Lent is a preparation, a spiritually-disciplined journey, a purposeful reflection on Jesus Christ.
Then He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, be killed, and rise after three days. He was openly talking about this. So Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
But turning around and looking at His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan, because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns, but man’s!”
Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it. For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his life? What can a man give in exchange for his life? For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:31-38)
The Lord helps all who fall;
He raises up all who are oppressed.
All eyes look to You,
and You give them their food at the proper time.
You open Your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in all His ways
and gracious in all His acts.
The Lord is near all who call out to Him,
all who call out to Him with integrity.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him;
He hears their cry for help and saves them.
The Lord guards all those who love Him,
but He destroys all the wicked.
My mouth will declare Yahweh’s praise;
let every living thing
praise His holy name forever and ever. (Psalm 145:14-21)
- Read today’s verses multiple times, aloud when possible.
- Write something that stands out to you on a sticky note, and carry it with you throughout the day.
- Journal sometime throughout the day or write reflections in the comments section below each post.
- Refuse to treat this daily reading as something you “have to” do. Challenge yourself to lean into the verses, open your heart to them, and journey toward Jesus through them.