Day #3: Friday, February 28
Old Testament: Genesis 3:1-13
New Testament: John 3:22-30
Practice: Praying for others
Music: Glen Campbell “Less of Me;” “Jesus Let Us Come to Know You;” “Set a Fire” by Jesus Culture
Whether we like to admit it or not, we spend most of our time thinking about ourselves. One of the first words many of us learn to say is “mine.” Perhaps a good practice today would be for you to pay attention to how many times you use the words “I,” “me,” “my,” and “mine.” John the Baptist constantly had to deflect attention from himself to Jesus. John 3:30 (NIV) is a beautiful statement on which to reflect: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Perhaps you prefer this refrain: “Less of me, more of you.” Spend a minute right now saying this prayer repeatedly. Make that your prayer today. We want to think of ourselves less often so that we can be filled with more of Christ. As John said, he must increase, but I must decrease. Try to think about God every minute today. That is at the heart of Lent, that we may lose ourselves in Christ.
Pursue humility over pride. Humility is at the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but it is such a difficult journey. In his classic treatment of the faith, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis describes a humble life that we would all do well to pursue.
“Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.”[1]
Lent is a time to work on your own spirit, but don’t become self-absorbed through the season. Pray the prayer, “Less of me, more of you,” to reinforce the need for God to come and fill up your spirit so that thoughts of ourselves are replaced by thoughts of the Almighty.
[1] C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 11th printing (New York: MacMillan, 1970), 114.