Lent 24 - The Before

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Ephesians 2:1-4

The apostle Paul shares a grim synopsis about those who choose to live in darkness, rather than seeking the light. He says that all people have been dead in their transgressions and sins. This was because they followed the ways of the world and the evil one. 

Most of us get to a point in our lives when we realise that we are not living the lives that we should be. Some people's stories are more tragic than others, but most realise that to some extent, we are not as good as we would like to be. Paul echoes this thought in verse 3 when he says that at some time, all of us have gratified the cravings of the flesh and followed its thoughts and desires.

We can take comfort in knowing that we are not alone in these feelings of disappointment in ourselves. 

The Good News of the Gospel is that we are loved and forgiven of our past mistakes and failings, regardless of what we have done. We have been given a new life to live in honour and glory of the God who has saved us.

What many Christians sometimes forget is that repentance is not a one-time event, it is an ever-continuing process. While we might not be as bad as we were before we came to faith in Christ, we still make mistakes and choose to live in the dark at times. 

Let us take a moment now to confess how we have fallen short of living lives of light in recent times.

Prayer: Merciful God, I have fallen short of Your glory on many occasions. I repent now for not glorifying You in my words, thoughts and actions. I am sorry for choosing to act against Your good and holy will. I am sorry for not acting when the situation called for me to do so. I am sorry for neglecting to care for Your Creation and Your people. I repent and I turn back to You. Amen.

Image Source: Ian Greystorm

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