LEAN INTO LENT DAY 7
(Matthew 6:19-21) Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Perfection in our materialistic culture usually means get the best education, earn the most, enjoy life’s pleasures, and “have it all.”
But that’s not God’s measure of success. He wants our hearts, our lifestyle, our devotion, our love for others above ourselves, our leisure, our treasure, and our humble servanthood to Jesus and others in His love.
Are there areas we should reexamine during our Lean Into Lent?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, show me the error of my ways as I boast of my achievements, accrue debt, chase after this life’s rewards and pleasures. Help me understand that everything belongs to You. Help me to go beyond tithing ten percent of all I think I own, remembering everything is Yours, to show the world what I truly think is important, to care for the poor and “the least of these,” and to live each day fully devoted to spreading God’s love to a desperately searching world. Amen
FROM RESTORE MY SOUL PSALMS: A LENTEN JOURNEY
MY PSALM 308 COME AS A CHILD
Almighty God, Sovereign over all,
I dare come into Your Presence,
Confessing that I am unworthy
Through sin’s taint to do so.
You created me, wondrously created me,
And the whole of creation around me.
Yet I have attempted to make this world
Revolve around me in sinful self-centeredness and pride,
And have usurped power only given me by You.
I always knew You existed. I said, “I believe in God.”
I knew in my intellect that You existed, and that,
Perhaps as sure death approached, I might even pray.
As I return to Your scriptures,
And seriously feast on the message,
As I mutter immature prayers and stutter and stammer,
As I go through the motions, I can fool others, even myself,
Yet I know You are seeking me, all of me,
And I want to know You fully,
Abundantly, Transformationally.
I come as a child. Your word says
I am ready only for milk.
But I ask in Your mercy
To feast at Your table,
To walk in Your way,
To become a true follower
And know the power I have only glimpsed
By having a personal relationship.
Do I dare think of something so great
With the God of the Universe?
May I this day have the privilege
Of full adoption into Your kingdom?
May I, in grateful devotion for all You have done for me,
Call You “Abba, Father” as one of Your children?
I long to know You more fully,
To understand Your mercy and love for me
Even as a sinner, one with no merits,
Except that I believe in Your Son, Jesus Christ’s mission:
That He sacrificed His pure life
For my sins and shortcomings. I come to You.
So bless me, now My God
For I thank those who have become a cloud of witnesses,
Those who have shared You with me,
So that I can fully serve You.,
For I long to give You my all,
Heart, mind, strength, and soul and
To live this life, and eternity, for You.
Teach me to follow, help me arise when I stumble,
And grant me the splendor of Your Presence
When I speak, when I act, when I worship, and when I die,
For I want to live for You in thanksgiving for Jesus’ love
For one such as I. In His Name. Amen.
About the Author
