Read: Psalm 130:1-4
Lent is a season to acknowledge our need for God, season of spiritual preparation, prayer, fasting, self-sacrifice and repentance. This is the time of the year Christians cry out from the depth of their hardship to God for mercy (v2). The “depths” can represent despair, guilt, hardship or the chaos of life. Crying out to God for mercy is not a sign of weakness but recognition that our only hope is God’s mercy.
What does the Lenten season represent? It's a time for self-reflection, turning away from sin, and aligning our life more closely with Christ through prayer, almsgiving and by giving something up.
Giving something up for Lent is another important focus of Lenten season - a 40-day season of fasting and prayer involves sacrificing a pleasure or habit. Giving up something serves as a personal sacrifice. What are you giving up this season? Are you giving up, sweets, chocolate, alcohol, coffee, soda, fast food, Fufu, Jollof rice, meats, social media, YouTube, Facebook, telephone, or using profanity, - something that will actually be difficult, rather than a small, trivial change.
At the end of the day, the Lenten season sacrifice helps cultivate willpower, allowing for personal growth and spiritual strengthening with the goal to move closer to Jesus Christ.
May our prayers during this Lenten season be not only for our personal needs and hopes, but also for our church family and communities. Help us to treat one another respectfully with love as you call us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to welcome the stranger regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, orientation, nationality, status or persuasion. In Jesus Christ we pray Amen
Dipo Ogunrinde
Lent is a season to acknowledge our need for God, season of spiritual preparation, prayer, fasting, self-sacrifice and repentance. This is the time of the year Christians cry out from the depth of their hardship to God for mercy (v2). The “depths” can represent despair, guilt, hardship or the chaos of life. Crying out to God for mercy is not a sign of weakness but recognition that our only hope is God’s mercy.
What does the Lenten season represent? It's a time for self-reflection, turning away from sin, and aligning our life more closely with Christ through prayer, almsgiving and by giving something up.
Giving something up for Lent is another important focus of Lenten season - a 40-day season of fasting and prayer involves sacrificing a pleasure or habit. Giving up something serves as a personal sacrifice. What are you giving up this season? Are you giving up, sweets, chocolate, alcohol, coffee, soda, fast food, Fufu, Jollof rice, meats, social media, YouTube, Facebook, telephone, or using profanity, - something that will actually be difficult, rather than a small, trivial change.
At the end of the day, the Lenten season sacrifice helps cultivate willpower, allowing for personal growth and spiritual strengthening with the goal to move closer to Jesus Christ.
May our prayers during this Lenten season be not only for our personal needs and hopes, but also for our church family and communities. Help us to treat one another respectfully with love as you call us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to welcome the stranger regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, orientation, nationality, status or persuasion. In Jesus Christ we pray Amen
Dipo Ogunrinde
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