Jesus said when, not if.
Matthew 6:16 (NIV)
When you fast …
Is this your time to fast?
Good morning, Lord. Sometimes I give up something for Lent, sometimes I opt to do something extra. My goal is spiritual growth and a closer relationship with You. What would You have me do or not do over the next six weeks? Your will, not mine, be done.
Lent caught me by surprise this year.
Lent is the 40-day period of time between Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday (the day before Good Friday, right before Easter Sunday). The 40 days don’t include Sundays — so technically, it’s 46 days (the 40 days symbolize the 40 days Jesus fasted in the wilderness). Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the first day of spring, so it’s not the same date every year.
The timeframe is confusing. The purpose is not.
“Lent is a time of grace … a time to come home to God.”
St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941)
Good morning, Lord. It’s Lent. Let me reflect on Your Word, repent for my shortcomings and rest in Your presence. Restore my soul, O God, as I soak in Your grace.
It’s Fat Tuesday, a time set aside for over-indulgence.
If I have the time, money and opportunity to over-indulge, I owe God a big fat thank-you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)
Give thanks in all circumstances …
“All circumstances” covers Fat Tuesday.
Good morning, Lord. Thank You, thank You, thank You! I have a cozy home, more than enough food, a reliable car and a job I enjoy. I have friends and family to love and the beauty of nature to enjoy. Forgive me for taking my daily blessings for granted. “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places” (Psalm 16:6), and I am grateful.
The long Valentine’s weekend inspired today’s constructive thought.
True love isn’t measured in one day or even one weekend.
Proverbs 31:12 (NIV)
She [the noble wife] brings him [her husband] good,
not harm, all the days of her life.
True love does my loved one no harm — every single day. Love isn’t being a doormat and putting up with hurtful behavior. It involves constructive conversations, problem-solving and healthy boundaries. It changes both partners for the better.
Good morning, Lord. A noble spouse brings good and not harm to their relationship every single day. I miss the mark. I nag, I pout, I say mean things. Teach me to love like You do, with grace and mercy. Grant me the wisdom to know where to draw the line, and when and how to speak. Show me how to forgive as I have been forgiven.
“God shapes the world by prayer. Prayers are deathless. The lips that uttered them may be closed to death, the heart that felt them may have ceased to beat, but the prayers live before God, and God’s heart is set on them and prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them; they outlive a generation, outlive an age, outlive a world.” E. M. Bounds (1835-1913)
Prayer warms our hearts … and God’s.
Good morning, Lord. Warm my heart with Your love, open my eyes to Your words of wisdom, open my arms to those who need a helping hand. Above all, O God, teach me to pray, show me how to live in constant conversation with You. Fill my soul with praise, gratitude, compassion and grace.
1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV)
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
God can use a hot mess to thaw the coldest of hearts.
Good morning, Lord. Hard times have made me a better person — this I know. But when I’m in the middle of a trial, Lord God, it’s hard to count it as joy (James 1:2). Teach me to trust You to bring good out of the worst situations.
“Hot heads and cold hearts
never solved anything.”
Billy Graham (1918-2018)
Good morning, Lord. Grant me a cool head — the ability to think clearly and consider the facts before I speak and act. Warm my heart with a flame of love — for You, for my neighbor and for myself (Mark 12:30-31). Fill me with godly wisdom, teach me to be gracious and merciful, in Jesus’ name.
Ezekiel 36:26 (ISV)
I’m going to give you a new heart, and I’m going to give you a new spirit within all of your deepest parts. I’ll remove that rock-hard heart of yours and replace it with one that’s sensitive to me.
I always envisioned this change of heart as God chiseling the hard edges off a stony heart. But God works in more than one way. The warmth of His love can melt the iciest of hearts, one drip at a time.
Good morning, Lord. Warm the cockles of my heart. Melt away any bitterness or envy. Light a flame in my soul, one that reflects Your grace to everyone around me.
I drove to church Sunday on pavement edged with frozen snowbanks. This verse came to mind.
Matthew 24:12 (NIV)
Because of the increase of wickedness,
the love of most will grow cold.
Reading the news is like walking a path wedged between banks of frozen-hearted folks faced off against each other.
Good morning, Lord. I wear a fluffy jacket, comfy hat and fuzzy gloves to keep my body warm. But You, O God, are the one who warms my heart. Don’t let the world’s wickedness chill my soul. Teach me to love the way You do.
Psalm 27:5 (NIV)
For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter
of his sacred tent …
God’s sacred tabernacle, the heavenly House of the Lord — it’s my eternal home, thanks be to God.
Good morning, Lord. Thank You for the hope of heaven — eternal life in the sacred shelter of Your presence. And when I’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, I’ll have no less days to to sing Your praise than when I’d first begun. [from “Amazing Grace,” John Newton, 1779]
