Does giving up only work with Lenten sacrifices?

 I’m giving up, but not in the sense one might think. Lent starts this week, and I’ve decided to drop a few things from my life. This initiative may last through Lent (Ash Wednesday through Easter weekend), or it may become a longer term change. But for now, it’s a 40-day thing.

 

I’m not mentioning this for any accolades. What I need is accountability.

  Of course, giving up is almost never a good plan. But in this case, giving up something actually takes more determination and wherewithal than not doing so.

 Here’s the ticket:

 Never give up, Christian. Unless, of course, you’re giving up something for Lent.

 (That admonition would actually apply to any personal fast or sacrifice made in the same spirit.)

 The Bible contains plenty of exhortations for believers never to give up. Here are a few examples.

 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. (Luke 18:1, NLT)

 “I have told you this, so that you will not give up your faith.   (John 16:1, GNT) 

One night Paul had a vision in which the Lord said to him, “Do not be afraid, but keep on speaking and do not give up.  (Acts 18:9, GNT)

 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 13:7, NLT)

 Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. (2 Corinthians 4:1, NLT)

 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. (2 Corinthians 4:16, NLT)

 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9, NIV)

 Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people. (Ephesians 6:18, GNT)

 Additional verses abound, urging believers to remain steadfast and strong and to never give up.

 

That’s great advice. And it’s not the kind of giving up we’re talking about, when we say we’re giving up something for Lent.

 Having said all that, what’s the Lenten sacrifice?

 Christian tradition (for many) includes some sort of self-deprivation during from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday. It’s a form of fasting, inspired by Jesus’ 40 days and nights in the wilderness (See Matthew 4:1-11.). Some give up chocolate. Others forgo meat. Still others abstain from alcohol. Plenty of brave souls commit to go without any sweets.

 Additionally, people might opt out of social networking, television, or other entertainments as a form of fasting during Lent.

 Here’s a caveat: It’s not really a sacrifice to give up something we won’t even miss. For example, I’m not a smoker, so giving up cigarettes wouldn’t mean anything. I already don’t eat chocolate, so that won’t work either. And I don’t play video games, so promising to go without them would be pointless.

 

A genuine sacrifice means skipping something I’ll actually miss.

 The goal is to redirect my focus onto the Lord and His sacrifice on my behalf (and yours), which culminated at the cross and became victory over sin and death at His resurrection.

 So here it is.

 This year, I’m doing without candy. Honestly, this isn’t a huge deal. Only a few candies actually tempt me. But we’ve just come through the Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s to Valentine’s Day sweet-tooth indulgence series. It’s time. I’d like to build a candy-free habit into my life, and the Lenten season offers a prime opportunity to do that. During this time, I hope to direct my attention upwards, especially during those late-night moments when I might crave something sweet.

 I want to crave the sweet presence of the Savior instead. (I’m not trying to be playful about this. It’s just that I need the extra reminder, all the time.)

 

Are you giving up anything for Lent?

 If you are, I pray that God bless you in your sacrifice by making His Presence clear to you, helping you to keep your focus on Him, and meeting you in a special way this Lenten season.

 

Easter is coming. Hallelujah.

 

Related items:

·        I gave up chocolate, but not for Lent.

·        On Good Friday: Are my eyes and heart dry?

·        Thanks = sacrifice to the Lord – 30 days of thankful Scriptures

  

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Image/s: Product photos, public domain

I gave up chocolate, but not for Lent.

Sometimes a forfeit is not a fast.

Christians worldwide go without things they desire from Ash Wednesday to Easter, remembering Jesus Christ’s own 40-day fast in the wilderness. The faithful aim to dedicate increased attention to seeking God during this period each year. People forgo alcohol, candy, or desserts. Others skip television or swear off social networking. Some quit smoking. Plenty of people don’t eat meat on Fridays during this season of Lent.

I’m not slamming any of this. I salute the devotion behind it.

This year, I’m giving up chocolate, but not for Lent. As much as I love the taste of a crunchy chocolate bar, a sweet mocha shake, or a chocolate chip ice cream cone, I’m done with all things cocoa. I’ve had to face up to a difficult truth: Chocolate triggers my migraines. It’s just not worth it.

That’s a handy metaphor for sin. It seems fun for a moment, but the aftermath can be painful. The Bible calls it “the fleeting pleasures of sin” (see Hebrews 11:25, ESV). Chocolate is delicious, but I surely pay the price afterwards.

Oh, Henry!

So chocolate is out – for now (in the Lenten season) and from now on. Well, when I wake up in Heaven with a brand-new resurrection body, I won’t have to worry about migraines. I’ll eagerly dig into some gooey chocolate treat at the Lamb’s marriage supper (see Revelation 19:6-9).

But my personal chocolate ban is not a Lenten sacrifice. I’m claiming no credit for it.

