Majesty...

  Lent always makes me think of the story in the bible of Jesus calling James & John. Its hard to actually grasp the full context of the story, but once you do, your faith can be questioned. See, when Jesus called them to be his disciples, without a second thought they got up, and followed. No pause and no hesitation.

That is all well and good, but you have to think about the implications. James & John left everything behind. Not just there possessions, but there livelihoods and families. Jesus said the word and they sacrificed it all for salvation and a walk with him.

I wonder if I could do this? Because I am being called to. As Christians we all are. For some it may mean literally dropping it all, like selling your house and moving to a third world country. But for the majority, we need to apply the James and John treatment to the smaller things in our lives. Knowing and sharing Jesus means being the light in the darkness, and it means being in this world, but not of it.

Holding my hands up straight away here...because as of this moment in time, I am so of the world. At this present moment my life reflects anything but living for the Lord-  it practically screams broken in every direction possible.  I guess I'm using these 40 days as a chance to change, to really question my life and everything in it. I need to give up life as I know it, and not just for lent, but forever. If I want a true relationship with God, its all got to go. The Words, the thoughts, the same old sins. Its got to be replaced by Jesus. And only Jesus.

We are being called to drop our old lives and shed our skin, and instead pick up the love and the grace of Jesus Christ. Knowing Jesus, really knowing and seeking him requires a huge sacrfice of your own selfish desires. Are you going to be like James & John and give it all up and Surrender it all for the sake of the king?

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"- 2 Corinthians 5:17