Enon General Baptist Church |
March 2025
The Lent season begins March 5th. At its heart, Lent is about following Jesus’ examples
of sacrifice out of love for God and people.
Jesus sacrificed. He gave up all comforts when he spent 40 days in the wilderness to
fast, pray and prepare for his earthly ministry. -Matthew 4: 1-11. What kind of
comforts might we give up for the 40 days of Lent to fast, pray and prepare for the
ministry God has for us to do?
Jesus sacrificed. He surrendered his very life on a cruel, terrible cross to provide
salvation for all humankind for all eternity. -Matthew 27: 32-50.
How might we surrender more of our lives for God’s purposes?
Why was Jesus willing to endure such massive discomforts like these? Hebrews 12: 2b
says, “…For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame,…”
Hebrews doesn’t say Jesus found joy in, or enjoyed, his sacrifice. It says “…For the joy
set before him…” It was what his sacrifices would accomplish that brought Jesus joy
and encouraged him to follow through. His sacrifices changed the world for good for all
time.
Lent is not meant to be something we enjoy. It’s a time of surrender, losing, giving up,
foregoing, forfeiting for the cause of Christ’s kingdom and God’s glory. Observing Lent
will not be easy, and there will be times when we want to give up doing it. But it’s what
our sacrifices will accomplish for Jesus that gives us joy in doing it. Our prayers change
things for good! Giving our time, talents and treasures changes things for good.
So this Lent, let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Let’s consider
him who endured such opposition for sinners, so that we will not grow weary and lose
heart. -Hebrews 12: 2-3.
Preparing for Lent,
Pastor Tammy
