Welcome to the Lent experience…

Each day for 40 days i will be posting a suggestion to give you an action or focus point or challenge for the day as we head towards Easter time and want to spend the time meaningfully by focusing more on who God is and what He did, learning to love people more deeply and slowing down from the busyness and caught-up-ness of our day to day.

If you are up for joining me in this, please simple leave your name and say some version of “I’m in!” on the previous Intro blog i posted, in the comments section.

DAY 1

Task: Pray for your enemies.

The King James version of Matthew 5.44 puts it like this:

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

in the letter to the Romans chapter 12, the writer puts it like this:

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

So make some time today to really lift up and pray God’s blessing on anyone who you currently can’t stand or who pisses you off or who has hurt you or betrayed you and also if anyone comes to mind who doesn’t particularly like you for any reason. Take some time to pray for them and expect and hope for good things to happen to them.

[To continue to Day 2 of this Lent observance, click here]