From Now Until Easter - Never Too Late

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Today's post features excerpts gathered and written by Whitney Hopler, a contributor to Crosswalk.

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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

Each year, Easter's approach gets people excited about celebrating Christ's resurrection and all that it means in their lives. But His resurrection wouldn't mean nearly as much without His sacrifice on the cross. His work in people's lives today always involves growth that's often uncomfortable yet necessary to make a true difference worth celebrating.

Here are some activities that can enrich your spirit during Lent: It's never too late...

Ask God to help you focus on the true reason for Easter, (after all, it wasn't the Easter bunny who rose from the dead). Pray for an increased awareness of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Confess whatever thoughts or actions are hindering your intimacy with God, and ask Him to forgive you and send you the grace you need to live a better life.

Thank God for all the resources He has given you - time, money, energy, talents, skills, etc. Then think and pray about how you can best use those resources to serve God. Commit to start doing so more than you have in the past, and write a plan of some specific ways to get started.

Forgive someone. The Holy Spirit will enable you to do so if you rely on God's power. Write the person a letter, call, e-mail, or visit in person to offer your forgiveness.

Keep a daily journal to record current ways God is working in your life.

Take some time to get to know someone who's different [than you] perhaps someone from a different generation, culture, or economic status, and try to build a genuine friendship.

Simplify your life to care more responsibly for God's creation. Keep a record of what you purchase, then study it to determine why you bought what you did and how you can scale back to what you truly need. Be a good steward of all you have...

Serve your community. Choose one or several projects. Possibilities include helping elderly people with home repairs [or weekly tasks like taking out the garbage, mowing a lawn), reading books to children, volunteering, and visiting people in your local hospital.

Eat a Passover Seder meal like the one Jesus ate with His disciples before He died. Use the experience to worship Him.

Prayer:

Lord, 

         Do Your resurrection work in me. Transform my heart and my life into one that gives You glory and praise in every way. Pull me deeper and bring me closer toYour heart. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Acknowledging God

John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.”

John 3:27 NLT

It’s time for a refresher course in an Attitude of Gratitude. In our flesh, it’s too easy to see the down side of life. A friend of mine sent a message a while back that clearly showed her CHOICE to look for something for which to give thanks. 

She had been working mandatory overtime for several weeks. She was tired and wanted to whine about it, but that day she came home, her A/C had gone out… on one of the hottest days of the year. She chose to thank God that she had the extra money on hand to pay for the repair. She had to put her uniforms in the dryer for work the next day (while the A/C was down); she chose to thank God that she has a dryer AND that it works! She also chose to thank God that she was perspiring enough to cleanse her body from toxins (also God’s design). 

How many times do we miss the opportunity to acknowledge God in all our ways? The old car/van/truck – that still runs faithfully with no car payment. The flat tire that happened in the parking lot at work could just as easily have happened on the freeway at 70mph. You might say that NO flat tire would have been better. Let’s see, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.” Perhaps you needed an opportunity to practice an Attitude of Gratitude or find a way to acknowledge God…

Prayer:

Father,

         We haven’t the words to properly praise You for all the ways You provide for us – spiritually and physically. Forgive us for the times we don’t acknowledge You. We love You, Lord. Help us to be more aware. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen