The Tribune

By REV ANGELA

C BOSFIELD

PALACIOUS

HERE we are in the solemn season of Lent once again. In the light of present global and national developments, it is an important time for us to each spend time in the presence of God to pray for wisdom, and to take time to think about the future.

If we want to be a godly people who honour God and work for social and spiritual transformation, we would do well to think about our personal and national character in terms of what we want to keep and promote, and what we need to change or eliminate altogether.

• Dedication is the desire to become so completely devoted as to make something or someone the centre of our undivided attention. Our relationship with God calls for this level of reverence and sacrificial service.

How do we work to make God the centre of our lives? How much energy do we expend on a daily basis? Let us dedicate ourselves, to prayer, study, worship and witnessing about the person and work of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Let us reorganise our priorities.

• Self-Discipline is the result of practiced behaviour that has been repeated to form a habit. As we journey through Lent, we are all cognisant of the fact that six weeks offer us sufficient time to work for positive change. If we are unable to break bad habits then we need to be accountable to someone we respect or seek counselling.

Let us all strive to daily hear God’s well done because we are growing to become more like Christ every day. We cannot earn our salvation. It is a free gift given by Christ’s death on the cross. We can please God by living a disciplined life with the help of the Holy Spirit.

• Determination is the attitude we need to make the effort that will accomplish our goals. If we are determined that we will be punctual then we work hard to plan carefully and manage our time wisely. If we insist that we will budget and save, we learn how to manage our money, even if we have to request that someone assist us.

If we make up our mind and put our whole heart into being led by the Holy Spirit then we open ourselves to God’s grace in new and exciting ways. We will associate with people who will be able to influence us for good, and enable us to mentor others. We will seek to resist Satan in any way possible and to follow the example of Jesus, our Master.

Decision: There may be other words that you wish to add to your list of qualities to celebrate and emulate. You may have different definitions for these words selected.

The point being made is that we each have to make a decision daily as to the direction in which we want to go at any given time. We choose to build up or tear down. We need to take time to think and choose wisely.