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.
“To love righteousness is to make it grow, not to avenge it…Throughout His life on earth, He resisted every impulse to work more rapidly for a lower good.”
—George MacDonald
Day 28: Fasting Reduction
We should never overlook the power of God’s name, because at the name of Jesus every knee in heaven and on earth will bow (Phil 2:9). We note this happening when the temple guards come to the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus, bring him to trial, and sentence him to death. When the guards say they are looking for Jesus of Nazareth and he responds, “I Am he” the crowd draws back and falls to the ground (John 18:6). Jesus and God are One in Nature and Name!
No one would have been able to lay a hand on Jesus unless he allowed it, friends. This is again another picture of the love of God for us. He was innocent, but willingly gave up his righteous life for sinners. Human beings know when they are in the presence of true righteousness even in a state of unbelief. The living Word of God holds the universe together, so giving his life for us was not an act of passivity but rather absolute and pure restraint—the cup of suffering for the highest good.
Today we will fast trying to reduce Jesus to fit within our level of thinking or ability to express. We can never accurately articulate the purity, power, and presence of Almighty God; for this reason we approach God with awe and a healthy fear. The Pharisees served God, but had not connected to his pure love. Therefore, they found Jesus guilty of weakness even though he could have commanded ten thousand angels to his side (Mat 26:53). There is nothing passive about Jesus—his restraint on our behalf is simply love-driven obedience. So, does reciprocal love drive our obedience to the Lord? What restraint do we practice?
John 19:1-6 NLT Jesus Sentenced to Death
1Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. 2 The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. 3 “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face.
4 Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.” 5 Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!”
6 When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
“Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.”
Prayer: Lord, please forgive us for trying to reduce you, your righteousness, and your omnipotence to fit within our finite, selfish, and sin-laden minds. Help us to understand and respond with gratitude as we think about the restraint you revealed on our behalf. Salvation came at a great cost for you, Lord. Continue to renew our minds in the Truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.