Devotional 3-14-08

Adding Something For Lent
Lent is not all about giving things up. It's also about adding good things to our lives or to others' lives -- the kind of good things that follow on what Jesus asks of us.

• Reconcile yourself to someone you don't like, or even hate or did something bad to, or just intentionally stayed away from.
• Do acts of kindness for people, just because they're there; give them little tastes of God's love.
• If you haven't taken the time lately to be in a refreshing, natural spot, do so. I live in South Point, which has wonderful hills and the Ohio River to enjoy some peace and rest. You have places where you live, too. Even if it's a brief stay, even a half-hour or so, try it.
• Study, meditate, and pray over one or two Scripture passages for each day, through a daily lectionary (assigned Bible readings for each day), the Upper Room (Scripture-based devotions), or devotional booklets or email lists.
• Think upon something ordinary that you do every day, and think about God while doing it, in a way that ties into what you're doing. Or think of a place you come to regularly, and each time think where Christ might be in this place, what Christ might do there, or what you might be led to do for Christ.
• Attend special worship services. Perhaps it's a liturgical church's daily morning or evening prayer service (Matins and Vespers). Perhaps it's a Wednesday Lenten service. Or maybe it's time you started going to the Sunday morning services every Sunday or Thursday.
• Try to find a new way every day to bring to mind Jesus' death on the cross, and why it happened.

This year, my add-in will be to spend an average of a half-hour a day more each week in face-to-face activities with other people than I have been doing. but it is what I need to do if I am to grow toward Jesus.

Amy Inghram