Lent

You probably have heard the word “Lent” used in the past few days in someone’s conversation or in a story on the local news broadcast.   Lent is the 40 day period of time that precedes the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.   The time of Lent actually began one week ago today on March 5th. Lent is normally associated with fasting or at least giving up some pleasure as a gift to God in remembrance of Christ.   A few years ago I began to look at Lent in a different manner.   I sensed that the Spirit wanted me to use the days prior to the Crucifixion and Resurrection as a time to focus on the suffering of Christ and the benefits for Christians that was a product of that suffering.   The old “workout” slogan comes to mind, “No pain, no gain.”   The pain and suffering that Christ endured during the last hours of His life on earth brought great gain and benefit to His followers.   We don’t celebrate the suffering of Christ; we celebrate His willing sacrifice birthed in a heart that was full of love, care, and concern for fallen humanity.

 

I wanted to encourage you this morning to focus on those things that Christ endured for the purchase of our salvation. It would be very profitable to each of us to reconnect with the atrocities that Christ endured over the last hours of His life on planet Earth. You can find that evidence as you read through the Gospels.  We enjoy reading about all of the miracles that Jesus performed and all of the miracles that have been performed since He returned to Heaven to serve as an Intercessor on our behalf. But those miracles came with a price. Jesus did not pay a partial price; He paid the full price for our redemption. Today we can celebrate the fact that Jesus paid the ransom for our freedom.

 

Take some time to reflect on the great love that God has shared with us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Take some time to reflect on what He endured so that we might overcome. Take some time to reflect on His defeat of satan so that we can walk in victory over the powers of sin.