From the Edges – Lent Begins – What are you sacrificing?

Ash Wednesday –

Scripture focus –  Hosea 12:6&7 “So the Lord God Almighty shall be his memorial. You shall return to your God; Therefore, observe mercy and judgement, and draw near to your God continually.”

Lent can simply be described as a season – “to return God”. I know there are those who will say I have never left God. But seriously what about your relationship with God and then how is that lived out to others.

Lent should be described as a time to cut away the things that have replaced the spiritual disciplines of prayer, worship, reading and studying the scripture, meditation, exhortation, and any other practice that draws you closer to God.

When we speak of giving up something for lent, there is a second part. The second part is the giving up, the circumcision, the cutting away of something that has become more important that spending time, trusting, or believing in what God can and is doing. What ever you give up should indeed be sacrificial. When you give up whatever it might be there needs to be a reminder to replace it with something. That you should replace it with is more of God, or more of God attributes.

For example – If you give up television – replace it with more time with God, being quiet with the Lord, studying the word, prayer, meditation. Maybe you are going to give up fancy expensive coffee drinks replace it with drinking water, just plain water, maybe then that money that you have spent on the coffee drink could be given to a ministry, a food pantry, showing kindness to one without.

Lent is a time to engage in something new for God that will make you better and draw you closer to the heart of God. There are those places in service to the Lord that need you to say Yes. God is calling you to something new that you have been avoiding, maybe it is time for surrender. (Read Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Lent should not be a time where we are waiting for someone else to do it for us. Lent might be a time for you to fast from procrastination, negativity, jealousy, and whatever mentally the dangers of your own thoughts that is keeping you from the relationship with Jesus that you deserve and Jesus desires.

The scripture I cited this morning I think is simply this – An invitation to return to God, to move closer to God, to observe mercy and receiving the mercy of God in your own life. Important to remember Lent should be everyday, giving up something that harms you and distances you from God and replacing that with more of God.

A prayer for today –

Lord as I stand at the threshold of this Lenten journey. May my simple pray be to be drawn closer to you. To be expectant of what you will and can do. May I surrender to you all strife and replace it with more of your loving kindness. I need you more, than anything else. In Jesus name I pray – Amen