God’s gift . . .

Watch The Lamb

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
‘Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’”
John 1:29

The mystery of Jesus’s identity concerned all those who encountered Him . . . and it will continue to occupy generations of believers for centuries to come . . . As the disciples journeyed with Him, it gradually became more apparent who this man was, where He came from, and how His existence would deeply affect the rest of human history . . . The question of “Who is this man?” could not, and still cannot, easily be answered.

“The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples.
As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared,
’Look! There is the Lamb of God!’”
John 1:35-36

Jesus Christ is called "Lamb of God" signifying His role as the ultimate, sinless sacrifice who takes away the sins of the world . . . the name originated from John the Baptist's proclamation (John 1:29), and it connects Jesus to Old Testament Passover lambs and the sacrificial systems, representing atonement, innocence, and redemption . . . Unlike animal sacrifices, Jesus's sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice, is a one-time, final act that provides complete atonement . . . though completely innocent, Jesus voluntarily submitted to death to pay for human sin—our sin . . . Jesus became both the sacrificial victim and the victor over sin as He rose from the grave Easter morning.

When we pray to Jesus as the Lamb of God,
we are praying to the One who voluntarily laid down His life
to take in His own body the punishment for our sins
and for the sins of the entire world.
(Ann Spangler)

The purpose of animal sacrifice and offerings in the Old Testament was sanctification, righteousness (right standing with God), and forgiveness . . . According to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood . . . Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness . . . Under the law, the people knew if sin was present, a sacrifice was necessary for redemption.

“The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.
So, God did what the law could not do.
He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.
And in that body, God declared an end to sin’s control over us
by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”
Romans 8:3

The sacrifices of the Old Testament were a temporary covering of sin . . . Sin still ruled in people’s hearts . . . Jesus, the Lamb of God, was our “forever” sacrifice that fulfilled God’s need for a blood offering . . . He was the perfect sacrifice of love that brought the possibility of everlasting change to the world.

The fact that Jesus is the Lamb of God, that He gave Himself up for us in one ultimate sacrifice, means everything to believers
. . . Prior to the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, our right standing with God depended on the completion of a sacrifice ourselves . . . Now through Jesus, we have direct access to the Father . . . The moment we recognize our sin, we have access to and can communicate with God . . . It is only because of the Lamb of God that we can draw near to God, which is the beginning of our faith and the way out of the cycle of sin.

INSIGHT . . .

The Lenten journey is one of prayer, sacrifice, and charity . . . Throughout the season, we are asked to intentionally break away from our normal routine of daily life, to strip away life’s pettiness, and to focus on our spiritual journey . . . In other words, Lent is a pilgrimage–a spiritual pilgrimage to the Cross.

So, let me retell a story about the importance of keeping your eyes on Jesus . . .

There once was a fisherman who left everything to follow Jesus . . . He ate with Him, traveled with Him, worked with Him, and witnessed His powerful teaching and the miracles He performed . . . He saw the Lord transfigured as He stood on the mountain with Elijah and Moses . . . He is the “rock” on which the church was built.

He’s also the same guy who denied knowing Jesus, not once, but three times, and of whom Jesus referred to as a “stumbling block” . . . He’s the man who, along with his fellow disciples, fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Lord asked them
to pray . . . And he’s the one who took his eyes off Jesus and started sinking in the lake.

How often are we like Peter?

How often are we close and intimate with Jesus some days,
then take our eyes off Him on others?

Unfortunately, we do both most days . . . We dig into scripture, pray, praise, serve . . . We have our eyes on Jesus . . . Then we lose sight of what we should be focusing on, and our sights shift to others and other things . . . Worrying, overthinking, stressing . . . Getting so wrapped up in ourselves that we don’t make time for others . . . Spinning into frenzies, chaos, and turmoil . . . and forgetting to turn our anxieties over to God.

Making time for God?—How does one fit that into an already packed schedule? . . . We are overscheduled and overworked for a variety of reasons . . . there is always more, more, more . . . We panic . . . We get stressed out . . . And then we sink, because we take our eyes off Jesus . . . we forget to turn to Him for guidance.

Faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God.
Believing, then, is directing the hearts' attention to Jesus.
It is lifting the mind to 'behold the Lamb of God,'
and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives.
(Aiden Wilson Tozer)

So, I ask . . .
Have you seen Jesus my Lord? . . . He's here in plain view . . . Take a look, open your eyes, He'll show it to you.

♪♬♪ . . . Have You Seen Jesus My Lord?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifDdXCn_D1w&list=RDifDdXCn_D1w&start_radio=1

Watch The Lamb . . . focus on Jesus in your life . . . devote more time to God every day through prayer, stillness, and meditation on His Word . . . and wake up each morning and thank God for the day He has made . . . If we look to Him, take His hand, and follow Him with trust, calm, and assurance we won’t sink . . . Stay focused . . . Keep your eyes on Jesus . . . Watch the Lamb
of God . . . Isn’t that what each of us should do?

INVITATION—TO TALK WITH GOD . . .

Watching for Jesus, The Lamb of God, during Lent involves intentionally shifting focus from daily distractions to centering on Christ's journey toward the cross . . . it means cultivating a deeper, closer relationship with Him through prayer, fasting, compassion, and studying His life.

