace that “teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us.” (Titus 2:12-14)

Lent Day 8: Giving Up

Lent is a practice, or a season, that has long been associated with the concept of “giving up.” In my college days, my peers would begin asking one and all, 

“What are you giving up for Lent?” 

The answers given would comprise all kinds of rich goodies—chocolate, sweets, etc. Red meat, too, often made the talked-about list. Yet true lent is not merely about giving up fleeting pleasures or sensual indulgences for 40+ days before Easter.

Although, for the most part, the general populace approaches the concept of giving up with a worldly mindset, allow me to humbly submit that our precious Savior’s generosity is nothing shy of giving up. 

Paul addresses it in this way:

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, 

who, being in very nature God, 

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 

but made himself nothing, 

taking the very nature of a servant, 

being made in human likeness. 

And being found in appearance as a man, 

He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—

even death on a cross! 

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place 

and gave Him the name that is above every name, 

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 

in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 

to the glory of God the Father.” 

–Philippians 2:5-11, NIV 

What can we learn from the Master's example?

Christ, who is God Himself, did not view Himself above the practice of giving up. In fact, His example encourages us to prayerfully consider how, what, where, and when we might give up. On occasions, I have heard people mention prayerfully skipping lunch throughout the Lenten season, saving the money they would have spent on it, and donating the money to missions. Others have prayerfully chosen to empty their cupboards, pantries, and closets whereas yet others give up monetary gains. 

This prayerful and mindful approach was recently made evident to me through my friend, Sandra Meyer, who recently blessed me with the thought below:

" . . . Giving up something that we normally do or love -- fasting from it for six weeks or so -- can remind us completely of how dependent we truly are on God for everything. Sometimes it is fasting from complaining that show us how truly helpless we are without God. Perhaps these are just baby steps in complete surrender to God, and yet they may be necessary ones at some point. Definitely just giving up something to say we are giving up something for Lent is not the point; yet even there, with the most mixed of motives, I would not be surprised to see God take that and begin a transforming work. Who knows?!"

Who knows, indeed?

We do know for sure that God is in the business of transforming little into great, miniscule into significant, unholy into holy. It is His joy to redeem our flimsiest attempts into glorious feats for His Kingdom. It is therefore quite likely for Him to take our season of giving up and turning it into a lifelong surrendering of anything and everything that vies for our allegiance in opposition to our total worship of Jesus -- the only One who saves, the only One who reigns. His name is worthy to be praised.

"Jesus, Your name is power,

Jesus, Your name is might,

Jesus, Your name will break every stronghold

Jesus, Your name is life."

-- Extracted from Jesus, Your Name, 

Morris Chapman and Claire Cloninger 

Giving up like Christ manifests itself when we lay down every single one of the privileges we have long upheld. If one miniscule “perceived right” remains untraded and withheld from God, it has the potential of growing into a monster ready to devour our hearts.

As we pray, let us ask the Lord to reveal to us what He might want us to give up today. His Word tells us to give up: 

-  the right to prioritize ourselves (Phil. 2:3-4)
-  the right to gossip or slander (Prov. 16:28; 2 Cor. 12:20) 
-  the right to take revenge (Rom. 12:19-20)
-  the right to indulge our lustful habits (Matt. 5:27-30)
-  the right to express our sexuality in ways that contradict God’s plan (1 Cor. 6:18-20) 
-  the right to complain and murmur (Phil. 2:14) 
-  the right to fret (Matt. 6:25-34)
-  the right to spend our money however we please (Lk. 9:57-58) 
-  the right to understand God’s plan before we obey (Heb. 11:8)
-  the right to conform to the world and fit in comfortably (Rom. 12:2; Gal. 1:10) 
-  the right to do whatever feels good (Gal. 5:16-17; 1 Pe 4:2) 

Grace invites us to give up our rights because our Lord has done a thorough job in our defense, helping us realize that this season of giving up is but a reminder of the invitation Christ sends to one and all:

"Come to Me, beloved!
Come and love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength!
Come and love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Come and cast all your cares upon the Lord.
Come and empty your pockets and barns, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, serve the widow and orphans.
Come and release your offenders, forgive those who have wronged you, put the interests of your family/friends/foes above your own, extend grace and peace to everyone.
Come and fast from any thought, word, or deed poised to elevate your agenda above the Word of God.
Come and rest in the finished work of the Cross."

Guide our eyes and feet and hearts and knees and hands, O Christ.
Help us come to You willingly and joyfully!