What Is Lent?

At its simplest, Lent is a forty-day period that usually ends sometime during the week preceding Easter. It is meant to commemorate the forty days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness, so some Lenten traditions do include self-sacrifice and special acts of charity during this time. Most involve confession and repentance. But for all religious traditions, Lent is a time to prepare for Easter, a time to actively prepare ourselves through Scripture, prayer, and repentance. We know there is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor and His love, but I think the very idea that we can do nothing, that it was all the work of God, sometimes causes us to take it all for granted.

Because we were, through God’s grace, crucified and buried with Christ – with no pain and suffering on our part – it seems easy. And it is:

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.

Acts 16:31

But if we don’t remember what that gift cost, we can also forget its value. We perhaps forget what sinners we were, how desperate our need was, and how great a sacrifice Jesus made for us, not just in His death, but in His very life here on earth.

But the other part of the story, the reason why Lent has an end, is because we were not only crucified and buried with Jesus, forgiven and made righteous, but we were also resurrected with Him into eternal life.

I Can

Attending this new church forced me to think about Lent. Whatever it was in my mind before or maybe what it is for others, it did not have to be for me. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the most important events in the history of the world. Believers, hopefully, are always mindful of this, but it is not wrong to spend a little extra time focusing on Jesus, the cross, His love and sacrifice for us that allows us to experience the amazing unearned and unending joy of Easter morning.

By the time you read this, Lent this year will have already begun, but the number of days doesn’t matter. Use whatever time you can to reflect on what a selfless gift Jesus gave us. The reflection, meditation, and prayer of the days of Lent can lead us to appreciate and value even more Christ’s sacrificial death for us.

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God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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The post Fish on Fridays: How Can Christians Worship Through Lent? appeared first on Hope 100.7.

The truest test of your relationship with Jesus is when you don’t understand anything at all, and you still trust him fully.

God Is In Control

Worry and fear can freeze you in time. When your mind starts racing and you begin to worry, remember this: God is not caught off guard by what you’re going through. He’s in control. He is with you. There’s nothing that hasn’t first passed through His love. As a matter of fact, there are no emergencies in Heaven. None. Jesus is not moved by chaos and you can trust Him.

There’s a good chance that you have someone in your life who’s dealing with an unknown future. When I look around my life, I know people who have relationships that are failing or have failed, and it’s excruciating. Coworkers who are wondering if they will have a job next month; people who are taking money out of their savings to pay for gasoline and groceries. If you’re not careful, the pressure of an unknown future can really cause some fear and sleepless nights, but there is hope. I don’t have the right words to say for every situation, but I do know this: never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

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During your work day, there are gonna be people who you cross paths with that put a smile on their face, but on the inside, they are crumbling. It might be someone at the grocery store, someone who you work with, someone at the gas station, or maybe that person is you. You should know this: God’s love is surrounding you. His faithfulness has covered you. You can breathe. You can let it go. Your job isn’t to run, to worry, or try to take life into your own hands. The Bible says to be still, and God will fight for you.

Be Still? 

“Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.” Psalm 37.7 NLT

There’s a chance that we’re doing it all wrong. When God says be still, I think He means be still internally, but I think He still wants you to keep pushing forward patiently with a calm spirit, knowing that He’s working everything out for your good. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s difficult to shift the way I think, especially when I have a habit of worrying and anxiousness, but I’m never gonna truly grow or get to experience the fullness of an encounter with God, an answered prayer, a still small voice if I don’t let go of the anxiousness or the need to know the ending, or control everything. Those are things I can’t change with the snap of my finger overnight, but I can be aware of them and strive to trust God, even when I don’t understand.

Time to Recharge

If you’re like me- an introvert- you need time to recharge alone. You need those quiet moments on a walk or in a quiet room with the lights dimly lit to be alone with God, to be alone with your own thoughts. One thing I do on a walk is listen to worship music. It’s just me and God, and I allow him to speak to me through those songs. I wait for those worship songs to penetrate my heart and soul. It’s so refreshing. I’d recommend it. What do you do to recharge your faith? 

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God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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