Reliving the Passion

This Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. One of my favorite resources for this time of year is a book by Walter Wangerin entitled, Reliving the Passion. It is a daily meditation for 40 days on the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Mark.

Wangerin says at the beginning of the book, "The story gets personal for every reader, for this is indeed our story, the story whereby we personally have been saved from such a death as Jesus died. No, there is not another tale in the world more meaningful than this - here is where we all take our stands against sin and death and Satan, upon this historical, historic event."

I have used this devotional the last two years and have found it to be a wonderful reminder of the depths of God's love. I would encourage you to consider it as a resource. It is available at your local Christian bookstore or at Amazon.com.

Another resource for this time of year is related to the emphasis on prayer and fasting I mentioned last week. This resource is a 40-day prayer calendar with suggested prayer requests for ourselves, our nation and our world. You can find it at: http://www.ifa-usapray.org/PrayerCalendars.html. It is free to download and print up for your own use.

A true understanding of God's love motivates us to love in return. May that be your experience as you remember Christ's passion for people.

Scripture: I John 4: 18,19 - "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us."

Action Point: Share with someone around you what Christ's passion means to you.

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