Dear Reader,

Thank you for considering using this little book of devotions. I hope it will prove he! pful for Lent or indeed for any other period of the year. It is arranged quite simply, providing scripture and a reflection for each day. Sometimes in order to fit a meditations into one page I have taken the liberty of omitting verses from the Bible passage and for your better understanding I suggest you look up the bible reading referred to.

In 1954 the then Archbishops of Canterbury and York issued a short guide to church membership and I have used their suggestions as the skeleton on which most of this booklet is constructed. The final week of devotions are based on the final week in the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Christian faith has a basic and simple message: God loves you; God so loves you that he gave his one and only Son, Jesus, to die for you. God’s initiative looks for a response offaith, a turning from sin and a trusting in him. This booklet seeks to help those who are taking the Christian path to work out their faith in their own heart and in fellowship and relationship with others within the Church of God.

As Jesus anticipated his death he brought his friends to a garden and issued an invitation and a warning that are valid to us who seek to follow him today, ‘Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation’.

I trust that in some way these pages will help you to watch, to pray and to resist temptation, to the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Brian Courtney

To order this publication please send a cheque, or postal order, for the required amount, made payable to The Church of Ireland Evangelical Fellowship to our Publications Officer: Mr Denis Fullerton,
31 Beechdene Gardens,
Lisburn, Co Antrim,
BT28 3JH.

If you have any questions regarding this publication, Denis can be contacted by email at: publications.officer@cief.net