Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment. I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children.

—1 Corinthians 4:8-14 (TNIV)

Here we see Paul define the essence of Christians discipleship. It is first and foremost recognizing our place in God’s created order. God is God and we are not. This recognition, which Scripture typically calls humility, leads to a truly countercultural lifestyle where we go against the standards of this world. We bless our enemies and pray for them. We are truly saddened when we see others fail or engage in destructive behaviors and we risk offending them by loving them enough to tell them so. We work for Christ, not ourselves. We stop wanting to be the lead dog in everything. We see this world for what it is: God’s good but fallen creation that is finite and passing away. We accept the fact that living faithful lives is difficult and we will likely suffer for it.

Assuming we are not masochists, why would we do these things? One reason might be because we are commanded to do so and we trust God’s word and will for our lives. Another reason might be because we see life as more than just biological existence or having physical/material niceties. Regardless, these are the things we focus especially on during this season of Lent, working with the help of God’s very Spirit in us to develop the necessary habits to carry them on after the season of Lent is over.