Restoration and the Promise of Easter
Today’s Verses:
James 4:7-10 ESV
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Lent is a season of introspection, a time to examine our hearts and recognize our need for God's grace. These verses from James give us a clear path to follow during this penitential season.
"Submit yourselves therefore to God." This is the foundation. Lent calls us to surrender our will to God and acknowledge He is our Lord. This submission is not a sign of weakness but a recognition of God's perfect wisdom and love. In our daily lives, we are called to prioritize God's will over our desires, especially when we struggle with sin.
"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." The spiritual battle is real. During Lent, we are reminded that sin and temptation are ever-present. But we have a powerful weapon: resistance. By turning to God and relying on His strength, we can overcome the temptations that seek to draw us away from Him. Luther’s Small Catechism reminds us to fear, love, and trust in God above all things, keeping us focused on resisting evil.
"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you." This is the beautiful promise of Lent. As we make an effort to seek God, He responds by drawing closer to us. Prayer, Scripture reading, and participation in worship are ways to draw near to God. In this season of Lent, we are called to deepen our relationship with our Lord, knowing that He is always ready to meet us where we are.
"Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." Lent is a time for repentance. We are called to confess our sins and seek forgiveness. This involves not only acknowledging our wrongdoings but also striving to live a life that is pleasing to God. The call to purify our hearts addresses the inner conflict we often experience, the "double-mindedness" that pulls us in different directions.
"Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom." This may seem harsh, but James calls us to a genuine awareness of our sinfulness. Lent is a time for sober reflection, acknowledging the seriousness of our sins and the depth of God's sacrifice. We are to take seriously the pain our sins cause God and others.
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." Humility is the key. By acknowledging our dependence on God and submitting to His will, we open ourselves to His grace. In His perfect timing, God will lift us up and restore us. This is the promise of Easter, the ultimate exaltation through Christ's resurrection.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Gracious God, in this season of Lent, we humbly submit ourselves to you. Help us to resist the temptations that seek to draw us away from you. Draw near to us as we seek you with all our hearts. Forgive our sins, cleanse our hearts, and grant us the humility to follow your will. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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