Somewhere along the way, Lent has become a mere commemoration or tradition in our society. Most of us simply decide what we’re going to “give up” without giving any consideration or paying respect to what Jesus did for us at the cross. I wonder just how many of us even know the gospel significance of Lent. It’s more than merely giving something up. Our lifestyles should perpetually be cross-centered, but most of us, including myself, fail to live 100% cross-centered— truth is, as flawed human, we’d be happy to make it to 10%. Lent opens the door for us to do some spring cleaning in our walk with God. It gives us the opportunity to assess our lives and then realign are priorities to remove those things which hinder our ability to live out the gospel or obstruct our personal relationships with our Savior, Jesus Christ. I personally don’t have anything against “giving something up” for Lent. Truth is I actually admire destroying idols. However, it just crushes my heart when we simply carry out tradition without having understanding. None of have to be theologians to understand that Lent should be all about God. Our focus should be on our brokenness and Christ’s sacrifice and love for us– He substituted Himself in our place and allowed Himself to be killed for our sins. I beseech you to not just think about Lent in terms of what you are giving up, but to meditate on what God gave for you. There’s simply no sacrifice and no love greater than that.
Employ purposed living,
Aziza Bailey
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