“(Jesus) has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). This verse can be extremely oppressive or exhilaratingly liberating, depending on how we look at it. Many people look at this verse and see it as an unattainable goal. After trying and trying, they realize they will never be able to live without yielding to temptation. As a result they give up and always yield. On the other hand, some people read that scripture and get excited knowing that they have a Savior and guide who can help them through their struggles because he has the ability to both illuminate the way to overcome sin AND the power to enable us to overcome sin. If Christ now lives in you, and you are submitting your life to him, then it stands to reason that HE IS ABLE to help you overcome the sin that so easily entangles you or the weakness you seem to have toward temptation. With confidence, ask God to allow Christ’s spirit to indwell you and give you the power over sin.

Responses

Great Ash Wednesday service last night. Big thanks to Pastor Jeff for coordinating the music to fit the scripture so well. Looking now toward what God would do through us (me) as we move toward Easter.

Ash Wednesday - "Fixin To Begin"

We have been challenged to "fix our eyes" over the next 40 days. As a community, our eyesight is much more than what we can see with the "naked eye." God is at work all around us - even in the midst of suffering. Where have you seen God working in your life? Where have you seen God working in the lives of others? Better yet, where has God been able to use you to do his work in the lives of others? The following is taken from the Weekly Lenten Devotional at Nashville First Church of the Nazarene:
Tonight we have begun the 40 day march toward Easter. Over the next few weeks you will continue to be encouraged to “fix your eyes.” These three simple words hold a wealth of meaning as we endeavor to adjust our eyesight from the ways in which the world has caused our focus and our vision to become skewed. It is all too easy to allow our eyes to become blind to the kingdom of God that is all around us and in us and through us. We are so easily distracted by the pain, suffering, and destruction around us that we often fail to see where God is working. As a way of helping us “fix our eyes,” we will be asking you to follow the advice of the author to Hebrews, and “fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). “Fixing our eyes on Jesus” is the only way we can begin to see the world clearly, and the best way for us to begin to see his Kingdom come here on earth as it is in heaven.

In lieu of our traditional Lenten devotional, we will be distributing a weekly handout with opportunities for you to do a little more than simply read your scripture and pray at home. Each day will have some scripture and thoughts for meditation, but our greater hope is that during this Lenten season your eyes will be “fixed on Jesus” in such a way that you begin to see where he is working. We pray that the eyes of your heart will be opened to view the lives of those around you who are in need of a touch from the living Word. Finally, I am asking that, as you begin to see God’s life at work that you would become a “spiritual ophthalmologist” and help others begin to see how God is working. You can do this by sharing stories with us of how God is working at: http://fixyoureyesnfcn.blogspot.com/ Make it a part of your daily routine to share what God is doing in your life and to see what God is doing in the lives of others as we “fix our eyes.”