Pastor Dan Longmore
Devotional Message
Many religions have their special times or seasons when their followers are required to take extra time to study or practice their religion. Many Christians are taking part in Lenten observances and services leading up to the remembrance of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. To be a believer in Jesus however observance of Lent is not required. People find it helpful to spend extra time in prayer or perhaps fasting during Lent and yet doing so does not give us special favor with the Lord.
In both the Old and New Testaments, the Lord exhorted His followers to pray, love others, serve one another and fast not because they had to rather because they wanted to do so. The Scriptures clearly teach that trusting Jesus as our Savior and following His commands should flow from a heart of love and not duty. This is just one way in which Christianity differs from religions of the world. Being a Christian or disciple of Jesus is about the heart and not about rules.
Whether or not you are observing Lent perhaps now is the time to start being more faithful in prayer, Bible reading, loving, and serving others or getting committed to a local church fellowship. Notice I said that now is a good time to “start”. Loving the Lord with all of your heart is not just done for a season but should be what you as a believer in the Risen Lord do on a daily basis. The Lord gives us all a choice of whether we want to believe and follow Him. And if my choice is to love the Lord and trust Jesus as my Savior then I am making a commitment to live for Jesus in my words and actions not just for a season or certain number of days but for the rest of my life.
Pastor Dan
Marsh Creek Brethren in Christ Church
Howard, PA 16841
Me hang gliding with our instructor Mike
My wife Marty and Mike
Pastor Dan is bi-vocational. He works part time for radio station WRGN hosting a contemporary Christian music program called "Refresh and Renew".
It airs from 2pm to 5pm (ET) Mondays through Fridays and can be heard anywhere in the world where there's internet access.
Just go to www.wrgn.com and click "Listen online" or click the link here.
