Recognizing the Sacrifice - Lauren Sparks
“I did not intend to give up this much for Lent!” I stole this from a friend’s facebook feed because I think we all relate. What initially felt like a little extra vacay now feels like a never ending groundhog day.
As a born and raised Southern Baptist, I wasn’t really taught to observe Lent. For Easter itself we decorated, hunted eggs, cooked a ham and got new dresses (often homemade). We also told the story of Jesus’ resurrection and invited others into it with us. But the days leading up to Easter were just like any other. As an adult, I have chosen to observe the tradition some years and others, not. I have freedom in how I choose to remember Jesus.
Lent is defined as a solemn religious observance in the Christian liturgical calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends six weeks later with the celebration of Easter Sunday. The purpose is said to be the preparation of the believer for Easter through prayer, doing penance, mortifying the flesh, repentance of sins, alms giving and self-denial. At least that’s what Wikipedia says. Here in the western world we mostly talk about what we are “giving up” for Lent. Believers abstain from something that will be a sacrifice for a number of reasons: to participate in a small way in the sacrifice Jesus made for us, to learn to be more dependent on God, or to simply remind us of Him as we miss what we are missing.
I decided this year to give up sodas for Lent. It may not seem like a huge deal to you, but it is. The love I have for a beautiful, big ice cold Sonic Route 44 Diet Coke with Vanilla is real and it is deep. Whew. My mouth just filled with saliva. I also made the commitment to spend more time in prayer and Bible study every day and do an extra devotional just for the season of Lent. The time has been rich. And I can’t wait to daily sit at His feet.
One of the themes I’ve really been camping on is the depth of Jesus’ love for us leading to the depth of His suffering for us. For me. Isaiah 53:3 says:
He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. NIV
I cannot get the last few words of this familiar verse out of my mind. They hit me fresh and square in the face. “we held him in low esteem”. That not only refers to those alive to hear Isaiah’s words. Jesus wasn’t even born then! “We” is the people who refused to believe that He was God’s Son. “We” is those who imprisoned Him and beat Him. “We” is the official who sentenced Him to die as well as the soldier who actually hammered His flesh to the tree. “We” is all today who don’t believe. “We” is those who profess Him and yet deny His power in their own lives. “We” is me!
Every time time I fail to seek Him I hold Him in low esteem. Every day I’m too busy to spend time with Him I hold Him in low esteem. Every time I fail to share the good news of salvation through Him I hold Him in low esteem. Every little thing I turn to for comfort proves I hold Him in low esteem. I love Him, I need Him and I am so grateful to Him. But to be confronted with how little I actually think of Him is enough to make me weep.
Father God, please show me anything and everything that I hold up as more important than you. Help me put to death the things that hold your rightful place. May I learn more every day how to give you precedence in the heart that you have redeemed from sin and suffering. Forgive me for failing you in this way. I praise you and lift you up above all else. Keep your praise flowing from my lips and fingertips until it is second nature to me. I love you and thank you for sending your Son to die for my sins. Amen.
And now for this week’s featured post.
I was so encouraged to read Your Testimony After These Hard Times by Sarah Geringer because God has been impressing so many of the same things on me. God does not waste our hard things! Oh the stories of His faithfulness we will have to share if we just lean into Him now. Click here to read the post and show Sarah some love for linking up with us.
Now for this week’s link-up! Let’s bless and encourage one another in our walk with the Lord.
Grace & Truth exists to point people to Jesus! We hope this link-up will be a source of encouragement every week. If you’re a blogger, we hope you’ll use this space as a way to meet new friends within the Christian blogging community. If you’re a reader, we hope that you’ll encounter new bloggers that love Jesus as much as you do! Most of all, we hope you’ll meet Jesus here.
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