From Sticky Souls to Transformed Hearts
God’s command—from the glorious clouds overshadowing the Transfiguration of Jesus in the gospels—reminds us: when we listen and do whatever the Son of God says he will lead us from barrenness due to selfish living into righteous fruit-producing living for the glory of God. Self cannot satisfy self. We must hunger for God.
This is basically our journey for Lent, because sinful attitudes and actions try to stick to our souls and destroy our Life with God. Jesus wants us to produce righteous fruit that bring glory to our King’s rule and reign.
Christian spirituality, the contemplative life, is not about us. It is about God. The great weakness of American spirituality is that it is all about us: fulfilling our potential, getting the blessings of God, expanding our influence, finding our gifts, getting a handle on principles by which we can get an edge over the competition. The more there is of us, the less there is of God.
—Eugene Peterson
Yesterday, our fast involved letting go of a wrong mindset that Lent is some kind of a project to make us better people. It is not. Salvation is a supernatural work that is not accomplished based on our efforts to make ourselves better people. Lent is about choosing to make a journey with Christ; to come into a place of devotion and communion based on our hunger for more of God. Different!
Day 2: Fasting Regrets
We are invited to walk with Jesus and His disciples through even the dark seasons of life. These are seasons we would rather avoid: grief, conflict, misunderstanding, betrayal, rejection, and pain. Our culture celebrates increase, but to enjoy a triumphal walk with Jesus means we must embrace decrease. Some stuff hiding in our souls has to be cut away by our skillful and righteous divine Surgeon. John the Baptist reminds us it is Jesus who must increase; therefore, as his disciples we must decrease (Jo 3:30). Decrease is about letting go. Regret is a bad root that will produce no righteous fruit. Decrease by giving Jesus your regrets.
Today, we will fast regrets. What steals your strength? Regrets can suffocate hope and dreams, because it is a type of self-punishment. We must stop feeding regrets, because God’s mercies are “new every morning (Lam 3:23). Jesus is in the process of making everything new, even while we learn from the mistakes of our past (Rev 21:5).
When we first come to Christ, life is new while at the same time being all together mysterious. We are instantaneously engrafted into the righteous Branch of Christ in order to partake and feast from the roots of his righteousness to produce fruit. Yet, we still have this sinful nature that is learning to decrease. Hindsight helps us learn from the poor endings of our past. Regret is destructive, injures our souls, and works to stop our journey. Do not give regret space. Let it go…and feast on the new beginnings Jesus died to give you.
Jesus’ triumphant entry is about a new beginning in the glorious salvation of God. Receive it and proclaim, “Praise God!”
John 12:12-19 NLT Jesus’ Triumphant Entry
12 The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors 13 took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted,
“Praise God!
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hail to the King of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:
15
“Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem.
Look, your King is coming,
riding on a donkey’s colt.”
16 His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.
17 Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. 18 That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. 19 Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!”
Prayer: Lord, when it comes to your love, we must love ourselves the way you love us. You desire to spiritually and surgically rescue us from the darkness of our past that tries to suffocate our souls. Otherwise, we will focus inward, loose our strength, and worship self. In recognizing our weakness in this area, we ask you to radiate your Light of Truth as we worship you. Help us see this fast of regret as a way to follow you into our best life walking by the Spirit and into your amazing Grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.