A Turning Point

To be honest, the season of Lent hasn't always meant that much to me.  I never really sat down to contemplate what this time was meant for, and how it should draw us closer to Christ.  Last night Patrick and I went to the Ash Wednesday service at our church, and I was hit with a fresh dose of what God can do in my life when I submit everything to Him.

Lent is a time of reflection, repentance, and renewal.  For the longest time, I thought the word repentance had a very negative connotation, and maybe many of you reading this feel the same way.  When we think of repentance we tend to think of someone wallowing in the guilt of their sin.  Recently though, God has shown me that repentance is quite the opposite.  Yes, repentance means confronting your sin and confessing it to God, but more than that it means turning from your sin and being freed from it's grasp.  When we repent, we are in agreement with God that we have sinned against Him, and we acknowledge that we want live in a way that pleases Him.  1 John 1: 8-9 says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  We all need to be wrecked by our sin and the fact that it separates us from a loving and holy God.  But being brought low by our sinfulness isn't the end of the story.


Jesus didn't come to this earth and die on a cross so we could live forever under the guilt of our sin.  He took our guilt on his shoulders as he carried the cross.  It was our sin that crucified him, but it was by the power of God that he overcame death and set us free.  Christ died so we could be free.  What a liberating thought!  Jesus says, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  When Jesus says he'll set the prisoners free, he's not referring to convicts.  He's referring to you and me, who were held in captivity by our sin.

Lent is a time of renewal.  The more I think about it, the more I see that repentance and renewal really go hand in hand.  When we are cleansed from our sin, God renews our heart and refreshes our spirit.  My favorite verse in Psalms is, "Create in my a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."  (Psalm 51: 10-12)  I have found that when I bring my sin before the Lord and truly repent, this verse becomes true.  He renews my heart, and He reminds me of the joy of his salvation.  God makes it possible for me to turn away from my sinfulness and walk in paths of righteousness.

I hope that you will take some time during this season of Lent to reflect on the things that are holding you captive, and the sin that keeps you from experiencing true fellowship with the Lord.  Pray through these things and allow yourself to be restored and renewed in your walk with Christ!