The Season of Lent
As I talked the other day with my sister Liz, we began to discuss the real meaning of lent, rather than mans perception of it. In Mark 7:7-8 it says, "They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions." Most Christians decide to take on a task of giving up something they value in their lives, as a way to replicate Jesus's journey in the wilderness for 40 days. Some may give up eating their favorite food, drinking sodas, or a restraint from some form of technology. Although these are great examples of ways to spend lent, how does this help you grow as a Christian? How is this affecting your relationship with God? For example, when someone gives up Chick Fil A for lent, how does this change their lifestyle besides creating a healthier diet? Obviously it is good to show God you want to make a sacrifice BUT without spending more time reading the bible or devotions and praying, nothing is truly helping the growth of your relationship. Lent is NOT about successfully giving up something for 40 days, rather it is about a desire to grow closer to God. There is an analogy in a lent book from my church which says: “Imagine that a close friend gives you a gift for your birthday. You are touched by their kindness and you thank them. Now imagine they respond to your gratitude with 'I only bought a present because I felt obligated; I mean isn’t that what close friends are supposed to do?’ The meaning of the gift has now changed completely because you found out that the motivation for giving the gift was obligation rather than love” This so closely relates to lent. It is always good to “give a present” or participate in lent, but when the purpose is not to let God walk with you and strengthen your relationship, it becomes a way to display your Christian background instead of doing it with a purpose to become an even stronger Christian.
The real aim of lent is to prepare men for the death and Resurrection of Christ... the better the preparation the more effective the celebration will be. For 40 days we can choose to spend our time giving up things in our life that distract us from spending time in God's word, rather than feeling success for giving up something for Lent. During this time there are many things you can learn by spending more time with God. A few I think are so cool and impactful are things like making 40 phone calls to friends you may not talk to as much, or 40 acts of kindness, or maybe even 40 days of scripture! :) Even though Lent has already passed, we can reflect on our experiences these last 40 days and see how our choices of things to give up impacted our life. Did what I decided to give up strengthen my relationship with God? Did it make my actions more Christ-like? Did it really help me prepare for the celebration of Jesus?
As Easter approaches tomorrow, we take time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus! What an amazing and powerful day! Easter may be one of my favorite holidays, not only because we get to celebrate Gods Resurrection from the dead, three days after his crucifixion, but also because his Resurrection symbolizes the eternal life granted to everyone who believes in him.
One verse I love for Easter is Matthew 28:6A, "He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where he lay."
I LOVE this verse, and especially the line that says "just as he said." This part in the verse really stuck out to me because it reminds me that Jesus never makes a promise that he doesn't keep, which is such a powerful reminder. Friends tomorrow is such a special time, and I pray that you may find peace and comfort and discover God's incredible love which he lays out for each and every one of us.
Daily Dose Of Jesus!
XO,
Frances
P.S shout out to the sweetest, most loving, fun sister I could ask for. LIZ! You are truly the best, and thank you for supporting me and helping me in everything. Much love to ya sister! You are a true gift from God!💛✨🌼 @lizvandevelde
