A Glad Surrender Has A New Home

Lent Starts Wednesday

The season of Lent begins tomorrow, a day traditionally known as Ash Wednesday. Starting tomorrow morning, we will post daily readings and prayers at the new home of our Cornerstone Church Lent Blog, A Glad Surrender: cornerstonelife.com/lent.

Our Lent Blog Has A New Home

If you are receiving this as an email, then you are an email subscriber to our old Lent Blog. However, if you would like to continue to receive the daily blog posts via email from our new Lent Blog, go to cornerstonelife.com/lent now and subscribe on the sidebar.

Lent is a time we set aside to prepare for the celebration of Jesus Christ's resurrection at Easter. Today, spend some time thinking about something that you might go without during this season in order to intentionally focus on seeking God first.

Luke 24

Read Luke 24.

"So they said to each other, 'Weren’t our hearts ablaze within us while He was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?'" (24:12)

Tonight, at the Proclaim service, we will be examining the deep significance of the cross. But once Good Friday, and then Easter pass, what then can we do to keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the cross, the basis of our faith?

In Luke 24, we see Jesus use the entirety of Scripture to outline to the Emmaus disciples the plan that God had from eternity to redeem humanity to Himself. As the Lent season ends, make a priority to discipline yourself to continue to enrich your understanding of Scripture. As we have learned in the Gospel, such obedience is not a guilt-driven, dull pursuit, but instead a beautiful submission of your mind to the will of God.

As one who has been immersed in Scripture for years, I can attest that I still often have moments that "set my heart ablaze", many of which I have had the blessed opportunity to share in this blog.

Continue to examine God's Word, learn more about His redemptive plan, and turn it into action. I look forward to walking together with all of you in a lifetime of obedience!

Starter Prayer:

Jesus,

Prepare my heart tonight to encounter you at the foot of the cross
Humble my haughty mind before you.
Stifle me with your presence.
Give me a willingness to learn and be changed.
Set me on the course for a life full of joyful obedience with my brothers and sisters.
Continually refine my heart!

Luke 23

Read Luke 23.


“Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”

And He said to him, “I assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise.” (23:40-43)

As we arrive at the cross for the fourth time, may our hearts be in the same position as the criminal at Jesus' side. He understood that he deserved his suffering and that Jesus did not. He believed Jesus was who He said He was. That was enough for Jesus.

With the benefit of having the full canon of Scripture and 2000 years of church teaching, it becomes easy to over-complicate what saving faith really is. Cross-references, word studies, and concordances are beautiful tools, but they have the potential to make simple ideas unnecessarily difficult.

Saving faith is not a formulaic prayer. It is not a card you filled out at a middle school retreat. It is not something you have to renew like you would a driver's license. It is an attitude of the heart that says, "I am guilty and I need you, Jesus, to have hope!". This simple gospel transcends color, culture, and language barriers. This simple gospel overcomes any sin, any skeleton in the closet, and any catastrophe of our past.

Set yourself low and Christ high today. Consider your sin, hate it, and "repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19). Be like the criminal in heart. Encourage believers and non-believers alike with the simple truth of the gospel.

Starter Prayer:

Jesus,

You alone are King.
You alone give hope.
I agree with the centurion, who proclaimed, "This man really was righteous!"
I agree with the criminal, "This man has done nothing wrong"
Thank you for remembering any who believe in your Kingdom.
By your grace, you made it so simple to gain entrance to your Kingdom.
May I not complicate it.
May I not dilute it.
Give me the boldness to share it!