Lent begins on ‘Ash’ Wednesday.  Many Christians, especially Catholics, observe a 40 day period prior to Easter week called Lent.  It is a time of sacrifice for Jesus.  The traditional purpose is the preparation – through prayer, repentance, giving, and self-denial – for the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.

Many who practice Lent believe that their works of sacrifice or righteousness will merit them extra righteousness before God, which is opposite the message of the Bible.  The Bible teaches that salvation is a gift of God’s grace to be received only by faith. We don’t do good works or stop bad habits in order to be saved – We do good works and stop bad habits because we have been saved.

So, should a Baptist observe Lent? I believe that we need to be careful of practicing any activity that is closely related to unBiblical teachings.  So, I traditionally do not observe Lent.  However, I think it is a good idea to consider the spiritual practice of intentionally dedicating a period of time for giving up something as a form of Christian discipleship and discipline.  And I think a good time to do that is in preparation of Easter.

Most of us practice a ‘spirituality of addition.’  In other words, we become a better Christian by giving more, praying more, attending more, studying more and doing more.  This is good, but if we are not careful we can equate doing more and doing good with a ‘works salvation.’

I think it good to include a ‘spirituality of subtraction.’  We sometimes become better Christians by taking away something.  It gives us freedom in our service, integrity to our witness, and identification with the less fortunate.  It will help us to be less burdened in following Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 12:1 tells us to remove the ‘sins’ and ‘weights’ that slow us down in the race of life.

I’ve decided to do a couple things for ‘Lent.’  I’ve given up soda pop for 40 days.  No Pepsi, Coke, Dr. Pepper, or even Vernor’s.  In past years I’ve read a special devotional for Lent called “Bread and Wine.”  This year I am going to do an online devotion through YouVersion by N. T. Wright called “Lent for Everyone.”

Here are a few other ideas.  They don’t have to be limited to Lent and can be practiced any time you need to lessen your load.

1. Take a walk to a destination you normally would drive.  Most of the world relies on transportation other than a personal vehicle.  What might God teach you if you weren’t flying by at 45 miles an hour?

2. Fast from a certain food item.  Meat, caffeine, sugar or fast-food menus are the favorites.  The key is designating a certain time for a certain purpose.  Some people skip a meal and donate the savings to the poor.

3. Take a one-day vow of silence.  This might be helpful not only for your family and friends, but you might hear the inner voice speaking to you in the stillness.  I suggest you not advise someone else to enter this one.

4.  Give up a grudge or at least make some effort to let go of a past hurt.

5. Create a media-free evening. Some give up Facebook for a season, but what if you unplugged everything: internet, TV, radio, iPod and video games.  I believe if we had no electricity, we would immediately stop complaining about how little time we had.

6. Give something of value away.  We often give away our worn and used-up property, but what if we freed ourselves of something valuable?

7. Dedicate a day in your calendar to God. This is a tough one, but what if you scheduled a day completely for God?  What would you put in it?  That’s between you and Him.

8. Reach out to the poor or suffering.  They are not forgotten by God and should not be forgotten by God’s people.

I hope you will prepare yourself over the next few weeks to enter Easter week with a greater sense of humility and love for Christ.

Are you ‘giving up’ anything for Lent?