Opening Prayer: Psalm 93
1 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
2 Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.
3 The seas have lifted up, Lord,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the Lord on high is mighty.
5 Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days.
A Closer Look: Romans 8:1-10
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.[c] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d] because of righteousness.
There is a question worth reflecting on as we move deeper into this season of Lent: what is actually shaping the way we think and live?
The Apostle Paul puts it plainly in his letter to the Romans.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires (v. 5)
That word “set” is important. It is not about a passing thought or a momentary distraction. It is about what has our deepest attention and our habitual focus. What are the behaviors that we keep returning to?
The journey of living with smartphones has not been the same for everyone. Some of us were perfectly content with a phone that could only make calls. Now, that same device can stream a live sporting event from the other side of the world, play full-length movies, and keep us connected to an endless river of content, every hour of every day. And the honest question is not whether this technology is evil. It is not. The question is, what happens to us when we are so immersed in it?
Back in the 1950s, there were Nazarene Christians who were so troubled by the influence of television that they eventually left the denomination over it. Not over a major point of doctrine. Over a television set. And while it is easy to look back and see that as an overreaction, there is something underneath their concern that deserves a second look. They sensed, perhaps clumsily, that what we allow to occupy our minds and our homes does shape us. They were not wrong about that instinct, even if their response was extreme.
Now imagine what those same people would think about the device we carry in our pockets that gives us access to virtually everything, at all times, with almost no friction at all.
Paul would not have been surprised by the question. He wrote to the Romans about a real and ongoing tension between two ways of living, two orientations of the mind and heart. He was not talking about technology, of course. But he was talking about formation – what are we being formed by, day after day, and choice after choice.
Thomas Aquinas, a 13th century priest and theologian, taught that our moral character is shaped by our habits, the things we do repeatedly and the things we repeatedly attend to. What we give our attention to, we slowly become. That is not a condemnation of smartphones. It is simply an honest account of how human beings are formed.
So what does Paul actually offer us? He offers us something far more than a list of things to avoid. He tells us that the Spirit of God, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, dwells in us. We are not left to navigate this on our own. We have been given a new principle of life, a new orientation, if we are willing to receive it and cooperate with it.
Lent is the season the Church gives us to do exactly that kind of examination. Not to condemn ourselves, and not to condemn our devices, but to ask honestly: where is my mind set? What has my deepest attention? Is it the things of the Spirit, or have I drifted, gradually and almost without noticing, toward something far more shallow?
The invitation is a simple one. Perhaps consider one concrete way to create a little more silence, a little more space, so that the Spirit who dwells in you has room to be heard. That might mean putting the phone down earlier in the evening. It might mean beginning the morning with prayer before reaching for a screen. It might be something else entirely.
What matters is the direction of the heart. That is what Paul is after. And that is what this holy season is for.
May God grant us the grace to set our minds on what is true, what is life, and what endures.
God’s Voice:
- Old Testament (covenant): Gen. 44:1-17
- Psalm (song): 34
- Epistle (letter): Rom. 8:1-10
- Gospel (good news): John 5:25-29
Pursuing Holiness
- Prayer: What is God saying to me today? How will I respond?
- Fasting: What can I deny myself today (food, drink, behaviors) as an act of worship?
- Charity: How can I help someone in need today with my time, money, or goods?
Closing Prayer: Psalm 96
1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
How do I use this Devotional?
- Read the “Opening Prayer” from scripture to the Lord as your prayer
- Choose one or more of the scripture passages under “God’s Voice” for further reading
- Answer the questions under “Pursuing Holiness”
- Your reflection on the scriptures and how you sense the Holy Spirit leading you today
- Identify how you will practice self-denial today based on God’s leading
- Identify how you want to practice giving today
- prayer, fasting (self-denial), and giving be your living, spiritual worship
- Keep notes in a journal or planner to enable your follow-through and create a record
- Read the “Closing Prayer”
Since the third century, Christians have used Scripture, Prayer, Self-denial, and Almsgiving as spiritual preparation for Easter.
What is Lent?
Lent is the season in the Christian calendar that leads up to Easter. Lent is 40 days long because Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days before his public ministry. The Israelites, because of their disobedience and rebellion, were made to wander for 40 years in the wilderness before arriving in the promised land. Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai engaged with God in receiving the Ten Commandments. In the Bible, the number 40 is often used to indicate a period of preparation and testing.
In the wilderness, nothing is hidden. We are laid bare to God. We do not have our creature comforts. We are separated from common distractions. We ultimately will return to our lives when the time of preparation is complete. We focus our passion on God while He refines us to fulfill his calling.
Give