Lenten Reflection

This is a picture titled the Garden of Gethsemane and Mount of Olives where Jesus often took his disciples to pray, from a web - site dailyscripture.net- The following is a Lenten reflection from the same site. A little lengthy but worth meditating on. Peace and all good to you all. Susan SFO
"Taking the high road to repentance"a meditation on Isaiah 58 for Lent by Don SchwagerScripture: Isaiah 58:1-12
1 "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. 3 `Why have we fasted, and thou seest it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and thou takest no knowledge of it?' Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. 4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?
6 "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am.
"If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. 11 And the LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. 12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. Meditation: The Forty Days is a season of grace to prepare our hearts anew to celebrate the Feast of the Christian Passover (Easter). It is the annual time of retreat for the Christian people. Forty days is a tenth of a year, a tithe of our year to the Lord. The Forty Days is a time for remembering what Christ did for us in his death and resurrection. Like the Israelites on their journey to the promised land, we, too, are sojourners on our way to the promised land--the life of the age to come in heaven. In this time of retreat we set aside other pursuits that we may seek the Lord more earnestly, in repentance, humility, and a sincere desire to be more fully conformed to the will of Christ in every area of our lives.
The first reading of Lent on Ash Wednesday is taken from the prophet Isaiah. It is a call to take the high-roads to repentance. The first high-road to repentance is the humble acknowledgment of our sins before God. To acknowledge our sins helps us to stop committing them.
The second high-road is to forgive those who trespass against us, to forget the wrongs done to us, and to refrain from unrighteous anger.
The third high-road is to pray with fervent and diligent prayer, knowing that God will surely reward those who seek him diligently.
The fourth high-road to repentance is almsgiving. Freely God has given to us. He calls us to give freely to others, especially to those who lack basic necessities, for the measure we give will be the measure we get.
Are you ready to seek the Lord in this season, with humility, with fasting, with fervent prayer, and with almsgiving? Ask God to lead you in this time of retreat, to free you from distractions, and to strengthen you in reforming your life.
"Lord Jesus Christ, help me to set aside distractions and unnecessary pursuits that I may seek you diligently in this season of the Forty Days. Help me to examine my life in the light of your truth and grace, that I may conform my life more fully to your will. May all that I do be pleasing to you."