Don’t we kind of try that sort of thing sometimes? We stumble onto some seemingly good deed and allow others to salute us for it. But we didn’t actually do anything righteous at all? It’s not as if we deserve any reward for something we didn’t do on purpose.

“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:10, NIV)

My chocolate aversion is not a fast.

It’s not a sacrifice, even if I miss it sorely. I’m skipping this savored sweet because it makes me hurt. That doesn’t make it a gift to God or an avenue to deeper devotion.

In fact, some of my most earnest prayers have occurred when I have been in head-banging agony. How many believers would agree that suffering brings us to our knees more than comfort? (I’m not begging for more headaches here, just recalling when God has met me tenderly and faithfully in my most horrific moments.)

Here’s a confession.

This year, I haven’t really given up anything tangible for Lent. In fact, I made a conscious and intentional decision not to do so this time around. Instead, I want to ask for more:  More devotion, more boldness, more faithfulness, and more deep desire to seek His heart.

Mostly I want more of God.

Chocolate has nothing to do with it.

Someday in eternity, I’d love to be able to echo David’s words:

“The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.” (Psalm 18:20, NASB).

And my hands won’t be clean because they are free of melted chocolate. They’ll only be clean because He washed them for me.

Image:

Adapted from public domain image/s

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On Good Friday: Are my eyes and heart dry?

Reflecting upon the Lenten season and particularly upon the sacrificial death of our dear Lord, I am struck by my own ability to slip into a strange and dangerous sort of devotional dormancy at times. Late winter can be just such a season.

But how can this be, in light of the remarkable grace and love of the King of Kings? How is it possible for a living human soul to forget even for a moment the majesty of God and the miraculous mercy that drove Him to the worst kind of death in our place?

19th Century artwork - public domain

 

Good Friday is good.

We shudder at the brutality and suffering our Savior endured on our behalf. We understand that He did it to rescue us from sin and from evil and from death and from ourselves. We know this dark day in history paves the way to eternal glory. So we call the day “good.”

Do we also realize that Good Friday is also good because this highest of holy occasions reminds us of the unimaginable cost of Calvary?

The Lord of the universe gave His very self for us. That cost Him everything.

Pause, and let that sink in for a moment. Can we carry that truth in our hearts?

Often, exquisite God-gifted art can point us back to the truth. Here’s an example.

This Good Friday poem stabs me right in the heart.

British Victorian writer Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) is one of my all-time favorite poets. I simply love her poetry. My Rossetti favorites include:

• “A Better Resurrection,”
• “A Daughter of Eve,”
• “Consider the Lilies of the Field,”
• “Fata Morgana,”
• “Good Friday,”
• “In the Bleak Midwinter,”
• “My Dream,”
• “Remember,”
• “She Sat and Sang,” and
• “Uphill.”

 

Christina Rossetti - public domain artwork

Rossetti’s poems display a depth of devotion and thought that strikes me to the soul. Perhaps her insights came in part from enduring three failed engagements (over matters of faith) and remaining single lifelong, devoted only to God.

Good Friday

By Christina Rossetti

Am I a stone and not a sheep

That I can stand, O Christ, beneath Thy Cross,

To number drop by drop Thy Blood's slow loss,

And yet not weep?

Not so those women loved

Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee;

Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly;

Not so the thief was moved;

Not so the Sun and Moon

Which hid their faces in a starless sky,

A horror of great darkness at broad noon—

I, only I.

Yet give not o'er,

But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock;

Greater than Moses, turn and look once more

And smite a rock.

As much as I love them, these lines make my heart hurt.

I wonder: Am I a stone or a sheep? Do I look to the Lord, or do I stand stoically by?

A biblical witness is not merely a neutral onlooker. We are called to be active participants in the Gospel of Christ. If I truly believe the very Son of God took on human flesh to bleed for me, then I will not merely watch, but I will also weep. I will mourn for my own misgivings. I will bear remorse and repent. Then I will rise and follow where He leads me.

In Numbers 20, the Bible tells how, in the Desert of Zin, the people thirsted, but there was no water to be found. The Lord instructed Moses to speak to a certain rock, and He promised to gush water from the stone.  Moses struck the rock, and the Almighty One brought forth water from it. Although Moses overdid it, hitting the stone instead of following God’s specific instructions, the Lord did a mighty miracle.

God is in the business of changing stony hearts.

Consider this word of the Lord to His people, spoken through the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel: 

Ezekiel 36:25-28 graphic created by this user on poster generator.

 

^“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:25-28, NIV)

Soften my heart, Lord. Carve out callousness, and sweep away senseless scars. Keep my soul ever tender for you. Draw me nearer to the heart of God, and let my eyes and words flow with grace and gratitude for all You have done for me.

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Created by this user with online generator

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