Thursday, February 23, 2012

lately...

lately i've been thinking a lot about...

... lent and what that looks like. i haven't decided to give up something this year, and i'm clearly running late now, but i've been thinking about it a lot. i don't think giving up chocolate or coffee will make me a better christian. it's not even about that. lent is a time to think about and prepare for easter, to remember what God did when he gave up his son as a sacrifice for our sins, right? so how can i live that out during this time? we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, so how do i do that? anything i could offer would be nothing in comparison to what God has done for me, so where do i even begin? i think it has to be about my heart and how i spend my time. am i living each moment for God's glory? am i giving him praise for each moment that he has blessed me with? am i giving up my time and my money to help others? if someone saw my life from the outside would they even know that i'm a christian, or am i just another nice person pursuing the american dream?

... the glory of god compared to me. my small group has started a study on Crazy Love. have you read it? it's pretty interesting so far. not necessarily new information, but often forgotten information. the first chapter is about God's immense glory and how we approach him. we often forget about how truly holy god is and approach him like he's our buddy. i think there is a place for this natural relationship with god, but really, God IS so holy that it is ONLY through christ's sacrifice that we can approach him. the old testament has multiple stories of people who got too close to God and died. isaiah lived and his response was, "woe is me." solomen said to "let your words be few" when you approach God. instead of approaching God like he's a genie and just listing off what i'd like, i need to remember who i'm approaching, how holy and separate he is from me, how it is only through christ that i can approach him. the beginning of the lord's prayer says it all. it starts off by saying that God is separate from me (in heaven), and his name is holy. then it doesn't say ask god for what you want, but instead, that God's will would be done.

ok, i've been thinking about a lot more than that, but i'm tired and i have to work at 5am!

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