Lent has begun….Yesterday was the first of 40 days of something Christian. Jesus modeled the concept. He gave up His life so that you could have life. He offers to all the free gift of eternal life.
If you are giving up something for Lent this year, would you consider giving up something that also gives back? What if you decided to give up drinking anything but water and the money that you would have spent on delicious smoothies and cappuccinos, donate it to water initiatives in Haiti. If you’re giving up TV or Facebook, you could donate an amount to fund the solar panel project to keep the lights on in the ‘Sant Mouvman.’ (CPR-3’s Center of Movement in Haiti) GIVE IT AWAY, TODAY!
Here are some great tools to help you ‘remember and give thanks’ during this Lenten season. These have been provided by the great people of YOU Version: YOUR LENT PLAN and RESOURCES
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Christian tradition of Lent. During these 40 days leading up to Easter (April 20), followers of Christ prepare their hearts by turning their minds away from the physical to the spiritual. YouVersion offers several Bible plans that can help you reflect on God’s Word every day between now and Easter:
Lent For Everyone is a devotional featuring a daily reading from Matthew and inspirational words for reflection from renowned New Testament scholar N.T. Wright. 53 days
40 Days of Lent chronologically traces Jesus’ last week on earth, through the New Testament gospel accounts. The seven Sundays are days of rest, according to tradition. 47 days
Devotions for Lent from Holy Bible: Mosaic brings together quotes, readings, and Scripture to focus your mind on Christ. 46 days
ReThink Life: 40 Day Devotional presents Scripture, key thoughts, and prayer to challenge you to “rethink” seven important areas in your life. 40 days
Hillsong: 40 Days of Revival reveals attributes from history’s greatest revivals — presence, prayer, purity, power, personal sacrifice, and praise — to help you know God and His ways.40 days
The 40-Day New Testament Challenge leads you through the entire New Testament in just 40 days, taking off Sundays as traditional days of rest. 40 days
Whether you prefer reading the Bible or hearing it read to you, you can find many more plans at www.bible.com/reading-plans.
The most important things in our lives are worth sharing. Tell your friends which Bible plan you’re committing to—and ask them to join you! Then keep sharing what you’re reading and learning, all the way up to Easter Sunday. Online, the worldwide YouVersion community will be using the hashtag #PreparingForEaster.
God definitely notices the things we give up for him. I never believed he cares so much about the “things” themselves but rather the condition of the heart that offers them. Sure sin free but that is not what I mean, I mean a heart REACHING OUT TO TOUCH him… expressing by way of spirit… I LOVE YOU.
With that in mind, if you want to get his attention, pay close attention to your heart. If its humble when you “put on sack cloth”… HE WILL SEE.
The shocker is that us touching him is what HE went to great lengths to give us the ability to do because……….
we are not born of “absence of sin”, absence of sin is necessary and the only way, that we may be born of “new spirit”….. that we my finally touch our Father….. all the time.
Give what is in your heart to give up but also cry out with all your heart touching for as we touch him and he touches us…. healing, peace and joy come from this contact for
He LIVES.
“The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life”
“To give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise”
“Living waters will flow from within them, by this he meant the spirit”
It is the part we do, we fan into flame, the part that never dies but goes right on living.