Tag Archives: Lent

Ash Wednesday – Why?

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Today is Ash Wednesday.  It’s a day that many Christians honor, but we do we do it?  What is the deal with Ash Wednesday and this thing called Lent?

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the season known as Lent.  It’s a time when we focus on our great need for Jesus, what He sacrificed for us, and His high calling in our lives to be faithful.

The thing that is powerful to me about this concept is the notion that is we forget sometimes what Jesus did for us. We talk so much about His love, His mercy, His grace, His compassion, all these things, that we forget what these things cost Him.

Just how much it cost Him to accept us.

We know that grace is free. But it is not cheap.  It cost Him more than we could ever imagine.

We don’t need to forget that.  It was for us He bled and died. It was for us He suffered.

It was for OUR sin.

It was for MY sin.

And so, when we “give up” something for Lent, we are remembering His suffering. And here is the thing. We aren’t giving things up to show that we are spiritual supermen or women, we doing it to be driven to prayer. Every time you miss whatever it is you are giving up, pray.

Every time you have a craving for whatever it is you are giving up, pray.

Every time you think about what Jesus has done for you, pray.

May we have a holy Lent.  May we reflect upon what He has done for us. And may we remember all that we have to be thankful for.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

What is Lent?

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urlYesterday was Ash Wednesday. which startes “Lent.”  This is a special day in life of the life of faith. But, what is it? What is it all about?

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the season known as Lent.  It’s a time when we focus on our great need for Jesus, what He sacrificed for us, and His high calling in our lives to be faithful.

Lent is the 40 day period that starts on Ash Wednesday and goes until Easter. Why 40 Days? 40 is a very important Biblical number. In the Old Testament, God punished mankind by sending a flood over the earth for 40 days and nights. The people of Nineveh repented of their sins with 40 days of fasting. The Prophet Ezekiel lay on his right side for 40 days as a precursor to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. The Prophet Elijah fasted and prayed for 40 days on Mount Horeb. Moses fasted 40 days and nights while on Mount Sinai. Moses and the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 penitential years until they entered the Promised Land.

In the New Testament, the Lord fasted for 40 days and nights in preparation for the beginning of His public ministry. And that is the main reason for the 40 days. We “imitate” or follow that example of Jesus.

The thing that is powerful to me about this concept is the notion that is we forget sometimes what Jesus did for us. We talk so much about His love, His mercy, His grace, His compassion, all these things, that we forget what these things cost Him.

Just how much it cost Him to accept us.

We know that grace is free. But it is not cheap.  It cost Him more than we could ever imagine.

We don’t need to forget that.  It was for us He bled and died. It was for us He suffered.

It was for OUR sin.

It was for MY sin.

And so, when we “give up” something for Lent, we are remembering His suffering. And here is the thing. We aren’t giving things up to show that we are spiritual supermen or women, we doing it to be driven to prayer. Every time you miss whatever it is you are giving up, pray.

Every time you have a craving for whatever it is you are giving up, pray.

Every time you think about what Jesus has done for you, pray.

May we have a holy Lent.  May we reflect upon what He has done for us. And may we remember all that we have to be thankful for.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Ash Wednesday

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Today is Ash Wednesday.  It is a special day in life of the life of faith. But, what is it? What is it all about?

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the season known as Lent.  It’s a time when we focus on our great need for Jesus, what He sacrificed for us, and His high calling in our lives to be faithful.

The thing that is powerful to me about this concept is the notion that is we forget sometimes what Jesus did for us. We talk so much about His love, His mercy, His grace, His compassion, all these things, that we forget what these things cost Him.

Just how much it cost Him to accept us.

We know that grace is free. But it is not cheap.  It cost Him more than we could ever imagine.

We don’t need to forget that.  It was for us He bled and died. It was for us He suffered.

It was for OUR sin.

It was for MY sin.

And so, when we “give up” something for Lent, we are remembering His suffering. And here is the thing. We aren’t giving things up to show that we are spiritual supermen or women, we doing it to be driven to prayer. Every time you miss whatever it is you are giving up, pray.

Every time you have a craving for whatever it is you are giving up, pray.

Every time you think about what Jesus has done for you, pray.

May we have a holy Lent.  May we reflect upon what He has done for us. And may we remember all that we have to be thankful for.

Ash Wednesday 2011

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Today is a special day in life of the life of faith. But, what is it? What is it all about?

Someone posted this video on Facebook yesterday and I thought it was really cool. It lays out what this day is all about, why we do what we do, and what the point of Ash Wednesday and Lent are all about.

The thing that is powerful to me about this concept is the notion that is we forget sometimes what Jesus did for us. We talk so much about His love, His mercy, His grace, His compassion, all these things, that we forget what these things cost Him.

Just how much it cost Him to accept us.

We know that grace is free. But it is not cheap.  It cost Him more than we could ever imagine.

We don’t need to forget that.  It was for us He bled and died. It was for us He suffered.

It was for OUR sin.

It was for MY sin.

And so, when we “give up” something for Lent, we are remembering His suffering. And here is the thing. We aren’t giving things up to show that we are spiritual supermen or women, we doing it to be driven to prayer. Every time you miss whatever it is you are giving up, pray.

Every time you have a craving for whatever it is you are giving up, pray.

Every time you think about what Jesus has done for you, pray.

May we have a holy Lent.  May we reflect upon what He has done for us. And may we remember all that we have to be thankful for.

The God of Repentance

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Today as I was praying through today’s Morning Office, one of the prayers really hit a cord with me.  It’s a passage from the Apocryphal Book the Prayer of Manasseh.  It says this:

And now, O Lord, I bend the knee of my heart, *
and make my appeal, sure of your gracious goodness.

I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, *
and I know my wickedness only too well.

Therefore I make this prayer to you: *
Forgive me, Lord, forgive me.

Do not let me perish in my sin, *
nor condemn me to the depths of the earth.

For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent, *
and in me you will show forth your goodness.

This is Holy Week, the week we focus on the passion of our Lord as He was in Jerusalem, the week when we hone in on the cross and the price that the Lord paid for our freedom and forgiveness.

This can produce two emotions within us. First, a sense of great guilt and conviction.  Iunderstand this feeling. It was for me that Jesus came. It was for my sins He was given.  I was because of what I’ve done that He gave His life.  That is true for each of us.  He gave Himself for each of us.

That’s one reason, in my opinion, as Christians we must be forgiving, Jesus died for the sins of the world. But, also for my sins.  I don’t need to worry about what you are doing.  I need to worry about what I am doing. How am I living?  How am I being faithful.  How am I being who God has called me to be?  If we each live with that sense of awareness of our own sin, I imagine we’ll be more forgiving of each other’s sin.

The other emotion it produces is thankfulness. For, God is a God of repentance.  He is a God of those that turn to Him, that ask forgiveness.  That ask for new life. That turn away from the old.  That understand what they have done.

Today, God is a God that longs to forgive you. And me. He is a God that longs to offer each of us a fresh start. Today.  He longs to forgive us.

Repentance is a gift.  It allows us to make a new, fresh, and clean start.  Today.

And, repentance is not just for those that are not Christian.  It’s for each of us. For we all have sin and we all need to repent and turn away from it.  We all need to turn from our sin and turn to God.

Today, will you repent?  Will you turn away from your sin and turn to God?  Will you make a fresh start?  Will you have a new day?  God is the God of Repentance.  May we find His grace for that, even today.