Congratulations on Your New Season

You're tuned into Made for Mondays with Justin Lester. Justin Lester is an average guy who refuses to let Mondays control him. Justin is a husband, dad, pastor, student, and Jesus follower. He's done a lot, he's learned a lot, and he wants to see you at your best. Let's win Mondays. Hey, Justin. What's up today?

Well, hey, everyone. Welcome to Made for Mondays. I'm so glad you're tuned in today. And so let's jump into our time together. You know, as a pastor, there's one time a year where I get so excited, and that's the super bowl time. Well, that's Palm Sunday, Easter. We also call it Holy Week. And it's a time where we celebrate the final parts getting closer to Resurrection Sunday as we get ready for the coming of Jesus. And Resurrection Sunday not only represents the resurrection of Jesus, but our anticipation that Jesus is coming back again. It's the best time of the year for us in ministry, for all the services and the eating and the ending of fast and all the different things that happen, the events that come on, all the amazing things that goes on as we get into the Easter Resurrection Day. And as I began to think about this, you know, one of the major times a year where people are willing to give their lives over to Christ is Palm Sunday. And here's where I'm going with this. Today, Palm Sunday begins the opportunity for us to reflect upon Jesus entering into our lives as Christians. That Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies, everything that Jesus said was true, came true, and he was entering in. And I'm considering this. A couple of weeks ago, my wife felt led to send a note to a member of our church. And the note said something, and we had a congratulatory note, and she said, what do you think we should put on there? I said, congratulations on your new season. Congratulations on a new time frame. The thing about all these seasons is you're entering into it. You have all the skill sets, you have the ability, you have all that you need to be successful where you're going. And congratulations on every promise coming true, everything you worked for, coming to pass, everything that you've been striving for, happening. So to all of you going into this week, as we think about the entrance of Jesus on Palm Sunday, congratulations on your new season. Congratulations on making it to another week. Congratulations on every meeting you're entering into that you have the wisdom to handle it. Congratulations on every person you have to engage with, every email you have to send. Congratulations on everything you do this week. Because there's nothing coming, your direction, that you haven't already been equipped to handle. So I want you to consider one thing, and I want you to consider these thoughts as you go into this week. As you consider the subtleties of your own life, that you are not living in desolation. That during these times I want to remind yourself that your life continues. Congratulations, you're living. I don't want you to forget that you have wisdom that transcends wisdom. You have purpose that outlasts purpose. You have a process that cushions your processes. So in the world that we live in, we constantly are attacked with delusion. We're attacked with despair. And as we are attacked with delusion and despair, what comes out of us is a lack of hope. That lack of hope invades our thoughts. We're full of war, worry and full of fear. We're full of guilt and shame. And so you have a little bit of energy left. And that's the great deception. That's what's deceiving you. I want you to grab this truth. You have everything you need to conquer, everything that you'll encounter. Do not be deceived by the little things around you. But I want you to remember, if you can be so consumed with those little things, let's think about the little graces that have maintained your dignity. Let's think about the little graces that remind you of mercy. Let's think about this truth that birds are still singing and the stars are still shining. Battlefields that you think you have to be on, you don't have to go to gas is still in your car, your child is still singing, your spouse is still loving you. There's no need to fear evil when you can take that same energy and embrace hope. There is, in every single moment of your life, exactly what you need to sustain that moment. Do not shrink because you're forgetting the knowledge that you have. And over and over, I want you to remember that the real target of anything that's against you is not destroying your body. It's not reducing your world around you. It's to get you distracted. It's to corrupt your mind, to denigrate your soul, to contaminate your thinking so that you don't see clearly. And when that happens, there's nothing left. When you are that distracted, it takes away from the truth. So I want you to get drunk on hope. I don't want you to be overcome by evil. I want you to drink into yourself, the beauty that's within reach. I want you to clothe yourself with life that's in kindness. I want you to be alive with a sensitivity to the movement of God's quietness all around you. I want you to become one who trusts the truth that you are walking into the absolute best week of your life. The world would love to deceive you on the truth. I want you to own what God has for you. So here's the three things I'll challenge you today. Be present with yourself. Be present with you. Check in with you every single day as you go into this week. Number two, be present with the people around you. Who are the two people that need you this week? Who are the two people that need your presence and need your thought processes, that need you to show up for them? And lastly, be present with the divine. As you all know, I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian pastor. So for me, when I speak of the divine, that's the movement of God. I know we have those of you on here who are spiritual. So for you, what is that divine movement? Is that nature? Find your ground this week. Congratulations on your new season as Jesus enters in on Palm Sunday and gives us this great awakening to his presence. May this week be a week where you walk into your own life. Congratulations. You're alive.

This has been made for Mondays with Justin Lester. Be sure to follow Justin online at MrJlester and online at www.jluster.com. see you next week. Go win. You were made for this.