By the Way...
that last entry was a joke...
it would not be a sacrifice for me to give those things up...i gave them all up years ago.
the most difficult thing i ever did during lent was give up my daily dose of the simpsons...i had committed to the Lord that i would not watch it and that i would take that time and pray...
i think that is an important part of self denial...doing something constructive. if you skip lunch, great! but if you skip lunch and pray for your co workers, better! if you quit smoking, great! but if you quit smoking and give the $ you would spend on it to missions, better! ifyou give up your daily tv time, great! but if you give up your daily tv time and spend it playing a game with your family, better!
lots of people give stuff up...and that's great! but few of us do what is better.
so, let us.
it would not be a sacrifice for me to give those things up...i gave them all up years ago.
the most difficult thing i ever did during lent was give up my daily dose of the simpsons...i had committed to the Lord that i would not watch it and that i would take that time and pray...
i think that is an important part of self denial...doing something constructive. if you skip lunch, great! but if you skip lunch and pray for your co workers, better! if you quit smoking, great! but if you quit smoking and give the $ you would spend on it to missions, better! ifyou give up your daily tv time, great! but if you give up your daily tv time and spend it playing a game with your family, better!
lots of people give stuff up...and that's great! but few of us do what is better.
so, let us.
posted by PMike. | 06:15
2 Comments:
Please refresh my memory as to why we give something up for Lent. Is it a temporary thing or not? I do grasp the importance of giving up something that is not necessarily glorifying God and fillng it with something that is. A void in your life will inadvertantly draw in the easiest thing, good or bad, if we don't intentionally fill it ourselves. So fill up on God...family, spouse, service, His word...just don't leave it open to the enemy.
this is by no means an expert (or researched) opinion...just an observation:
overall, lent is "extra-biblical". meaning it isn't directly spelled out in the scripture for us to follow. that doesn't mean it is bad, however, and i think the essence of it is scriptural.
lenten fasting (regular fasting, too) has de-evolved into a spiritual sport where we "prove" our devotion to God by what we give up...that has it's merits, but often times it just feeds our pride and sense of accomplishment, as if we deserve God's blessing because of our show of sacrifice.
sacrifice is good, however. it reminds us of what is really important...it (what you give up for a fast) doesn't have to be something that is sinful (or "almost sinful")--it can be something completely wonderful. this would serve 2 purposes:
1. it reminds you that altho this is a good thing, God is the best thing in your life
2. when the fast is over, you can appreciate this good thing again.
i didn't give up the simpsons (or chocolate or mcdonald's or what ever) for lent because it was bad...if i really thought it was, i wouldn't ever watch it (or at least after i watched it i would feel a little guilty)...i did so because it was a part of my regular routine and it would cause me to change up that routine for God's sake.
we all need a little re focus from time to time.
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