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Family Devotions

Why Lent?

I get questions from my non-Lutheran or non-Catholic friends about why we give something up for Lent. 

First off, it's a tradition, not a commandment.  I know, sometimes we act like we've got the two confused.  You'll never find the word Lent in the Bible, nor does our salvation depend on this or anything else we do or don't do.  But you will find over and over a call to repentance, self examination and cleansing.  Yes, we can do this at any time by ourselves.  But just like date night with a spouse, paying bills or checking the smoke detectors, without a set aside date, this important time gets put off eternally.

Our goal is not to clean ourselves up for God, but to allow God to show us where our spiritual blind spots are.  What character flaws, quirks and even sins are keeping us from fully glorifying God?  Sacrifice has a wonderful way of putting everything about us under a microscope.  It's not a pretty process as we spend time truly looking at what our sins have cost us.

For me, Lent goes something like this:  I give up all sweets, especially chocolate.  When I've got all my energy and attention wrapped around the imported French truffles I can't have, I suddenly realize how fragile and dependent I am.  Then some distressing family news comes along and suddenly I need comfort.  I feel angry that I can't have a caramel latte to soothe my nerves.  How long have I been depending on sugar rather than God?  In the midst of all this struggle, I become snarky with the electrician when he presents us with an unexpected repair bill.  Now to my list of shortcomings I can add rude and entitled.  And why is it so hard for me to ask God for help?  Hmm.  Add prideful to that list.  This spiritual house cleaning we call Lent is getting ugly.  This process happens every year. 

Then only two things can happen: either I will fail miserably and realize how devastating my sins are or I will succeed and realize that yes, all our good deeds are like filthy rags.  I can't win.  I find myself suffocating at the crossroads of both these realities and I can't hold myself up anymore.   I am at the end of my defiance, pride, willpower and determination.  All I have is myself, and I'm not much. 

Then the miracle of Lent kick starts.  At the end of me is the beginning of Jesus, the only one who can bring a healing balm to my sins and meaning to my sacrifices.  At the end of my failure is Jesus' resurrection.  I need to experience this truth every year.  When the resurrection finally arrives, I can fully embrace the joy of the empty tomb having stared in the face of every chain Jesus broke for me that first Easter morning. 

~ Denyse

Serving Him

What You Seek, You Find

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” ^{Matthew 5:6 NIV}

“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find…”  ^{Matthew 7:7 NIV}

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is filled with some amazing promises. This one has to be one of the best:  If you are hungry and thirsty for the righteousness that God provides, you will be filled.

If you want righteousness, you can have it. Let me go out on a limb and make a bold statement. Whatever righteous thing you desire in the spiritual realm, you can have if you want it badly enough. I don’t think we appreciate the importance of that truth.

Most of us are about as close to God now as we want to be. We have about as much joy as we want, about as much peace as we want.

Abraham Lincoln said that “most people are about as happy as they want to be.” Totally true. We are the way we are because that’s the way we want to be. Either we’re happy that way or we’ve accepted that this is who we are and we’re not going to change. For the most part, you are where you are right now because that’s where you want to be. If you were hungry for something better from God, you could have it.

If you want it, you can have a close walk with God.

If you want it, you can have a better marriage.

If you want to, you can do God’s will.

If you want to, you can witness for Christ.

If you want to, you can learn to pray.

If you want to, you can grow spiritually.

If you want to, you can walk in the Spirit.

If you want to, you can become a man of God or a woman of God.

If you want to, you can change deeply ingrained habits.

If you want to, you can break destructive patterns of behavior.

What we seek, we find. This is true in every area and realm of life.

And what we seek, for good or for ill, we eventually find. 

And the reverse is also true:  unless we seek, we will not find.   ~pb

Portions from www.KeepBelieving.com