A Lenten Challenge

Hi all,

I am passing on a challenge to you that I received from a good friend of mine. The challenge is simple, and from the two days I've been meeting this challenge, I can already tell you it's going to be life changing. The challenge is to simply read through the books of Mark and Luke by the end of the Lent season. There are 40 chapters altogether, which works out perfectly to read one chapter a day. The goal through this challenge is simple: to get to know Jesus more and to fall deeper in love with him. The cool thing about only reading a chapter a day isn't that you can do it in under five minutes. That's not it at all. The cool thing is that I get to really marinate on each verse, on each word and soak in Jesus' teachings, ministry and life. I'm only through Mark 2 and am already in awe and so refreshed. It isn't to late to start the challenge!

Two things really hit home for me in Mark 2 that I want to share with you. The first is the sweetness of the words "Follow me." In verse 14 Jesus sees Levi (also known as Matthew), a tax collector, at his place of work (which was despised by the rest of society) and simply says those two words. But there is so much deeper meaning behind what Jesus says. Follow me. Enter my kingdom, my truth. Lose your life to gain mine. Experience my agape love. Pick up your cross as I venture to pick up mine. Join in on the adventure. Experience the freedom. Taste what it means to truly live. Let me be Lord of your life.

The other portion of the chapter that really impacted me was when Jesus said "it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners." Why do we all always try to act like we have it all together? Jesus came to love the broken, the destitute, those who freely admit that we really need a Saviour. The truth is that without Jesus and His grace to set us free we are all equal sinners, digging our way to Death. Without Him we are nothing. We are all the sick, and I too often try to pretend like that's not me. In fact, not admitting to my sickness makes me delusional, and all the more sick. Funny how that works.

Anyway, I have been beyond blessed by the past two days and strongly encourage you to join me in my journey to the heart of Jesus. I'll check back in with updates on what God is teaching me through his sweet Word. Blessings! ~H