We got snow/freezing rain last week during our small group bible study. When Michael and I went to leave, one of the guys from our group was scraping everyone's windows. While we sat warming up inside the car, watching him scrape, I felt bad. It was hard to accept such a favor. However, feeling he wanted to do this for us, I began to feel some gratitude and goodwill toward him. That was nice.
It wasn't until the next week, at our group meeting, when I jokingly suggested he would go warm up all our cars, that I found out he HATES the sound of scraping ice! To him it is likes nails on a chalk board (I am dating myself here). That means what he did for us the week before was a sacrifice, not just a nice gesture he wanted to do. It was hard, but he did it anyway. This made me appreciate his act of service even more.
As I pondered this on the drive home, I was struck by the parallel to grace and Jesus. For many of us, it is hard to accept such a favor as grace. We are independent and prideful. We want to earn our way. Or we may feel that what Jesus did for us was nice, but we don't really understand the depth of His sacrifice. After all, Jesus is God and He wanted to do it. Right? Then why in the garden, the night before he was crucified, was He grieved to the point of death and prayed three times that it be taken from Him? After being beaten, He couldn't carry His own cross. Yes, Jesus was God in the flesh but those nails still hurt and the crucifixion was torture. The good news is that he did it anyway! Jesus' willingness to be crucified for us, should cause great gratitude and affection toward Him. "For this reason I say to you, her sins which were many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." (Luke 7:47)
We are once again, at Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent. The time for repentance and seeking God; acknowledging our mortality, sinfulness and need of a Savior, and looking forward to Easter Sunday and celebrating Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. For "what a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24-25)
Last year was my first time fasting for Lent. It was not a time of trying to earn God's favor, but rather came out of a desire to seek Him first and trust Him for all else. And if you read my past posts on it, you know that it was not observed to perfection, but God honored my heart's desire and He was faithful.
This year my fast is focusing on Isaiah 58 and Romans 12. I will be fasting to offer my body as a living sacrifice and seeking how God wants to use the gifts He has given me to fulfill what Jesus started. "And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him (Jesus). And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, 'The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD.' And He began to say to them, 'Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.'" (Luke 4:17-19,21)
Micah 6:8 says, "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."
Though your fast may look different than mine, for we are one body with many parts, may we all be made a planting for the display of God's splendor!
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