LENTEN PRAYERS(April 3, 2023)“Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'”-- Luke 9:23 (NKJV)Lord,This bit about cross bearing cuts across the grain.No one wants to hear it,it’s unpopular.Our generation is affluent,self-denial may have been the “in” thingwhen you were tramping the dustyPalestinian countryside,but it won’t cut it anymore.To get a crowd nowyou have to talk about positive thingslike the Christian and his self-image,or emotional health for the believer.Motivational preaching is the “in” thing.People want to be motivated,told how to succeed in life.They want to hear about the hundred-fold return.My child,Cross bearing has never been popular.Peter rebuked me when I talked about itand when my time came, I had to bear it alone.I was ridiculed and misunderstood.Yet the message of the cross is not negative.It’s an eternal “plus sign”God+Man=Abundant Life.Remember we must give peoplewhat they need, not necessarily what they want.The way of the cross is the way of love.Tough love!Lord,I still don’t fully understandwhat it means to “take up my cross,”but I want to understand.Teach me during this Lenten season,for if I don’t not appreciate the agony of the crossI can never fully celebrate the Easter life.Amen.- Pastor Richard Exley
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