What is Ash Wednesday?

What is Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent: a time of penitence, fasting, and prayer, in preparation for the great Easter Feast. 

The season of Lent began in the early days of the Church as a time of preparation for those seeking to be baptized at Easter. The forty days refer to our Lord’s time of fasting in the wilderness; and Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten Fast. 

Throughout the Old Testament, ashes are used as a sign of sorrow and repentance, and Christians have traditionally used ashes to indicate sorrow for our own sin, and as a reminder that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Like Adam and Eve, we have disobeyed and rebelled against God, and are under the same judgment, “you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19b). 

But as we are marked with ashes in the same manner that we were signed with the cross in Baptism, we are also reminded of the life we share in Jesus Christ, the second Adam (Romans 5:17, 6:4). It is in this sure hope that we begin the journey of these forty days, that by hearing and answering our Savior’s call to repent, we may enter fully into the joyful celebration of his resurrection. 

How to Regularly Spend More Time in God's Word

There are many great reading plans out there - everything from reading through the Bible in a year to reading five minutes a day. When it comes to reading the Bible, it’s helpful to understand three really important points.

First, Scripture is God’s Word to you. It is how the Creator of the universe and King of Kings speaks to you. It is where He declares His love, grace, and mercy and how He guides and matures you in your faith. What an amazing miraculous gift!

Second, reading Scripture is hard work. You read that right. It’s hard work. It takes time, commitment, mental and spiritual focus. For this reason, many of us make excuses, feel guilt for not doing it, or just don’t do it at all. It’s like receiving a letter from someone that loves you dearly and never taking the time to open it. With that said, there are a few easy habits that will make it so much easier for you to be consistent in God’s Word (more on that below).

Third, more important than the quantity of what you read is the quality and regularity. Better to read 5 minutes, 5 days a week, then 25 minutes 1 day a week.

To recap, it’s God’s Word to you, it’s hard work, and it requires consistency. If you understand those three things first, then the following practical suggestions will help you tremendously in spending more time reading the Bible.

practical suggestions:

1. Place - Find a quiet place to sit where you won’t be interrupted for the next 10 minutes and then shut your phone off (no, really!).

2. Prepare - Take a deep breath, still your heart and mind, ask God to open your heart and enlighten your eyes to understand His Word.

3. Read - Read one chapter of whatever book you are reading and one chapter from the Psalms (If you are just starting out reading the Bible, keep it simple and just read the one chapter). Here is a bookmark guide we hand out at Trinity. Don’t try to get all fancy, keep it simple, less is more. Commit to just 10 minutes a day, five days a week to the bookmark plan (updated every month).

4. Journal - Read with a journal and pen in your hand and jot down any thoughts or questions that come to mind as you are reading. This is a really important step to help you actually process what you are reading.

5. Prayer - End your time by praying one verse from what you read. For example, Psalm 5:8 says, “Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.” Pray something like this: “Lord, lead me you in your righteousness, guide me in your ways. Keep me from following the lies of Satan and the temptations of this world. Keep my heart and mind focused on You as I go about my day. Amen.”

6. Share - Consider sharing with someone else one thing that God taught you or reminded you from you time in His Word.

7. Ask - If you have questions about what you’re reading, reach out to Pastor Matt, he would love to answer your questions!

May the Lord richly bless you through His Word, strengthen you in the faith, and fill you with His love, peace, and joy!

Check out the previous blog post on this topic: Five reasons I don’t read my Bible and Eight really good reasons I should.

Why I don't read my Bible and really good reasons I should

What keeps you from reading God’s Word on a daily basis?

Before reading any further, jot down those reasons on a piece of paper and let’s see how you compare to the five most common reasons people give for not reading their Bible.

Five of the most common reasons people give for not reading the Bible on a regular basis

Kristen Feola shares the following reasons:

Excuse 1: “I don’t have time.” Truth: We’re all given twenty-four hours in each day. You do have time.

Excuse 2: “It’s boring.” Truth: The Bible is anything but boring! It contains stories of miraculous healings, supernatural events, and people being raised from the dead. Pretty exciting stuff, if you ask me!

Excuse 3: “I can’t understand it.” Truth: The Bible can be intimidating at times. It speaks of events that are unexplainable, in language that isn’t always easy to decipher. However, when you approach the study of God’s Word with a true desire to learn, the Lord will give you insight and understanding.

Excuse 4: “It’s not relevant to my life.” Truth: Even though the Bible was written thousands of years ago, it still speaks to our circumstances today. Its truth is unchanging and eternal.

Excuse 5: “I don’t get anything out of it.” Truth: To get something out of the Bible, you have to read it with an open mind and heart. You have to be willing to listen to what God is saying, then learn to apply His truth to the specific situations in your life.

If your relationship with the Lord seems stagnant, it’s probably because you aren’t increasing your knowledge of the Bible. You can’t grow closer to the Lord apart from his Word. Wayne Cordeiro, author of The Divine Mentor, makes this observation: “Neglecting devotions will cause you more problems, more quickly, than just about anything you can name.” He also says, “Spending unrushed time alone with God in His Word releases a fountain of refreshment from the very core of your being.”

I don’t know about you but that list looks pretty close to my list! But now let me ask you this:

What do you think are the benefits of daily reading God’s Word?

Again, take a minute and jot those down.

Here are eight really good reasons to read the Bible regularly:

1. The Bible really is God’s Word to us. - Paul writes that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God …” (2 Timothy 3:16) which means it is breathed out by God, from Him to you and me. If you want to hear God speak, pick up the Bible, read and listen!

2. The Bible shows us who God is - The Bible provides both examples and statements about who God is. In Genesis we see is all powerful Creator of the world, in Exodus we see is a deliverer, in Leviticus we see that He is holy and righteous, in Joshua we see He is powerful and mighty, in the gospels we see His love, judgement, forgiveness, and grace all meet in the person of Jesus, in the epistles we see His practical guidance for our lives, in Revelation we see what we have to look forward to when Christ returns. We need to hear and be reminded daily of who God is and what He has done, is doing, and is going to do on our behalf.

3. The Bible demonstrates to us why Jesus is so important - Colossians 1:15-20 says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

4. The Bible nourishes us in our Christian walk - Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4). We don’t just need physical bread to sustain us, we also need spiritual food to sustain us. Without we become spiritual sick.

5. The Bible makes us discerning and wise - Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” And 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

6. The Bible equips and strengthens us to do battle with our flesh, the world, and Satan - Ephesians 6:17 says, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”

7. The Bible fills us with hope - Romans 15:4 says, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

8. The Bible is full of extraordinary promises to the Church - A person would never know or be reminded of the extraordinary promises God has made without reading His Word. Promises about forgiveness, peace, joy, wisdom, and guidance.

So how can you move from making excuses to receiving the benefits of reading God’s Word? I’m glad you asked! We wrote a special post to answer just that question and it contains easy to follow steps to help you be more consistent and get more out of your time in God’s Word.