Fourth Lord's Day Sunday In Lent

On this fourth Lord’s Day Sunday in Lent, as we keep following our Lord through very different and diverse paths, we can confess this with truthfulness. Every single path, all of which have led us through times of, joy and sadness, laughter and tears, ups and downs, fears and boldness and many more life-alerting journeys, have been for our strengthening, enlightening and deeper abiding in Jesus.

However and wherever we have been walking with our Lord so far, in this Lenten Season, we all have been edified and continue to be made aware of ourselves, in unobtrusive, telling and exposing light. Permit me to make a personal confession.

For the past weeks, one of the realities which was brought to me in living truth about myself, with bold, convincing proof, was the utter nothingness of myself. You see, I would say phrases such as, Lord, I am unworthy; Lord, I am a sinner; Lord, I don’t deserve this good; and even Lord, You know my heart. Nonetheless, as good and nice and true as these words were, they were never really accepted by me, in spirit and in truth.

Let me explain with phrases such as these. Lord, You know my heart. The Lord knows my heart. Our Divine Counsellor, Holy Spirit of Truth Himself, showed me that when I uttered such phrases, I was only seeing myself in self-righteous and self-uplifting light.

The Infallible Word of God tells me this about the heart, my heart. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17: 9 KJV. Yet, when in a situation, where I am reinforcing my actions, I speak as though my heart is innocent and clean and sinless. The fact that my heart is totally wicked and deceitful, I never attribute to myself. God knows my heart that it is good and right and truly thinking, doing and speaking as He commands. Never ever will I say, God knows my heart, that I am evil, wicked, dishonest, deceitful, and full of self-righteousness, pride and utter folly.

I tell you, it was only when I saw myself as God sees me, only when I saw that my heart is bad, diseased with sin, that I knew surrender, a pleading as never before. I wanted to run and hide myself. I have learnt and continue to learn that it is not how I see myself, but how God sees me. O how this has kept me before God, ever knowing that He indeed knows my heart and that if I do not surrender to Him daily, I will be living a most pathetic and sorry life. Humility was thrust upon me as I acknowledged my haughtiness, arrogance and demonic pride. Yes, demonic pride, for pride is not of God and it is the devil’s footstool in each one of us. This is true, for pride comes from self and Jesus has told us over and over again and continues to say it to us even now, that no person carrying self, can follow Him. Self must be denied.

No one can believe and follow Jesus - the Way, the Truth and the Life - whose heart is still hardened, who have eyes, but do not see and who have ears, but do not hear. Such is the description of an unbeliever.

During this week, we shall be looking at tables, the different tables which Sovereign God has spread for humans, in different circumstances. It will be a most hard and harsh week for some, scary and uncomfortable for others, and one for which many will be grateful and most thankful. This week offers to all, the grace of daily repentance, turning and returning to undaunted belief and trust in the Lord.