“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10
It is important to have a will to protect your loved ones and legally take care of your estate in the manner which you would like. Part of that will can also be a living will to take care of you if you become unable to take care of yourself and make decisions because of stroke or injury or disease. Putting your life, your goods and your care into a specified person’s hands, is a sobering decision. Making a will forces you to remember that you are mortal and one day you will die.
The season of Lent in the church year also reminds us of the fact that we are mortal and one day we will die. The Bible tells us that not only will we die but there will be a Day of Judgment when we will stand before our heavenly Father and will have to give an account of our lives. Will we be as prepared in death to meet our heavenly Father as we are to leave our loved ones and possessions behind?
When it comes to wills, we are encouraged every few years to review our will with our lawyer and make sure it says what we want to have done at the end of our days - and by whom.
Lent is a season to review our walk of faith with God and see if our life is on track with His holy will. It is a time when we can renew our walk, through prayer, reading of God’s Word, confession of sins, and claiming the forgiveness won for us by Jesus at His cross.
I figure that it will cost me $200.00 to get my will redone at my lawyer’s office to make sure everything is in order for my death when it occurs. What does God want from us? No amount of money, no good deeds, no sacrifices to make up for our short comings in life! Jesus has paid for it all! Our life is secure and our death is taken care of with the promise of life eternal because Jesus paid the price and took care of what was needed to be done. That we could never do for ourselves.
I pray that you will use this Lenten season to get your spiritual affairs in order as you come to your holy God in prayer and repentance. The Bible says that “the sacrifice of a broken spirit and a contrite heart” is what the Lord requires of His children.
Use this prayer for Ash Wednesday below as a daily prayer in Lent to help your spiritual journey towards the victory celebration of your Lord this Easter.
Almighty God, merciful heavenly Father, in Your great and abundant compassion, You sent Your only-begotten Son into our flesh, where He took up our sins and iniquities, our sorrows and infirmities to carry them to the cross in our place and on our behalf. In our flesh, Your Son revealed Your glory chiefly in showing mercy and pity, revealing to us poor sinners Your love and grace.
We who are but dust confess unto You that we do not deserve the least of all the steadfast love, tender mercy, and abiding truth which You have revealed in the person of Your Son. For we sinners have rebelled against Your will, turned every one to our own ways, and exalted ourselves more than we have honoured You. Deceiving ourselves, we have confused our plans and purposes, for Yours. Relying on our wisdom, we have depended upon our reason and senses instead of Your Commandments. Trusting ourselves, we have neglected Your Word, our worship has grown half-hearted, and our prayers have grown cold. Forgive us, renew us, and heal us for the sake of the bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son and the merit that He alone has won for us through His holy life and humble obedience and His innocent suffering and death. Neither look upon our poor merits nor upon our many iniquities, but remember us solely for the sake of Christ Jesus, our Saviour and Redeemer.
May God’s will for you in Christ, be your will as well!
A Lenten Pilgrim with you,
~ Pastor Roger
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