As I gather info and thoughts on this "Lenten Journey", I become quite aware of something...like what if God is taking me seriously about this? I know that may sound a little bizarre, but one thing I have learned since becoming a Christian....there seems to be no limit as to how far you want to go with Him...He is already there, ready and available....so when Jesus said; "Those who lose their lives (in Me)...will find it...", He was totally serious about that..right?
Ok, that puts a little different light on coming into this Season of Lent...yet here is my hunger: I want to see others around me know Jesus....I will do whatever it takes to prepare their hearts to meet Him..whether it be in prayer, grateful praise....and even fasting ( kind of new to me). That is my real motive for giving Lent some room to work in my own life.
In the Book of Numbers, Moses, the great leader of Israel was getting close to the Promised Land. He had been instructed by God to speak to a rock so water would be readily available to the people of Israel and their livestock. In chapter 7:11-12 it reads:" Then Moses raised his arm and twice he hit the rock with his stick. Plenty of water came from the rock and all of Israel and their livestock were able to drink."
Moses had gone the journey with Israel, who had given him a hard time on numerous occasions, and this particular time Moses "lost it"...he got angry and instead of speaking to the rock he beat on it twice. It cost him....because of his disrespect to the Lord and causing the people to miss out on the real purpose of God doing this miraculous act, and as a result Moses was not able to enter the Promised Land...he got them to it, but could not enter.
Moses totally accepted God's judgment, and followed Him right up to the end.
Then, there is Saul. In 1 Samuel 15, it describes how Saul had at first been humble and honored the Lord, but as time went on and his power grew, Saul didn't keep a dependence on the Lord as he first had.
In this chapter, Saul had been given specific directions on how to handle the battle with the Amalekites, including killing all the Amalekites, bring back Agag the king, and destroy all the livestock.
He did two out of three. Saul told Samuel after the Lord had given him victory over the Amalekites that they had kept the best sheep and cattle...to sacrifice to the Lord.
Samuel sums what the Lord had spoke to him. Samuel tells Saul: "Is the Lord most pleased when people give Him offerings and sacrifices, or is the Lord pleased when people obey Him?"
Saul said he had sinned, but unlike Moses, he had a sense of arrogance about it and expected the Lord to say it was Ok as to what Saul had done.
Later, in verse 34 it reads: " the Lord was very sorry He had made Saul the King of Israel."
Now, there is David. David had taken Uriah's wife from him. Even though David had numerous wives, and Uriah had one...David still wanted Uriah's wife Bathsheba. David ended up setting Uriah up in battle and having him killed..so David could have Bathsheba.
David, unlike Saul trying to come up with excuses for why he did that, nor was it out of anger for Uriah , he just wanted Bathsheba...at any cost.
The scriptures say David said to Nathan the prophet after the Lord spoke through Nathan and had made it clear what David had done: "Lord, I have sinned." That may sound like an obvious thing to say, but these words had much deeper impact. David was clearly saying I was entirely wrong, and what ever judgment You have for me, I know it is fair...even if it means my own death.
In 2 Samuel 9 and 10 it describes how the Lord forgave David (because David was real and broken before God), willing to accept whatever punishment God may decide. It cost David as well...even with a heart of repentance. He lost his first child from Bathsheba, and his family lineage with heirs to the throne became increasingly difficult as years past.
What does all that have to do with Lent? First, I look again at the first saying of Jesus when He was on the Cross: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
Jesus made a choice...His love for us was greater than all the pain and suffering He endured. Could it have gone either way...I personally think so, if Christ Jesus had not prayed to the Father while dying a horrible death at the Cross..could it all of ended like Sodom and Gomorrah?...I don't know...thank God He did pray in the midst of His pain....all because He loves us so!
I think as I begin to enter this Lenten Journey, I must be simply willing...willing to take time and listen to the Lord. I don't want to get arrogant or even self sufficient in my thoughts like Saul, and think if I change God's "rules" around a little, or if I do some nice things like giving up something or go without to show God I can do it, then I will be rewarded for my valiant effort! I don't want to miss out on what God really wants to do in Lent....so I think a first choice for Lent is simply listening and obeying , letting God find room in my heart to direct and guide.
I also realize that I can't focus on the results of my participation in Lent to come when I think they should come, rather, my call is to drink from the Living Water, and let God do the work as to how He wants to touch the lives of those around me. Getting impatient or giving up because things don't always happen the way I think they should...can be disheartening and sometimes even costly... like Moses choosing to strike the rock cost him dearly...imagine for a moment..what if Moses would not have struck the rock...how would his influence affected those in the Promised Land?
And with David...it is always about the heart. No matter how bad David's situation was, either by his own actions or what others tried to do to him...he will always be known as "the man after God's own heart." True repentance can bring great mercy. The Lent Season is a needed time for direction as well as a time to invest in others....yet it must too come by the same road David walked...dependent on His mercy.