There are still lessons to be learned, experienced, and remembered
as we watch Jesus walk that final journey toward the cross.

Lent is a time of prayer . . . it is essentially prayer spread over 40 days . . . As we pray, we travel on a journey that hopefully brings us closer to Christ and builds our relationship with God.

Ask God to help you travel this journey,
especially when it gets hard to stay focused on Jesus.

Lent is a time to work on personal discipline in general . . . a time to give something up or take something on that will help you get closer to God.

Ask God to help you work on your personal discipline,
and to point out your weaknesses and strengths.

Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders,
or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God.
(Martin Luther)

Lent is about dying to yourself, letting go of the need to always be in control . . . it’s about finding aspects of yourself that are less than Christ-like and letting them die.

Step out of the busy-ness and stress of day-to-day life
to spend time with God in a setting that welcomes you into prayer.

Be patient with yourself . . . let me repeat this—BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF!! . . . When we begin to expose our own weakness during Lent, the temptation is to get angry and frustrated . . . “I can’t do this—I’m just no good” . . . that is not the lesson to learn during Lent (or anytime with God) . . . God is calling us to be patient and to see ourselves as He does, with unconditional love . . . Remember, we spend our entire lives growing closer to God, so don’t try to cram it all into one Lent.

Ask God to help your grow through your weakness and emotions,
and to help you accept His unconditional love for you.

Remember, everything Christ has sacrificed for you and me is about love . . . Learn to love like Christ . . . Lent offers the opportunity to become closer to loving like Christ, who suffered and poured Himself out unconditionally on cross for all of us . . . It is a journey through the wilderness to the foot of the cross on Good Friday . . . as we seek Him out, ask His help, join in His suffering, and learn to love like Him.

ILLUMINATION . . .

Imagine yourself standing at the foot of the cross, looking onto the eyes of Jesus . . . Now imagine standing at the foot of the cross in the picture . . . Christ’s cross is the cross that creates the bridge for us so that we can easily navigate forward, leaving sin and darkness behind, moving ahead into God’s hope-filled embrace.

The cross—Christ’s cross—unifies us all, because Jesus paid for the sins of every one of us . . . The opportunity for forgiveness is there for anyone who believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior . . . Christ’s cross held Christ’s sacrifice and represents Christ’s love so that we may all have Christ’s forgiveness . . . This is the cross that leads us out of the darkness and into the Light.

Where are you placing your hope? . . . Is it in the cross of Jesus and what it represents?
Have you thought of Christ’s cross in this way?
Do you see the hope it represents for you? . . . for others?

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13

Fear never builds a future . . . fear tells you that you will not be able to cope, that you are not good enough, or strong enough . . . but faith tells you that your Father in Heaven knows better . . . that points to hope for better times ahead . . . and that is what the cross represents in our hearts and souls—hope!

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31

Prayerfully ask God . . . to help you find your wings to soar, to find the strength to run, and show you how to walk in the Light of Christ.

During the Lenten journey ask yourself, “Am I following Christ or the world?”

Can you honestly say, “I will choose Christ . . . I will choose love . . . I choose to serve . . .
I give my heart . . . I give my life . . . I give my all to You”?

INSPIRATION—PRAYING THROUGH MUSIC . . .

Music is an effective way to worship our Heavenly Father
and his Son, Jesus Christ.
(D. H. Oaks)

I encourage you to take time to listen to any or all the songs below . . . there is no right or wrong style of music—it is what speaks to you . . . listen to the melody and the lyrics and feel the response of your heart to what God wants you to hear . . . and I do understand that music doesn’t speak to everyone . . . and that is okay too.

♪♬♪ Current . . . I Will Choose Christ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Mg3QLPbgMY&list=RD0Mg3QLPbgMY&start_radio=1

♪♬♪ Traditional . . . Lamb of God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmVrP-G3rAw&list=RDkmVrP-G3rAw&start_radio=1

INTO EACH DAY AHEAD . . .

Change does not come through inspiration nor information, though both are important.
Change comes through engagement in relationships.
(Dallas Willard)

During Lent and into the future, strive to find that thirst-quenching relationship with God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit . . . This living relationship will provide support, love, and care that each of us needs in our life.

Now that you have been emancipated from the death grip of sin,
you have a different sort of life, a growing holiness.
The outcome of that life is eternal life (Romans 6:22).
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then,
and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of sin (Galatians 5:1).
Live as those who are free . . . live as God’s servants (1 Peter 2:16).

Christ was sacrificed for us and every day we should continue to walk with a sincere desire for holiness and freedom from the yoke of sin . . . Focus on Christ and watch for the Lamb of God this season . . . He is walking right beside you.

Heavenly Father, open our eyes to see Jesus Christ more fully.
Help us better understand His work in our lives as both the sacrificial Lamb
and as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Thank You for Your guiding presence.
Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!(John 1:29)—Amen.

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Prayer Paths (written by Dr. Debbie Parcel)
is a weekly email letter designed to “fuel”
your active prayer life, help you stay engaged in
focused prayer, and encourage a
growing relationship with our Triune God.

To receive Prayer Paths by email each week—send a request,
with your name and email,
to BarnabasRoad2025@gmail.com

(Prayer Paths is offered through Barnabas Road Ministries)