Introduction to Easter Devotionals
by Bruce Billington
As easter approaches, we will be doing a series of devotionals based on the Easter experience. We will begin with the topic of Lent and will make that our focus until we get to the Easter weekend.
Introduction to Lent
The Oxford Dictionary defines Lent as follows:
(in the Christian Church) the period of 40 days from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter, traditionally a time for fasting (giving up food or certain types of food), prayer, and charitable giving.
Because many of our readers, including myself, have a Pentecostal background, I think a short introduction will be helpful before we embark on our journey to Easter.
I have recently discovered that observing Lent has been liberating. It focuses on the issue of sin and how this was the reason for the suffering and sacrifice Jesus made for us, so we could come to Him as our Saviour.
Although all who are in Christ live under the blessing of a new life gained through the resurrection, it is important to pause and reflect on what was necessary to make this available to us. It came at a great cost to our Lord, Jesus Christ – a cost we should never take for granted. As beneficiaries of this incredible free gift, we have His power available to us, and a new heart, which not only offers transformation and freedom in this life but also grants us eternity with Him beyond it.
As we reflect on our sins, we should consider the cost that Christ had to bear for our freedom and the hold any specific sin may still have on us. Lent offers a time in our calendars to focus on this. We should strive to confront, repent and confess any sin in our lives, and walk in the light, just as Jesus does (1 John 1:7-9).
As we present our sins before the Lord, we should not be consumed by guilt. In fact, acknowledging our sins is beneficial because then we can expose them to the light, accept forgiveness, and embrace the wonderful grace of the Lord. This is how we get free and that is what this is all about – freedom, not condemnation.
Please keep an eye out tomorrow for the first instalment of our Easter Devotionals titled “Jesus Becomes Human”.
God bless you.
Bruce Billington