What about this time of reflection during Lent?

Lent is the period of penitence and fasting before Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday. Lent lasts for forty days, not counting Sundays.

Many Christians observe Lent by giving up some daily food or activity to help them remember Christ’s suffering. If this is part of your observance – you need to make sure that you do it for the right reason. If you give up rich foods such as candy, etc or some activity and not replace it with meaningful time or activity that helps you in your spiritual journey then I feel you need to look at the reason you are giving something up for Lent.

We don’t know a lot about the forty days Jesus spent in the desert before His temptation. We know it was a time of fasting and probably of prayer. When the devil came to Him, the conquering words of Scripture were quick on Jesus’ tongue, so it may have been a time of meditation, a time of special communion with his Father.

Look at the comparison between Jesus’ forty days in the desert and the forty days of Lent. Traditionally, the Lenten season is a time of fasting. People “give up” something for Lent. The idea is not to punish ourselves, but to put aside something that may distract us from our communion with God. It is a time for special devotion to God, a time when He may “abide with us” in a special way. Lent is a time to refocus on our relationship with Christ.

When Jesus was tempted He was probably in the Judean desert—a cruel, hot, barren place with craggy canyons. In biblical times, wild jackals and other beasts may have roamed the area. Day in and day out, it must have been very uncomfortable. Yet Jesus had a greater purpose; comfort was not important. He was preparing for a crucial showdown with the devil that would set the tone for his whole ministry. The Bible says that we can count on Jesus because He “has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). His strength to overcome temptation is available to us as we face temptations. He has been there before us and has won the battle. That assurance can help us not to “faint nor fail.”

During this Lenten season, pray about ways that you can come closer to Christ in your Spiritual Journey.

Matthew 4:17; “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

Matthew 4:4; “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

PJ