Recently I have been hearing a lot about Ash Wednesday and the forty days of Lent. Everything I heard sounded good, but I don’t recall reading about these events in the Scriptures. Out of curiosity I went to several Bible dictionaries to find out more about the forty days of Lent. Lent was not included in my Bible dictionaries.
My conclusion is that celebrating Lent is a tradition, not something taught in the scriptures.
However, any activity that draws us closer to God is certainly worth considering. Reflecting on the life of Jesus, His love for us, His death and resurrection can be life changing. Anticipating the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus can be spiritually uplifting. A season of Lent could have long term benefits.
I hear about people giving something up for the forty days of Lent (favorite foods, special activities, electronics, etc.) Rather than giving up something for the next 40 days, you might choose to focus on scripture. Look for ways to implement a challenging Biblical principle into your everyday living. Don’t let your focus be on giving up something, instead focus on doing something positive.
Among many choices, you may want to consider one of the following three passages of scripture to study carefully and put into practice.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. (Romans 12:1 NLT)
In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:16 NLT)
Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. (1 Peter 2:12 NLT)
Studying and implementing Biblical principles into your life should not end after the forty days of Lent, but focusing on a passage of scripture for forty days may be enough to ingrain this principle into your life for a long time to come.
“But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28 (NLT)
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