The first day in our Lenten devotional These Forty Days, the following prayer was shared:
Father, as we begin this Lenten journey, we pray your watchful care over us as we seek to overcome evil by the power of and grace of the Spirit. Through our sacrifices of self, make us more like Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.
This prayer has really started me thinking the last several days – what if we really prayed this and meant it? I mean what if the church collectively as well as each of us individually prayed this and meant it and allowed God to truly change us through this forty day period of Lent? What kind of impact could this have on the world around us? Would it help us better understand what it looks like to focus on living in God’s here and now Kingdom instead of focusing only on the Kingdom to come?
I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about the impact that the church could have on the world around us if we focused more the hope that we share in the gospel message and focused on sharing that hope lovingly with others. The results would be tremendous if we each took that seriously. As we journey together through this Lenten season, I challenge us all to fall in love all over again with our God – the only true God – the God who sent his son as a ransom for each and every one of us. I believe that the church needs to desperately fall in love with our creator again. This would change much about what we hold dear and what we find important in the church. Remember, the church is all of us, not some building. Our focus needs to be on bringing people along with us helping them to realize God’s love, mercy, and grace for them – helping them to fall deeply in love with our God. He longs to see every person return to him and fall in love with him and serve him with obedient hearts.
Let’s covenant together to fall in love with God all over again over these forty days…..
On the journey together,
~ Pastor Todd