Lent

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I must say that I am a free Christian and not one who follows rules and regulations except the rule that Jesus laid on us; to love one another and He loves us. I don't believe in 'religion' but in relationship with the one who died for our sins. I attend a Baptist church but do not consider myself Baptist. I was raised Roman Catholic but have never adhered to the rules that tag onto that belief. So then, why am I considering fasting for Lent especially since this is considered a Catholic practice? Because Jesus did a 40 day fast before He entered into His ministry. Lent symbolizes this and I want to be like Him! Simple as that.

Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. So today I will enter into a 40 day fast, to walk in the footsteps that Jesus took, yes I am sure I will mess up but I will keep my eyes on Him and keep on keeping on.

Ephesians 3:20 NIV

As a prisoner for the Lord, then , I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called--one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says:

"When He ascended on high, 

He led captives in His train

and gave gifts to men."

(What does "He ascended" mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets,some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 

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Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we sill in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Does anyone fast for Lent? If so I would love to hear your reasons for doing so.

Please remember Summer in your prayers she has finished the prednisone pulsing and is waiting for the swelling in her joints to disappear! Praying for 100% remission, thank you!

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Hypocrite! Who Me?

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Ephesians 2:1-3 NIV

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
A hypocrite is a person who pretends to be what they are not. If Jesus Christ is our Saviour and we have accepted Him into our lives then we are children of God and we have a new identity. The old self is dead and we have a new pure self who is one with Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father by the sacrifice of the spilled blood of Jesus on the cross.
Romans 6:5-7 NIV

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, 

we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the 

body ruled by sin might be done away with, 

that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because 

anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

So when Sunday comes and we attend church we are acting like who we are supposed to be, Christians. We are truthfully being who we were made to be and are alive in Christ. But, when the week rolls around and we are not 'acting' like Christians because of where we are then we are being hypocrites. The word hypocrite is from a Greek word that means "play-actor". We are pretending to be something we are not. Our true identity is in Christ Jesus and when we forget who we are and we start living the way we were before we were saved then we become hypocrites.

Let's live a life that proves we are not hypocrites, don't let the old ways make us act like someone we are not.

Ephesians 2:4-10 NIV

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

 

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Amen! Hallelujah!!

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