There is a long-held practice of giving up something for Lent. I had a friend tell me recently he was giving up Lent for Lent! What’s the deal with that? Jesus tells us we are to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. It’s the denying of ourselves which drives our Lenten sacrifice.
Jesus gave up his life for Lent. We see the final push of his ministry in the Gospels. We see him marching inexorably toward the cross. He knew what was coming and he went anyway. The first Lenten journey ended in death. To stop there is to do the story an injustice. Lent always ends in death. And yet, Easter is always about new life and resurrection!
We make a sacrifice in our life to echo the sacrifice of Jesus. No, our sacrifice is not the equivalent of his. But when we miss what we deny ourselves for Lent, we are reminded of what Jesus gave up for us. A friend is fasting once a week every week of Lent for 24 hours. When he hears his stomach, he says a prayer. When he would normally sit down for a meal, he sits down with his Bible and follows it with a healthy helping of prayer. The point is to make more room in our life for the spiritual side of our life to permeate all of our life.
We live in a world of which we are not a part. The ruler of this domain is not in alignment with God’s Kingdom and as such demands of us an allegiance we cannot entertain. We reject the priorities of this world — greed, selfishness, power, violence, dominance — for the attributes of God’s Kingdom — faith, mercy, justice, hope, peace, and the greatest, Love. This is not an easy stance to maintain and the enemy is constantly hammering at our defenses to break in and defeat us.
The enemy will never get to us if we remain in God, allow God to fight our battles, and submit our life to God’s authority. Just as Jesus prayed in the Garden, “Not my will, but yours, Heavenly Father,” so we pray to be part of the Divine Plan. That’s not to say the enemy won’t come at us. He tried, futilely, to break Jesus. He will certainly try to take us down. You’d think after all this time the Devil would know he will lose, but he has such hatred of the Father, he will still try. We have a solid rock, a strong tower to which we can run. We will not be shaken or moved.
The practice of Lenten sacrifice keeps us focused on Jesus. As we follow in his footsteps, we discover the will of God for our lives. The closer we draw to God, the more we are transformed by love, made over into the image of Jesus. I want God to see Jesus when looking at me! It’s the only way God will be able to say to me, “Well done, my good and faithful son.” It is by the righteousness of Jesus, by the stripes he suffered, the nails he bore, that I have been saved, not by anything I’ve ever done or said. I can never be worthy of his grace which is exactly why it is grace and by grace we are healed.
I believe in adding a spiritual practice during Lent, not just giving up something. This year, I’m looking for God every day and writing down where I saw God in a journal. I have yet to come up emptyhanded on any day. I see God in action, in people, in events. I see God answering prayers, healing relationships, and performing miracles ever day. Try it yourself. When we tune into God’s frequency, we will notice God everywhere.
Jesus didn’t sugar coat what it meant to be his follower. He said they hated him so we are sure to be hated, too. If we had any thoughts of being rich and powerful, they were burst when he said, “Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow me.” He calls us to discipleship, to move toward mastery of love. And he promised to always be with us, even to the end of the age. Come, Lord Jesus.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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