Third Sunday in Lent

Just a few days ago my friend Judith posted on her Facebook quoting part of this scripture.  She said that endurance produces character and she endures so much that she is now a character! It is indeed very funny in a way!  I will go on and say that I see much hope in the ways Judith lives.  She actually hopes in the LORD in small matters of life to the biggest of them all.  Her faith is grounded in God, simple as she may seem to sophisticated people.  With the issues of her life this friend of mine seems to live the first verse of Romans chapter 5, "therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"

Reconciliation is a necessary part of our lives, first with God and then with those whom we live and are in our lives.  Being born a sinner I have no way of escaping God's anger except in trusting the fact that Jesus Christ died for me so that I will be reconciled.  Wait more deeper than that, God so loved the world including me that he gave His only begotten Son to die for us so that we may be reconciled with him and receive eternal life. Salvation for me and for you is tied up in faith in God.  We are justified by faith and faith alone.  We have so much going on in our lives nowadays, so many temptations, all kinds of tempting temptations everywhere.  To reject temptations most of the times causes feelings of suffering.  But does this suffering produce endurance for me? That is the question.  Endurance does produces character and character produces hope and hope is what gets us to God's love.

Let's live as people of faith who are being reconciled with God.  Trusting in God's power of love let us see if we can reconcile with our loved ones this lent.

Well, now it's time to go worship at the Church. After all it's the third Sunday in Lent!

Prayer: Gracious God, your love for us so great that you gave us your only Son. We give you thanks.  Strengthen us each day as we face temptations of all kinds.  Form us into characters that all we meet may want want to become your disciples. In Jesus name. Amen.

Romans 5:1-11

5Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.⁷Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. ⁸But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. ⁹Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.¹¹But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Also: Exodus 17:1-7 Psalm 95, John 4:5-42