Remembering His Sacrifice in This Season

"They nailed Him to the cross for me....One day when I was lost...He died upon a cross...and I know it was the blood for me..."

On this first day of Lent, I cannot stop thinking of how much He loves me. How much He sacrificed for me. How "unselfish" He was. Jesus gave His life that I might have life. And He never promised me a life free of hurt or anguish or disappointments. Sometimes I can focus more on what I have experienced instead of focusing on who He is.

Here is the remainder of the lesson from last night's service (taught by Pastor Darryl Drumwright of the Temple Church, Nashville, TN). He said that these would be 40 days of consecration and self-reflection. These 40 days are patterned after the experience of our Lord Jesus Christ. The ashes (of Ash Wednesday) tell a story.

*The ashy cross declares that we are marked (II Cor 7:10)
*We are "marked for grief." The grief over sin.
*We are "marked for mortality." Genesis 3:19
*We are "marked for His glory." I Cor 6:19-20 (Our whole lives testify to His goodness.
*We are "marked for attack." I Peter 5:8 (We become subject to all matters of attack.)

I have made a conscience decision of the things that I will sacrifice during this period of Lent. But these things don't even compare to what I have already received. I have received a life in Christ that surpasses anything that I can think or feel. Sure, I have endured many disappointments in this life. But God is not a man that He would lie. He is the one who keeps all promises. He is the one who carried the very cross that He would die on. He and He alone gave ALL that He had for us. As I ready myself for sleep tonight, I sign off with this thought. "What shall I render, unto God, for all His blessings? What shall I render, unto God, what shall I give?"

Be blessed everyone,

Lemon