Easter

So What Exactly is Lent?

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Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.  John 20:18 ESV

This is NOT a full theological or historical explanation of Lent but in general Lent is the time from Ash Wednesday to either the Wednesday before Easter, Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday. Since there is no record of anyone in the Bible observing this roughly 40 day period why should we? Great question!

For starters my own take is that it is never a bad idea to set special times for seeking God’s will and purpose. Some people may choose to fast certain foods or commit to special acts of service, during these weeks. However you choose to honor the season, the most important thing of all is to focus on Jesus. For me personally it brings me back to  the excitement of my first months of faith in Jesus (Which just happened to be on Easter Sunday!)

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I come to each morning’s quiet time with an open heart asking Jesus for a brand new insight into His word and for His will for that day. Instead of racing ahead or lagging behind in my devotional readings I need to slow down so I can hear what God is saying. Walking with Jesus will lead us along the path that He has chosen. Following the path He chooses will bring us to His destination for our life. My prayer is that during these weeks of Lent we will see with fresh eyes the miracles of Jesus, the table of His Last Supper, the Cross, the empty grave and most of all our Risen Lord!

 

Bread of Heaven Large Print Devotional

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When I was a boy I loved the smells coming from the kitchen when my mom baked bread. I could hardly wait for her to hand me a warm slice slathered with butter right from the oven. We need to ask ourselves if we are also longing to know God like that. Are we eager to come into His presence and receive a fresh word from Him each day? No matter the answer to that question now is the time to set our sights again to that Easter morning when Mary came to the tomb and became the first to see our risen Lord; the very Bread of Heaven!

Bread of Heaven Large Print

Jesus Bread of Heaven is a large print 47 day devotional for Lent. You can find Bread of Heaven on Amazon in both this large print edition as well as Ebook or standard print. These daily readings relate in a simple and direct way to both our daily lives and to the life changing hope we have by faith through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter.

Bread of Heaven

Emmaus Road

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So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. Luke 24:28-29 ESV

It is interesting that these two disciples had walked all day with Jesus. They had listened to all He had to say. They had talked with Him and told Him all their problems. But all down that long hot and dusty road, they never realized who they were spending their day with.

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All down the path they had walked focused on their hopelessness, confusion and fear. At any moment Jesus could have stopped them in their tracks shouting, “Hey guys, it’s me! I came back from the dead! Everything is going to be great!” but He didn’t. Instead Jesus first asked them about their problems then patiently explained from scripture God’s plans. Then He fell silent and acted as if He would just go on without them.

Then those disciples made a choice that changed their destination from a village to a vision. They chose to offer a small kindness to the stranger who had shared His day with them. Jesus accepted their invitation and when they sat down together to eat, He blessed the bread and showed them who He was. Will we invite some of the least likely strangers to sit with us tonight? When we make room for them at our table Jesus will still break the bread and give us a glimpse of His face just as He has been doing for 2000 years!