Lent begins tomorrow (known as Ash Wednesday) and ends
on Good Friday, the Friday before Easter. Since I
became a Christian, I've taken the period of Lent as
an opportunity to give something up. A couple years
ago it was sweets, sometimes caffeine. why do I do
this? That's a good question. So I did a little
research to find out where this tradition came from.

Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It
is a season for reflection and taking stock. Lent
originated in the very earliest days of the Church as
a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful
rededicated themselves and when converts were
instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By
observing the forty days of Lent, the individual
Christian imitates Jesus' withdrawal into the
wilderness for forty days.
http://www.kencollins.com/holy-04.htm

Lent owes much of its spirit to the forty days Jesus
spent in the desert preparing for his ministry. We say
he was tempted there, but a more accurate translation
may be "tested." The Jewish view of the desert was an
abode of demons, especially that part of the desert
where winds would howl around tall, rough stone. It
must have been terrifying at night: dark, looming
shapes, unearthly wailing of wind, and nothing else.
In this place, Jesus was offered the opportunity to be
the wrong kind of messiah. He rejected each
possibility. http://www.rushman.org/lent1.html

<i>Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come
after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross
daily and follow me." Luke 9:23</i>
I think as believers, we need to recognize that
self-denial is what Jesus called us to do every day.
At the same time, we can use this season to make a
declaration to God, saying, "God, I'm doing this for
You. My 'self' wants to have this item (whatever you
give up), but I give it up for You." This year, I'm
giving up coffee (both regular and decaf), and
television of any type, including movies at home or at
the theater. I think we can learn so much about
ourselves, and how different things (even TV or food!)
can have a stronghold in our lives. And we even learn
more about the nature of Christ, and His sacrifice,
not only during His 40 days in the desert, but on the
cross.

Does anyone want to join me in making a sacrifice for
Jesus? We can hold each other accountable here.

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

www.brennakate.com
www.livejournal.com/~brennakate

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more
http://taxes.yahoo.com/