Hello! Today is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent – a church tradition celebrated for the 40 days prior to Easter.
This morning, I was listening to Brian Hardin on Daily Audio Bible. He did a brief teaching on the meaning and significance of Lent for us as Christians. In his teaching he explained some things that I did not really understand.
I have always been puzzled by the tradition of putting ashes on the forehead of people observing Lent. As a Protestant, that tradition was never done in the congregations I attended. Evidently, it is meant to signify the sackcloth and ashes frequently mentioned in the Old Testament (for example, in the Book of Job, Job sits in the ashes dressed in rags following the deaths of his children, and the loss of everything except his (nagging) wife). In today’s observance of Lent, people put the ashes on their foreheads in order to show their grief and remorse for their sins which sent Jesus to the cross. Lent is meant to be 40 days of contemplation of the great and unspeakable cost of our sins.
I know for myself, I often diminish the significance and weight and the incredible cost of my sin – seeing it as not such a big deal – and seeing my sin as just “little” sins without much eternal significance. This attitude in me fails to honor and recognize the tremendous and horrible price Jesus paid for my sin (and yours) on the cross. I’ve heard preachers say many times, that even one of those “little” sins would have sent Jesus to the cross — without the cross, a “little” (or big) sin makes me unholy and unable to enter the presence of the LORD – forever lost in darkness without God.
Our relationship with Jesus is deeply intimate and personal – even more loving and intimate than the relationship we have with any other person. The thought that we would treat our sin casually – seeing it as “little”, and not very significant – is a lie that dishonors our LORD and the great cost Jesus paid. He paid the price of His life to offer us restoration and reconciliation with the LORD.
During Lent, the tradition is that we fast from something that is a part of our daily life. Each time we abstain from that thing, we are reminded of the terrible cost of the cross – the darkness of sin, the weight of it in our lives, and of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. When I abstain, the LORD may reveal what “of the world” I am putting first in my life ahead of my relationship with Jesus – He shows where my priorities are and areas where I am out of alignment with Him.
Lent is about preparing our hearts for the right celebration of Easter – helping us see clearly our sin which necessitated the cross – and helping us understand the cost of the cross and the beauty of what Jesus has done out of love for us.
What is God showing you that may need to be removed from your life – for a season, or for longer term? Are you (am I!) willing to allow the LORD to rearrange your life in order to put Him first – fully on the throne of your existence – to make you suitable for a holy relationship with Him.