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LENT REFLECTIONS (DAY 23)

The theme for today’s reflection is don’t lose heart. The expression don’t lose heart means do not be discouraged. Paul acknowledges the suffering and persecution of believers by the Roman empire in Corinth and therefore ceases the opportunity to encourage them to using binaries of the body and spirit, light and weight, existential and the eternal to encourage them that no condition is permanent.

Dear friend in the Lord, Paul gives us a very important reason for us not to lose heart during tribulation or challenging moments of our lives. There are always two opposite ends to life’s experiences and at every given time we find ourselves at one end or the other. The two fundamental binaries of life are good and evil or good and bad. Everyone wants to experience only the good, for this reason our daily prayer requests are flooded with prayers of good health, long life, security and prosperity. Hardly does any one pray to embrace pain, suffering or challenges. Many believers even have the erroneous understanding that happiness comes from God but evil comes from Satan. The truth is that no matter the condition we find ourselves, God still reigns supreme!

Today’s reflection invites us to consider suffering or tribulation as part of God’s plan for our lives, however our suffering is not God’s way of punishment but it is His way of appreciating our faithfulness and steadfastness in the face of temptations to deny our faith or to turn our backs at our Lord and Saviour Jesus when we are being persecuted on accout of Him. This was the experience of the early Christians. It is for this reason, Paul uses binaries to greatly encourage the persecuted believers in Corinth that “… do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). (Observe the binaries of bad and good in life. The good is highlighted in blue and bad on the other hand, is highlighted in red). My dear friend in the Lord, don’t lose heart because no condition is permanent on earth but the gift of eternal life and the glory of God is assured to those who put their faith and hope in the Lord till the end of their earthly existence. Shalom

PRAYER

“…Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?..”(Job 2:10) “…Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD…” Amen (Job 1:20)