Vs. 1

“Therefore, my brothers,
you whom I love and long for,
my joy and crown,
that is how you should stand firm in the Lord,
dear friends.”
 

An Irishman walks into a bar in Dublin, orders three pints of Guinness and sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more. The bartender asks him, “You know, a pint of Guinness goes flat minutes after I pour it; it tastes better if you drink one at a time.”

The Irishman replies, “Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in America, the other in Australia, and I’m here in Dublin. When we all left home, we promised that we would have a drink in this way to remember the days when we drank together.”

The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there. The Irishman becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way, ordering three pints and drinking them in turn. One day, he comes in and orders two pints. All the other regulars notice this and fall silent — assuming that one of the brothers has died.

When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, “I am very sorry for your loss, and I want to offer my condolences on the great loss of your brother.”

The Irishman looks confused for a moment, then a light dawns in his eye and he laughs out loud. “Oh, no,” he says. “Everyone’s fine. I’ve just quit drinking for Lent.”

Denying yourselves some pleasure in life because it is lent is not what Paul had in mind when he said, “Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.”

Seriously how can we even dare to compare sacrificing eating chocolate donuts for 40 days to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross? How can we even dare to suggest that our motivation is the same?

I have never heard anyone speak joyfully about the things they were giving up for Lent. I have never heard anyone even imply that they were giving up something for Lent because they love Jesus. Sadly people give things up for Lent out of a sense of duty and not devotion.

Lent is about opportunity. Lent gives us a significant opportunity to take a good hard look at ourselves, to say, “Mirror, mirror on the wall am I the best example of Christ of them all?” It’s a time for us to check in, put aside those tempting indigenous treats, and ask God for guidance with our own appetites, specifically those that draw us away from being poor in Spirit.

I am not saying fasting and abstinence are not helpful disciplines, but to insinuate that abstaining from chocolate for 40 days is anywhere close to Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness is ludicrous.

Are you looking for something to give up this Lent? Let me suggest to you what a Missouri pastor challenged his congregation to give for Lent. He challenged them to give up whining. His purpose was to get people to stop griping, gossiping and complaining. While this sure beats giving up chocolate it still is lacking if ones motivation is duty and not devotion. What is your motivation for Standing firm in the Lord, duty or devotion?

There is a big difference between duty driven faith and devotion driven faith. Duty driven is based on dear. You are afraid to trust God out of fear of not knowing what God might ask one to do. Devotion driven faith is based on love, God’s love. God’s love for me enables me to trust Him. I don’t have to play the game, If you love me. Devotion driven faith knows God loves them.

Duty driven faith practices the disciplines of worship, prayer, scripture study, etc. to score brownie points. There is a sense that I have to earn God’s love. Devotion driven faith practices these disciplines as a way of express love for God. We have a hunger and thirst for God. Devotion driven faith knows that he/she already has God’s favor.

Duty driven faith is all about self. We love God for the purpose of seeing what we can get from God. Devotion driven faith is all about others. The more I love God the more I am able to love others.

So what motivates your faith, duty or devotion? Lent is a good time to examine what is the motivating force behind our faith. It is a good time to recall what motivated God to send us His Son to die for our salvation. “For God so loved the world...”