ACTS - A Way to Live
The Gospel of Luke—Lent 2022 Read Luke 23
Focus Verse—Luke 23:33-34 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. ACTion for Reflection: Sacrificial Love and Forgiveness
It's "GOOD" Friday! What a title, right? For so many years, I had much trouble with WHY we'd remember the horror of the cross as "good." I think my difficulty with the title speaks to my insufficient ability to understand goodness. The very nature of goodness requires sacrifice. The goodness of Christ allowed Him to sacrifice Heaven and come and be "with us" in every way. The goodness of Christ caused Him to desire our oneness with Him and His Father. He knew payment for sin would be required for that to happen. Friday of Holy Week is called "good," because Christ's death paid for our sin once and for all. Thank you, Jesus, for this day! There's so much I want to say, and I'll never be able to say it all. So, I want you to know that I am praying for you as you read Luke 23. God has a personal message for each one of us today. He is the author of your story and my story. We are each experiencing Easter from the perspective of those personal stories. Isn't that the beauty of our relationship with Jesus? He can use the same story to teach different lessons to every Believer. Thank you, Jesus, for your personal activity in our lives! There is ONE, good reality for all of us, though. Christ came to earth to live with us, He chose to die for us, and He has the power to rise within us. We know that Sunday is coming, but resurrection requires death. Let me say it again, Christ's death on the cross is finished work. Sin has been paid for once and for all. Yet, I'm often guilty of picking that sin, that defeat, that shame, that guilt, and that distorted thinking back up time and time again. Why do I keep trying to live with what Christ died to rid me of? Last year, the Lord gave me the word "surrender" for 2021. This year, He gave me "abundance." As I've reflected on Easter weekend, I've seen these two words as the perfect illustration. In my personal life, Good Friday marks surrender. To fully experience the abundance of Resurrection Sunday, there has to be a surrender, a sort of death, to anything that stands in the way of new life. What is it for you? Are you hanging on to guilt, comfort, sin, or an attitude of bitterness/unforgiveness? Any one of these things will block our experience of abundant, resurrected life. I don't want that, and I bet you don't either. So, let's allow Jesus to do His work in our hearts today. If we ask Him to show us what we've allowed to linger that He would like to die, I know He will show us. If He's asking us to let something go, I KNOW there is something better eating to come to life. That is His way, sisters. Let's allow an Easter work in our hearts and lives this weekend. ACTion to Live Out: Extend forgiveness and grace.
When I think about how difficult it is for me to live the full, free, and forgiven life with Jesus it causes me to feel grace and forgiveness for those around me. As an act of gratitude for the finished work of the cross, let's actively extend grace and forgiveness to someone that may not be expecting it.
Maybe you can give grace to a child expecting a serious consequence, a co-worker that has really been on your nerves, or a spouse that doesn't deserve it at all. Since today is Good Friday and Jesus sacrificed fully for us, I am praying that we can all find a gracious and forgiving action towards another person that costs us something. And, when we've given more than we ever thought we could, it will give us the perfect opportunity to thank Jesus for the forgiveness we never could have accomplished on our own. We will never be able to out-give our Jesus.
Dear Lord Jesus, Thank you for teaching us how to live! After we daily reflect on your life-giving words, help us to then, through your Spirit, get up and ACT. Give us hearts of compassion, hands of generosity, and feet that take your good news to the world. What an honor it is to be your image bearer. Amen. Audio Link to Luke 23
