The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. John 10:10                                                                                   “ I want you to have a life lousy with joy and stinking with excitement!”   Believe it or not, this is a positive statement, in fact the writer just wished for you…are you ready…an abundant life!   Jesus said that His express purpose was to bring life filled to the brim with joy, excitement, fullness, and purpose.   Abundantly…overflowing. How can we have this life during one of the most solemn times of the year?   How can I have joy and excitement during Lent?   Is it possible to experience fullness………overflowing fullness during Lent? Yes, and as we gaze forward, remembering our Lord’s passion and resurrection, we plan for joy, fullness, excitement and purpose, even as we walk through sadness and hurt.   Just as Jesus endured the horrible beating and the deadly cro

  But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired. Isaiah 40:31                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               “You need to wait.”                           “Don’t you have patience?”                                                       “Just wait. I’ll tell you when to go!” Lent involves waiting…waiting…and more waiting. Now, don’t get the wrong impression, waiting can bring good results. It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD, Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations 3:26. We wait for the important things in our lives. We have a Holy hope that God is moving us from a beginning toward an amazing ending. But those

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.    But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face   so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18                                                                                                                                                  Fasting is willful refrainment from eating for a period of time. The word, “fasting” has been enigma to me.   The word sounds like speeding up, yet it’s meaning is just the opposite. Slowing down for a purpose. Fasting….slowing down… fasting … s   l   o   w   i   n   g    d    o    w    n …    Coming to a stop! ! ! OK, we have stopped.   Now what? Fasting is not so much about what you do, but how you do it.   An

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18                                                                                                                                                                      My Mother was a gracious and compassionate lady. Her words were full of kindness, yet truth was always the foundation of her life. She spoke volumes through words, yet at times, silence was her answer. Her presence was an encouragement as she radiated grace and compassion. The Lord longs to be gracious to you…and show compassion… So…why are we not the recipients of His graciousness and compassion? Perhaps we are too noisy to hear. Maybe…we are not in a receptive attitude. Or…how about this…we are not waiting for Him. Just maybe…we might be too noisy with a negative attitude and no desire to wait on Him! Lent is a time, or season to slow down. L

 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. Lamentations 3:25 (NRSV)                                                                                                                                                  Waiting is not one of our strong points. We wait for Lent. We wait for the internet. We wait for the traffic signal or perhaps the car in front to move! And…we continue…to wait. How long must I wait, O God? Is there a purpose in this season of waiting? Lent is our time of reflection…of preparation. We look toward the death of Jesus. We prepare to understand and accept His death for our sins. And…we wait. It takes time to prepare, so…we wait. God is good to the one who waits for Him and seeks Him.   Here…is…Lent! I'm waiting I'm waiting on You, Lord And I am hopeful I'm waiting on You, Lord Though it is painful But patiently, I will wait John Waller "While I'm Waiting"

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21                                                        What is your treasure? Your mate? Your children? Friends? Pets? Money? How do you assign value in your life? What are your priorities? What is most important to you?   The most important person…ideal…thing…in your life, is your treasure! Our thoughts betray us when we mention “treasure.” Why? Because our “treasure” is always on our mind. We think of our “treasure” constantly. We guard our “treasure” carefully. What has been on your mind during this period of Lent? Are you dwelling on the death of Jesus? Is there recognition of your personal sin leading to confession? Jesus wants to be chosen as first in our lives. He wants to be our “treasure.” Jesus, Name above all Names. Treasure above all Treasures. What’s in your treasure room?

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Tear (rend) your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.  Joel 2:12-13                                   “My heart is breaking because I have sinned. I am the worst of sinners.” Paul was clear in his description of himself as he wrote to Timothy, his son in the faith.   The recognition of sin is truly heart rending, especially when found in the depths of one’s own heart. One act of awareness of sin was to tear the clothes as confession for sin. Joel spoke of a new concept; tear your heart and not your garment! In other words, allow your heart to break.  Just as tearing one’s garment was a visible admission to others of sin’s recognition and confession, the torn heart was visible to God. Awareness of sin leads to confession. Is your heart broken

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11 I know you! I think that we are related. We think and act almost like siblings. Yes, we must be related! Paul’s desire was know Christ. He wanted to be so close to his Lord that it seemed as if he was related. Jesus’ death was the path for Paul to come close…to experience a relationship, yes, even be closely related to Jesus. The door of Jesus’ death and later resurrection is our invitation to know Him. We are invited to come into the very death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. We are entreated to come…to know Jesus. In fact, Jesus calls us. He calls us to know Him. Jesus calls us o'er the tumult of our life's wild restless sea; day by day his voice still calls us saying, 'Christian, follow me.'   Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895) As we conte

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:2 Thirsty. I am so thirsty. I need something to drink…something to satisfy this dying thirst. What can satisfy my thirst? Water! Perhaps Coke or even tea? Maybe, but when one is thirsty,…really thirsty, nothing beats a cup of cold water. Have you experienced a genuine thirst for God? Do you desire God? Do you need Him just as a desert dweller needs water? Why are you waiting? God is watching and ready, we need only approach Him, and bring our thirst to Him. He alone can satisfy. “Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink.” The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Don’t settle your thirst for that which will not satisfy. Only God can quench your thirst for Him. Lent is a time of contemplation. As you dwell on God’s love for you through Jesus’ act of forgiveness, don’t let thirst drive you away from God’s love. Come to Him. Allow Him to satisfy your thirst. My

  Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice  and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6 "Daddy, why do we fast?"  Good question…why DO we fast? More important than “how do we fast,” is the question before us…”why do we fast?” Fasting involves abstinence.   We give up or stop something.   Food tends to be a favorite item to give up.   Why?   Because it’s an easy choice.   I will give up meat…or chocolate…perhaps all candy.   Is that OK? Actually, the process of giving up something is secondary to why.   “What is the end result?”   “What am we trying to accomplish,” should be our question. Isaiah’s list can be condensed to; loose, untie, set free and break.   We are held as in a vise and fasting is designed to loosen the vise.   Imagine hands and feet tied and your body   not able to move freely.   Fasting unties the knots and sets free.   It is the method God has designed to give

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14 Waiting …not one of our strong points.   We wait for a meal…and are hungry. We wait for gas to fill our car’s tank…and fret over being late for a meeting. We wait for the cashier to complete a transaction of someone ahead of us in line…and wish we had gotten in line earlier. God has a way of allowing us to wait for the important things in our lives. It takes 9 months for a baby to grow, and we wait joyfully for the birth of our child. It takes 18 years to prepare the child for life in our world, and we patiently try to teach and instill values that will benefit the child. It takes a lifetime for God to prepare His children for Heaven, yet we grouse and complain about how difficult our life has been or continues to be. We still want the results to come…immediately…right now! Sickness? No time for that! A Great job? I need it NOW! King David, the Psalmist, began Psalm 27 with, The LORD is my light an

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 1 Peter 5:6 Humility?   Not my thing!    I have enough trouble in life without adding humility!   Surely this verse is not serious?    Really?   You want me to humble myself? Lent is not particularly known as being a time to practice humility, yet…here we are.   The season is known by some as a time to give up…leave behind, or just do without.   Perhaps you will not eat meat for a season.   Some groups will turn off the television, hide the candy jar or even take a sabbatical from speaking out loud. However you plan on observing Lent, remember that the focus is on Jesus and His saving love for you.   Lent is all about Jesus.   He loves you, died for you, rose from the dead and is in Heaven…loving you greatly.   It was His plan to save you from your sins.   It really is all about Him! So…let’s look at lent…and what it is about.   Simply, it is a time of reflection and preparation.   Refle