Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them, he was hungry. (Luke 4:1, NIV)
In my research, I learned that the forty days of Lent are, at least in part, a commemoration of the forty days Jesus spent fasting in the desert before he officially began his public ministry. It was a time of testing and preparation for our Lord. Jesus emerged from this time of testing in “the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14 NIV).
I’m not sure if we fully understand the role that self-denial and suffering play in our lives as followers of Jesus. There have been excesses in this area to be sure. Early monks lived in caves in the desert. Some cultivated lice on their bodies. Others ate grubs. One guy lived on a pole several meters above the ground.
Personally, I don’t believe our Lord demands any of these things from us. What he does desire is for us to live lives full of the Spirit. And to be full of the Spirit of God, we must be willing to empty ourselves of those things that tempt us to place our desires above His will. Nothing does this more than suffering and the self-denial it brings into our lives.
When we choose to give up something for Christ, we are not seeking to merit his favor or blessing. What we are doing, however, is acknowledging that self-sacrifice paves the way for the presence and power of God in our lives. What kind of self-sacrifices are you making this Lenten season?
In Christ,
Dan