Simplify
But when the mob did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Acts 17:6
We live today at a time when our wishes can almost be granted at the speed of our thoughts. How many of us really know what we need ? What do we do to entertain ourselves? Are we constantly filling up each and every minute of our lives with activities that we have hardly any time to think? Lent is a time to change things up a bit. It is a time to find those hidden moments and people in need that usually just disappears.
As the joke goes when 3 ministers sat discussing the best positions for prayer, while a electrician worked nearby.
"Kneeling is unquestionably finest," claimed one.
"No," another argued. "My hands spread-out to Heaven."
"You're both mistaken," the last contended. "Lying down flat, face down on the floor."
The electrician interrupted, "the best pray-in' I ever did was hang-in' upside down from an electric pole."
But when the mob did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Acts 17:6
We live today at a time when our wishes can almost be granted at the speed of our thoughts. How many of us really know what we need ? What do we do to entertain ourselves? Are we constantly filling up each and every minute of our lives with activities that we have hardly any time to think? Lent is a time to change things up a bit. It is a time to find those hidden moments and people in need that usually just disappears.
As the joke goes when 3 ministers sat discussing the best positions for prayer, while a electrician worked nearby.
"Kneeling is unquestionably finest," claimed one.
"No," another argued. "My hands spread-out to Heaven."
"You're both mistaken," the last contended. "Lying down flat, face down on the floor."
The electrician interrupted, "the best pray-in' I ever did was hang-in' upside down from an electric pole."
Have you ever wondered what your prayer list sounds to God? What do we desire for the most? Do we pray to live a life that is filled with comfort and ease? Do we find ourselves gravitating to circles of friends that really love us or do not want to be reminded of Jesus? How do we connect our prayer life with the world we live and move in?
I love that simple hymn with such a soothing tune, turning the world upside down. Christ challenges us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:3-8) and serve the needy.
During this lent it may be a good idea to remember the people who have hurt us the most and whom we have no desire to be in the company of, pray for them not because you want to, but because it pleases Jesus. Another step maybe to make a conscious effort to help a ministry or join a circle of friends that are usually not in your network.
James Tissot - Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness (Jésus tenté dans le désert) - Brooklyn Museum
Lent can be viewed as a journey into the desert, where we take with us only the bare minimum and challenge ourselves spiritually, mentally, socially, and physically. The temptation to return and get back to doing things the way they were will always be with us. The challenge is to see if we can survive. Why did Christ have to go to the desert to be tempted for 40 days and later return only to be rejected when he proclaims his mission in Nazareth (Luke 4:1-30)??
Use this time to see things in a new way. Not just pray, but also watch and wait to see what God is telling us. Are you ready to turn your world upside down for lent??
3 comments:
Lent could be a time when we look around to help someone in the need that we can satisfy. Starting from one's own home we can step out into the immediate neighbourhood and radiate outward into the world beyond to find that person who is looking to be helped. The prerequisite for helping others is to surrender oneself to Yeshua first to put our own needs into the backburner believing that Yeshua knows our needs and will satisfy them according to His Will. Now we are ready to look at others in our house ....
to put our own needs into the backburner….I like that phrase it as it so aptly describes lent a time when we draw closer to God and others and put our own needs into the backburner
It is a time to strengthen ourselves in rethinking our needs and growing stronger in our relationship with Christ.
Post a Comment