How to Keep Works Out of Lent
Don’t let the fear of religious rituals keep you away from experiencing the blessings of Lent! The fear is needed to keep us on toes when it comes to practicing piety. There are great dangers in empty religious rituals.
Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding. (Matthew 6:1, MSG)
But the solution is not to keep away. We are not to throw away the baby with the bath water! The solution is to embrace them with God. The solution is to be a friend of grace!
Lent is not about doing things. Lent is about quitting doing something: trying to save ourselves, trying to be good on our own, trying to be our own God.
Lent is about focusing on God and what he is doing in our lives.
Lent is about quieting down to hearing what God is whispering into our hearts and minds.
Lent is about embracing grace so fully that God is God in our lives and we are not.
But be warned! God is not a philosophical concept to think about. God does not want to be distant, irrelevant or out of touch with you. God wants to be real in your life. God wants to be the number one in your life. If you invite God in your soul you will be changed. If you allow the Holy Spirit work in you you will be changed. If you allow Christ be the master of your life you will be changed.
It’s not YOU doing the changes. Other wise Christ would have died for nothing. By the grace of God you will be changed by the Holy Spirit. God is not a nice addition to your life. God is not a decent hobby once a week. God is not something you can control. God is an amazing, holy, mighty God who wants to be in relationship with you. He has done everything for you to live in his grace. It’s your choice. Everything is ready.
It’s your choice to keep away from God or enter in his presence. Pray, read the Word, meditate and let Christ fire you up. Miraculously you will be changed over the course of your lifetime.
What does this have to do with Lent? Everything. Lent is the time to invite the Holy Fire to do some spring cleaning in us. Lent is the time to pause and reflect on our faith journey. Lent is time to embrace grace and get rid of any empty religiousness in our lives. Because we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the son of God. Not by our works, not by our piety, not by our own doing. Thanks be to God!
Gracious God,
We thank you for your plan of salvation.
We thank you for Jesus!
We thank you for loving us as we are.
We thank you for not leaving us this way.
Cleanse us! Renew us! Ignite our faith!
Change us! Refine us! Inspire our souls!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Q4U: What are some misunderstandings you have/have had about Lent? How do you keep works out of lent?
Blessings to you, my fellow pilgrim, on your faith journey! Don’t be a stranger to grace!
Photo courtesy of Marian Trinidad
4 thoughts on “How to Keep Works Out of Lent”
Until recently, I never knew Lent was about repentance–going all the way back to the Old Testament concept of people repenting in “sackcloth and ashes.” Because I didn’t know what Lent was about, I secretly mocked people who “gave up” something during Lent as if that made a difference or made them holier or made God approve of them more. I’m still trying to figure out if or how to practice Lent for myself. Thanks for your insights!
Thanks so much, Christy, for your comment! Yes, there are lot of misunderstandings about Lent. Some even think that it does not have any roots in the Bible (More of that next week). Life is a learning journey and so is faith. I think it is delightful to find new ways to concentrate in the message of Jesus! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate your transparency and authenticity. Blessings!
out of reverence & love <3 thx & blessings, sis!
Thanks so much, Crystal! Abundant blessings to you!