Lent can be a journey accompanied by Christ Jesus...to the Cross.
Ok, that puts a little different light on coming into this Season of Lent...yet here is my hunger: I want to see others around me know Jesus....I will do whatever it takes to prepare their hearts to meet Him..whether it be in prayer, grateful praise....and even fasting ( kind of new to me). That is my real motive for giving Lent some room to work in my own life.
In the Book of Numbers, Moses, the great leader of Israel was getting close to the Promised Land. He had been instructed by God to speak to a rock so water would be readily available to the people of Israel and their livestock. In chapter 7:11-12 it reads:" Then Moses raised his arm and twice he hit the rock with his stick. Plenty of water came from the rock and all of Israel and their livestock were able to drink."
Moses had gone the journey with Israel, who had given him a hard time on numerous occasions, and this particular time Moses "lost it"...he got angry and instead of speaking to the rock he beat on it twice. It cost him....because of his disrespect to the Lord and causing the people to miss out on the real purpose of God doing this miraculous act, and as a result Moses was not able to enter the Promised Land...he got them to it, but could not enter.
Moses totally accepted God's judgment, and followed Him right up to the end.
Then, there is Saul. In 1 Samuel 15, it describes how Saul had at first been humble and honored the Lord, but as time went on and his power grew, Saul didn't keep a dependence on the Lord as he first had.
In this chapter, Saul had been given specific directions on how to handle the battle with the Amalekites, including killing all the Amalekites, bring back Agag the king, and destroy all the livestock.
He did two out of three. Saul told Samuel after the Lord had given him victory over the Amalekites that they had kept the best sheep and cattle...to sacrifice to the Lord.
Samuel sums what the Lord had spoke to him. Samuel tells Saul: "Is the Lord most pleased when people give Him offerings and sacrifices, or is the Lord pleased when people obey Him?"
Saul said he had sinned, but unlike Moses, he had a sense of arrogance about it and expected the Lord to say it was Ok as to what Saul had done.
Later, in verse 34 it reads: " the Lord was very sorry He had made Saul the King of Israel."
Now, there is David. David had taken Uriah's wife from him. Even though David had numerous wives, and Uriah had one...David still wanted Uriah's wife Bathsheba. David ended up setting Uriah up in battle and having him killed..so David could have Bathsheba.
David, unlike Saul trying to come up with excuses for why he did that, nor was it out of anger for Uriah , he just wanted Bathsheba...at any cost.
The scriptures say David said to Nathan the prophet after the Lord spoke through Nathan and had made it clear what David had done: "Lord, I have sinned." That may sound like an obvious thing to say, but these words had much deeper impact. David was clearly saying I was entirely wrong, and what ever judgment You have for me, I know it is fair...even if it means my own death.
In 2 Samuel 9 and 10 it describes how the Lord forgave David (because David was real and broken before God), willing to accept whatever punishment God may decide. It cost David as well...even with a heart of repentance. He lost his first child from Bathsheba, and his family lineage with heirs to the throne became increasingly difficult as years past.
What does all that have to do with Lent? First, I look again at the first saying of Jesus when He was on the Cross: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
Jesus made a choice...His love for us was greater than all the pain and suffering He endured. Could it have gone either way...I personally think so, if Christ Jesus had not prayed to the Father while dying a horrible death at the Cross..could it all of ended like Sodom and Gomorrah?...I don't know...thank God He did pray in the midst of His pain....all because He loves us so!
I think as I begin to enter this Lenten Journey, I must be simply willing...willing to take time and listen to the Lord. I don't want to get arrogant or even self sufficient in my thoughts like Saul, and think if I change God's "rules" around a little, or if I do some nice things like giving up something or go without to show God I can do it, then I will be rewarded for my valiant effort! I don't want to miss out on what God really wants to do in Lent....so I think a first choice for Lent is simply listening and obeying , letting God find room in my heart to direct and guide.
I also realize that I can't focus on the results of my participation in Lent to come when I think they should come, rather, my call is to drink from the Living Water, and let God do the work as to how He wants to touch the lives of those around me. Getting impatient or giving up because things don't always happen the way I think they should...can be disheartening and sometimes even costly... like Moses choosing to strike the rock cost him dearly...imagine for a moment..what if Moses would not have struck the rock...how would his influence affected those in the Promised Land?
And with David...it is always about the heart. No matter how bad David's situation was, either by his own actions or what others tried to do to him...he will always be known as "the man after God's own heart." True repentance can bring great mercy. The Lent Season is a needed time for direction as well as a time to invest in others....yet it must too come by the same road David walked...dependent on His mercy.
Lent can be a journey accompanied by Christ Jesus...to the Cross.
No comments:
Post a Comment