Conditioning my heart for salvation - Larry Campbell

Lent for much of my 73 years meant nothing to me. It was merely an indication that Easter was near and Easter meant new clothes for church, hard boiled and decorated eggs and chocolate bunnies for me as a child and for my 5 sons as I became an adult. Too bad so many of our Christian holidays correspond to the pagan holidays but then again this made it easier for the early Christians to assimilate pagans into Christianity, a mixed blessing.

Lent is a time when Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. The purpose is to set aside time for reflection on Jesus Christ - his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial and resurrection.

This year for me the Lenten season will be spent learning and practicing humility.

The Bible says in so many ways that the humble will be exalted by God and the proud will be humbled. “God gives grace to the humble” James 4:6.

Nearly all of Jesus’ teachings were about humility, and his final acts leading to the cross were examples of humility; washing his disciples feet, nearly begging the Father to find another way for him to fulfill the prophesy of the suffering servant, submitting to the Fathers will, then submitting to the authorities for trial and death and finally uttering forgiveness and grace from the cross.

His teachings were focused on humility. I will take my Lenten discipline from the Sermon on the Mount.  .

³Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

I pray; God help me to endeavor to realize my own utter helplessness, and put my whole trust in you, so that I can render to You that perfect obedience which will make me a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.

⁴Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

I pray; God help me to make my heart heavy for the world’s suffering and for my own sins, so that out of my own sorrow I will find the Your Joy.

⁵Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

I pray; God help me to be angry at the right time and never angry at the wrong time, help me to have every instinct impulse and passion under control so that I can be controlled by You, and help me realize my own ignorance and my own weakness, so that I can be a Christian example to the world.

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

I pray; God help me to long for total righteousness as the starving long for food and those perishing from thirst long for water so that I will be truly satisfied with the righteousness given to me by Jesus!

⁷Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

I pray, God help me to get right inside of other people, until I can see with their eyes, think with their thoughts, feel with their feelings, for if I do that I will find others do the same for me and I will know what You in Jesus Christ has done.

⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

I pray; God help me to keep my motives absolutely pure, so that I will someday be able to see You.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

I pray; God help me to produce right relationships with family, friends and acquaintances, so that I am doing a work pleasing to you!

¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I pray; God help me to glorify and experience your presence and pleasure by remaining true to your word in the face of insults, ridicule and torture.

I pray; God help me in this journey because I know that I can do nothing without your help but can do all things with Your help.

I pray; Father, it is appropriate that at the beginning of this journey, that I become lower than ashes on my forehead; ashes, the residue of destruction in the form of a cross, the symbol of the ultimate humiliation and the proof of Your love for me.

Amen

Larry Campbell