Prepare (Ash Wednesday)

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Read:

Mark 1:1-4


Reflect:

I decided to make a Sunday roast for the first time recently. It turned out okay, I think. (Our kids ate most of their platefuls which I count as a win.) Preparing for it started long before the actual meal, though. Looking through different recipes for roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings, getting all the ingredients and spices, working out what needs to go in the oven when in order to have it all ready and warm at the same time. Preparation was key in getting it done well.
The same goes for preparing our hearts for Christ. It doesn’t always just happen by itself. Sometimes -mostly, I’ve found- I have to be intentional about ‘making straight paths’ for Christ. Not because He needs straight paths. I do. At times I have to put distractions like my phone or the TV aside. At other times I have to repent of sin and ask forgiveness first. Sometimes I just have to be quiet for a couple of minutes in order to still the multitude of voices around me.
In this time of Lent, may we all prepare the way for Christ and be open to Him speaking to us.


Respond:

Lord Jesus, I want to prepare my heart for you. Thank you for wanting to speak to me. Show me how I can prepare my heart for you today. Amen.


Remind:

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

~Abraham Lincoln~


Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

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