PRAYER

God, open our heart to hear Your words today. We ask you to inspire, strengthen and restore us. Thank You that You are with us, guiding us on a righteous path. Amen.

READING

Psalm 119: 33-40 (NLT)

³³ Teach me your decrees, O Lord; I will keep them to the end.

³⁴ Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart.

³⁵ Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found.

³⁶ Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money!

³⁷ Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word.

³⁸ Reassure me of your promise, made to those who fear you.

³⁹ Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good.

⁴⁰ I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness.

REFLECTION

It is humbling to be taught new things by younger people. Youth, you are a fountain of information for me. You explain viral Tik Toks (Why people put two fingers on their arm) , acronyms (G.O.A.T.) and let me know what I thought was "in" is now "out" (Adam Driver's 'Good Soup') and the "out" is coming back "in" (Toby Maguire's dance in Spiderman 3). I still have a lot to learn. In our faith, it is also important to remain students; to remain disciples of Christ. We are never finished learning. This is why I really like the first line of this Psalm, "Teach me your decrees". The author of the Psalm not only wants to learn about the laws of God but the way of them, the daily use of them, and the transforming power of them too. The author expresses a desire to turn from worldly desires and asks God to give him an eagerness for heavenly things instead. Before we can make changes in our lives we must first have a desire for change. Asking God for this desire is a good way to start.

How does God teach us lessons for living a Holy life? Through Scripture, through people, and through prayer. Scripture is our manual on how to live. People, whom we trust, are valuable in guiding us. Prayer is one-on-one time with God where our relationship can grow deeper. Journeying through Lent, and reading these daily reflections is another way which we have chosen to remain a student/disciple of Christ. With God's help, we can continue to learn and grow in God's grace and knowledge.

LENT CHECK IN

Try learning a new task (cook a new recipe, learn a new song, juggle, etc)