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A Time To Focus

...That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection 
and the fellowship of His sufferings, 
being conformed to His death; 
in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.


Lent. We are fast upon the season of Lent and while I always thought this time was reserved for those of a more liturgical and hierarchical background than my own, I have come to think differently about this season of the church. Interestingly, we just went through the 40 Days of Trust that brought us to this point. We now have the opportunity over the next 40 Days leading up to Easter to continue to place our focus on Christ.

photo credit: andrewrennie via photopin cc


Focus on Christ. Paul talks about knowing Christ, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, and being conformed to Christ's death. More than likely, the most disturbing part of Paul's words are the fellowship of His sufferings. The fellowship of His sufferings? As human beings we enjoy all of the goodness we see in life and those things which speak peace and happiness to our hearts and minds. However, we often try to escape the inevitability of suffering. Christ suffered on the cross far more than we will ever endure. His was not a death like others who were crucified, but one in which the weight of the sin of the world was heavy upon Him.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, 
so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Take Heart. You may be enduring great suffering but there is a Savior who willingly suffered on behalf of the entire world. He is well-acquainted with grief and pain. For all who might read this post, I have prayed for you that the Lord would minister to you in your suffering and that He would be your Comfort. You are not alone.



1 John 4:19
 photo credit: Art4TheGlryOfGod via photopin cc

After all, a Father who would die for you and rise again, is not One who forgets about you or is impervious to your pain. As we focus on Christ during this Lenten season, let's determine to know Him better. 



This post also appeared on http://www.missionalwomen.com/faith-filled-friday-blog-link-up.html

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