You Gave up all this: Part 2

My devotional today was about giving things up, here's what it had to say....
You gave up swimming and sprawling on hot rocks to dry off. Racing against the other boys from this tree to that. You gave up your family; Mary smiling at the supper table, sitting the near darkness watching Joseph with his scarred hands. You gave up all the things that make life precious, that make it good to be alive. The fact that you are God did not lessen the tearing you no doubt felt. Which is why they call you a Man of sorrows, well accquainted with grief. He gave up all this. Could I? Could you?- Sarah Arthur

After reading this it got me thinking about Lent and how some people give up things while others incorporate something new into their spiritual life. For Lent this year, i have given up Facebook. I know your probably saying, "that must be really hard" when in reality it's actually been really good! I knew that i had been spending way too much time on it, time that should have been spent on other things. My goal at the time was to take that time that i would normally spend on Facebook and spend it with God. So far it's been great, i love getting up in the morning and starting off my day with God...it's gotten to the point where if i don't end up getting time to do it before class then my whole day seems off. I must admit at first there were days where I did not feel like doing it, but now i can't wait to spend time in devotion with him. So giving up Facebook has been rather refreshing.  This is just one little thing, God calls us to Lay down our lives for him just as Matthew 16:24 says,
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me"- Matthew 16:24. So i encourage you go grab your bible and spend time in God's word. 

John 16:16-24 says...
Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’?  Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.  So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.  In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.  Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.