A Lenten Journey
Lent marks the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday (excluding Sunday) and is to be a time of reflection, prayer, fasting (if you are able), and works of love that seek to highlight the incredible journey that Christ made to the grave on our behalf.
As we journey through Lent 2016 this Lenten resource has been provided for your use. The devotional entries have come from many different people in the Mill-Green UMC congregation. The intent is to share their faith in Jesus Christ and how He has changed their lives. Every devotion will be different and incorporates the thoughts of individuals of all age groups. As you read each entry remember that the person writing it included it for your edification. Their entry, in some way, has shaped their faith journey to this point and is being shared as a testimony. Please read the scriptures quoted, meditate on the passage, and allow the writer’s story to help you focus on God our Father who, out of unconditional love, sent God the Son to die for our sins and redeem our souls for eternity. Ask God the Holy Spirit to minister to your heart and bring you closer to Jesus on a daily basis!
As you journey through Lent keep the following in mind:
Prayer: This devotional can be a tool to prompt prayer in your life. You can pray for the person who wrote the devotion for the day. You can commit yourself to faithfully attending prayer meeting at the church. You might want to carve out some time in the day to give thanks to God for His amazing love. The point in this is to spend time talking with and honoring God with moments of undivided attention in praise, worship, and thanksgiving.
Works of Love: It is God’s desire that we love one another as He has loved us! As you use this devotional and God speaks to your heart find time to extend love to someone else. Acts of love are an extension of our gratitude to God for all He has done for us. We are not the focus, nor is the act the focus. The focus is to love as Jesus loves and to share Him with others. A card sent to someone who is lonely or hurting, a meal prepared and shared with a shut in or someone who is alone, a gift to someone who is in need, and the list goes on. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and He will direct you in this area.
Fasting: If you choose to fast do so in a way that will accomplish the task of self-denial but not hurt you in anyway. Some people cannot fast as a result of health issues, medications they are taking, or other physical reasons. So maybe you can choose to fast one meal a day, or one day a week. If you cannot go without a meal perhaps you can fast from one of your favorite foods, TV programs, etc. The point of this is to make an attempt in self-denial as we praise God for His great sacrifice on the Cross to save us.
May this 2016 Lenten Devotional be a blessing to you and to others as you share it with family, friends, and especially those who may not have a church family or know how much Jesus cares about them. And always remember, “16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:6-17
May our loving Father bless and keep us each and every day,
Pastor Bob Strozyk
