Today
marks the beginning of a season of the year Christians call Lent.
Now...
When most people think of Lent, they think about self-denial.
They think of it being a time to give up things... like certain foods or favorite activities.
... And the default idea many have is... that by giving
up these things, we somehow become more acceptable to God.
In other words... by doing certain things -- or in this case, not doing certain things -- we become more worthy of God's favor.
But this idea -- though common -- gets it totally wrong.
We do NOT get God's favor by doing -- or avoiding -- anything.
We receive it by grace as we trust God's Son... who He has given on our behalf.
So...
What's Lent all about?
Lent is about repentance.
It's about turning from ourselves and turning to Him...
To receive
more of His grace... and become more of what He calls us to be...
And this fits right into God's call to dominion in our lives.
Our fallen nature pushes us to live independently from God.
And as this becomes a way of life for us, sin gets dominion over us.
But in Christ, God gives us
grace to set us free from sin's rule...
So we'd have the ability to rule our lives... and have dominion over the areas He's entrusted to us.
This may involve 'giving up' certain things.
But whether we give up certain things or not, Lent should be a season of joy...
As we turn to Him
and be renewed by His grace...
And then blossom and flourish wherever He's planted us.