Weary Road of Lent
Matthew 16:24-28 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
March 2022 will begin our season of Lent. The Lenten season was initially created to compete with the pagan traditions and gods that were circulating and getting attention. It was intentionally placed in the spring as a means of celebrating the new life brought to the earth. This was intended to be a direct response and image of the resurrection and new life that Jesus had brought to mankind.
We just spent a month talking about the power involved in the resurrection. The road to Easter is a long and winding road that is meant for us to be in thought and prayer about the importance of the risen Jesus. In God’s great grace He provided for us a means to right the relationship with Him that was always broken. Jesus bore our pain and our sin so that we could be forgiven and live a new life of hope, love, and peace.
This new life is not an easy road. The road that Jesus took to the cross was not an easy road. Jesus’ example in attempting to live out the will of His Father should tell us that our own lives will not be free of pain, temptation, and struggle. Jesus was mocked, abused, and beaten. His own friends betrayed Him, and even turned their backs on Him. God was attempting to bring dead lives back to life.
Prayerfully, I hope that you take this season of Lent to reflect upon your life. Is it hard? Is the hardship of life overcoming you? Is it too easy? What if life has no hardship at all? Where could the example of Jesus’ life, hardships, and hope bring you hope and new life? This season is a time for great reflection and remembering who we are in the grand scheme of this eternal life that God is promising us. He did not send Jesus so that we could be rich, or free of sickness and death. God sent Jesus to us bring us to Him someday. We can find our real hope and joy in knowing that this world does not have the final say.
In the words of Patrick Mayberry in his song, “Our God Is Coming Back”, “So take heart in the hardest part. This world is not our home, no. Let peace in, let joy begin. Cause our King is on the throne.”
– Pastor Mike
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