Devotions for Lent from Holy Bible: MosaicSample

Identifying Discontent

The season of Lent walks us through the grief of Jesus' last days before his crucifixion. As we read Jesus' personal conversation with his disciples in the upper room, we imagine the joy of friendship coupled with the sadness of a friend's imminent betrayal. As we enter into the darkness of Jesus' arrest, trial, and beating, we weep with those first Christians and, in our efforts to save Jesus from ourselves, we grieve in our Peter-like betrayals. The tradition of Lent - a forty-day sacrifice - is one way of mourning the death that sin has caused in our lives. As we see Jesus perfectly withstand Satan's temptation in the wilderness, we admit our own shortcomings and our own inadequate sacrifices. This period of "giving up" has a profound way of recalling our desperate need for Jesus Christ.