Christian Reflection and Prayer

"Keep this Life or Lose It?"

Lenten Devotion

"And Jesus answered them, 'The hour has come for the Son of
Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of
wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies,
it bears much fruit'" (John 12:23-24).

Read John 12:20-26.

Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph. The disciples were
convinced He was about to establish His throne in Jerusalem,
so Jesus had to teach them a tough lesson.

Christ Jesus stood alone, the only man whose life on this earth
was perfect and worthy of earning heaven. But unless He died on
the cross in our place He would remain alone, and we would all
perish eternally in hell. By dying in our place, taking our sins on
Himself and paying the full price God's justice demanded, Jesus
would save us all, and open wide the gates of heaven.

Our earthly life is similar in many ways. If we wish to selfishly
save our earthly life, we will lose it. But if we hate our earthly life
in comparison, longing for that better, heavenly life, we will keep
it for eternity. Thankfully, Jesus leads the way for us. He did not
love His earthly life so much that He was not willing to lay it down
on the cross. No, He was looking forward to a better, eternal life
with us-a life made possible only through His suffering, death and
resurrection.

It's a good time for us as individuals to stop and examine our
attitudes toward our lives, as well as our willingness to leave them
all behind for Jesus and the eternal life He gives.

THE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank You for offering us eternal life through Your
Son Jesus Christ. Help us all to hate this life in this dark, sinful
world that we may keep our lives eternally in Your light. In Jesus'
Name. Amen.

Written by Rev. Wayne Palmer

Scared and cold
first night on the streets
Your body hurts
from your head to your feet

You miss school,
not the work---it's the friends
Thinking what you'll say
when they ask
where you've been

Gotta dollar-fifty,
every penny gotta spend
Make a wrong move...Boom-
your life comes to an end.

      Daniel, 16
      a kid on the street

(from Sometimes God has a Kids Face)

Lenten Devotion

"So the Pharisees said to one another, 'You see that you are
gaining nothing. Look, the whole world has gone after Him'"
(John 12:19).

Read John 12:12-19.

The great Festival of Passover is near. Huge crowds make their
way across the countryside toward Jerusalem, and our Lord
Jesus enters Jerusalem in triumph, riding on a donkey.

The Pharisees throw up their hands in fear and frustration. They
say to each other "You see that you are gaining nothing." The
situation is totally out of control. But again they will not stop to
consider Jesus' claims. They only react in frustration and fear
of what Jesus might do with the huge Passover crowds
gathering around Him in Jerusalem.

It is fascinating to compare their reaction to that of the crowds.
The crowds cry out to Jesus, "Hosanna," which means "help"
or "save." And they are right. The Lord Jesus is the mighty
Son of God, who has come to battle Satan, sin, death and hell.
He alone can save us from our bitter enemies.

As we begin this week of Jesus' suffering and death for our sins,
we notice He is completely in control. We will notice He is in
control through this entire week-clear up to and including His
arrest, trials and crucifixion.

That's important to remember when we look at our own lives.
Often we are as fearful and frustrated as the Pharisees,
realizing situations in our lives are totally out of control. We
can throw up our hands like the Pharisees, or call upon Jesus
as the crowds do, remembering that Jesus is still in control,
sitting at the right hand of the Father and guiding all things for
our good.

THE PRAYER:

Lord, please help and save us, especially when circumstances
are at their worst and totally out of our control. Remind us that
they are never beyond Your control. Amen.

Written by Rev. Wayne Palmer