Lenten Series: In Need of The Helper
Lent is a liturgical observance and season of reflection; not a biblical mandate. It is simply a time to remind ourselves and appreciate the abundant grace of Christ’s saving work on the cross. It is a time to press in deeper in submission to Christ’s authority as we prepare our hearts to celebrate, with exceedingly great joy, the resurrection that awaits every believer and follower.
In our Lenten daily devotionals, we will focus on our spiritual needs and desires and how the Helper is our Gift for strength and success if we will bow in greater submission to the authority of our King and the terms of His Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit.
Reflection: Love
Digging for Truth: Scripture is filled with information about God’s unfailing love; it brings hope to human hearts and understanding to the natural mind. But there is more, my friends. As valuable as head knowledge about God’s love may be or how his encouragement builds our hope and faith in his love, an even greater blessing is this: the Holy Spirit actually fills our hearts with God’s pure love!
According to Scripture, the heart (figuratively speaking) not the head is the core or center of human life; where all decisions are made, the will is formed, and all thoughts are generated. Thus, biblically, the heart filled with God’s love is connected to divine knowledge, understanding, thinking, and wisdom—bringing revelation!
Grace for the Heart: When we invite Jesus into our hearts and ask for the grace of God to move in our behalf, the heart knows what the mind can never know on its own. For human beings, there is a tough wilderness journey for God’s love to move truth from the heart to the head! Love brings salvation and God has chosen to use our hearts as containers of his redeeming love; in his love we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28).
Romans 5:3-5 NLT Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Challenge: To experience God’s love filling us and moving through us in the power of the Spirit is not only possible, but amazing. This love caused Mary, the sister of Lazarus, to spend a year’s wages in order to pour expensive perfumed oil over Jesus and wipe his feet with her hair. She anointed Jesus in preparation for his burial as a way to love him in return for all the love he had given and shared with her. When we have asked the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with God’s pure love, we have tasted something the world cannot give and our minds cannot comprehend, but our hearts KNOW…God’s love is extravagant!
Prayer: Lord, I pray as your children we will not get stuck on head knowledge, but will pray and crave a full heart of your pure love, so we can treat others like our example, Jesus. May our hearts adore and worship you, so our whole being will bow to honor and glorify you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.