Alrighty! I'm back at it already! ;)
I've been thinking a lot about fasting lately. Ever think about this aspect of being a follower of Christ? I'm not sure why I've been thinking about it so much ... but I have a lot, on and off, for the past several months. I have a few thoughts about it .... and a few questions. And I thought I'd share them with you all and see what YOU guys think. :)
Matthew 6:16-18 talks about fasting ... briefly. But it's definitely there, and we shouldn't avoid or dismiss it. It says not to parade around shouting "I'm fasting! .... I'm abstaining from something I really enjoy so that I can be more spiritual!" Although this is a good goal (take out the spiritual and insert "so that I can be more like Jesus!" ... this sounds better!), God doesn't want us to let everyone know about our fasting excursions. ... Perhaps I've been thinking about this lately because a little over a month ago, I sent out an e-mail letting everyone know I was fasting from e-mail/blogging for a couple of weeks. I was a little apprehensive about letting everyone know ... but I think in that case, since e-mail is one of the biggest ways I stay in touch with a lot of people, it was alright. I didn't want everyone to think I was ignoring their wondrous e-mails. ;) ..... Perhaps that's why I've been thinking about it. And this leads me to some questions .... Is it okay to mention that you are fasting (from whatever) when it comes up in conversation? If it affects other people ... is it okay to mention it? .... Matthew 6:17-18a says, "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men." After looking at verse 16, I think the context concerns "parading," like I mentioned earlier. God doesn't want us to boast about ourselves. "Hey, look at me! I'm being spiritual! You should think I'm great because I am great!" .... Umm ... no! God doesn't want us to boast in/about anyone but HIM.
This leads me to some more thoughts ... we shouldn't fast just so we look more spiritual. We shouldn't fast just to say we fasted. I've struggled with both of these things in the past, but the more I meditate on WHY God commands us to fast, the more I want to try it out. ... Did you catch that? God COMMANDS us to fast. Yep ... check out Matthew 6:17 ... "But you, WHEN you fast ..." He didn't say "if." He said WHEN. That is something I've been grappling with for quite some time. Fasting is hard work. Fasting is all about giving up something that you enjoy/desire/even need, at times. And since scripture says "when you fast" rather than "if you ever get around to it," that means I have to find ways to fast. .... I think many of us think about food when we think of fasting. Growing up, that's what I always thought of - food. Food is a great thing to fast from ... whether you cut it out altogether for a short time (a day, a week, ect.) or if you cut out certain foods for a time .... like I've fasted from sugar or carbs before ... even gotten as specific as cutting out sweet tea for a whole week! I know ... crazy! ;) .... So fasting doesn't have to be just starving yourself. It can be a fast from anything.
My only suggestion ... make it a sacrifice of some kind. Fasting is all about focusing our attention on Jesus. With all the craziness and business and selfiness we possess in our lives (in our very beings!), it is a tough task to focus all our energies on Jesus. Fasting is a great tool in helping get our focus off of ourselves and back on Jesus! :) And my last thought .... yes, fasting is about sacrifice ... it is about obedience ... but it is also about prayer! This is the part of fasting that I really struggle with. Pathetic, I know. Abstaining from some sort of pleasure (or we can make it plural - pleasures!) leads us to depend on Jesus. Even if it's something small like not drinking sweet tea for a week ... when I crave sweet tea and know that I'm committed to NOT drinking it until Sunday night at 5:03pm (or whatever), I am pushed to talk to God about it. Yep, even something as small as that. It is amazing how our desires for the things of this world (whether they be godly or not) push us in the direction of Jesus ... at least hopefully they do ... and I mean in the "I need Jesus to help me overcome" kind of pushing towards Jesus. So when I desire sweet tea (or whatever I'm fasting from), my desire for that sweet tea leads me to desire more of Jesus. And so I pray. And prayer is the most essential part of fasting. Prayer draws us closer to Jesus. That is the part I don't spend enough time doing. ... I guess I'll have to keep fasting from things until I get it right, huh? ;)
Well ..... I think those are all my thoughts ... at least for now. I can't get the "WHEN you pray" out of my mind ... so that's why I'm posting about it. :) And thought I'd ask for ya'll's feedback. What do you think about fasting? Do you ever fast? What do you fast from/have you fasted from? What do you think about the context of Matthew chapter 6 in relation to fasting? .... If you get a minute or two, leave me a post - I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! :)
Alrighty! Gonna check my e-mail from Ben and then start on some homework! Have a great day, everybody! :D
2 comments:
Here's what I think (because I know that you care)...
I think that the fast spoken of is always related to food. While it may be great to deprive yourself from other things in order to draw yourself closer to the Lord, I think that the fast was specifically related to food. When you go without food for a long period of time, you have this feeling in your stomach and your body where you're reminded that you NEED food. I think (note, "think") that the whole purpose was for us to see that our real needs are met by God (Old Testament fasts) and Christ (New Testament fasts).
So, you're right not to mention it just as Matthew 6 tells us. Just do it. If you have a close friend that you want to tell so he or she can encourage you, I think that's fine.
And now I must point out that the Verification Word I must type to submit this comment is, "butpo." For some reason, that makes me laugh.
butpo
I think that it is a part of my spiritual life I haven't done a lot with.
My problem is
1.) thinking of things to fast from;
2.) living at home, it's kind of hard to not have something like not eating become a really public issue, which defeats my drive to fast.
It's not really a lack of willpower so much as it is a lack of opportunity, or at least ability to see the opporunity.
But I'm praying about it. God tends to see a lot more than I do. ;)
You are right: whenever we think about that thing, we are drawn to think of Christ, because we are abstaining from that thing because of Christ. That doesn't make that thing bad (who said sweet tea is the instrument of the devil?), but we have chosen a bit of discomfort or inconvenience in order to focus more on God.
Hey! Just had an idea for a fast....hmm.
Now, I have to go and finish that book to you.
Have an awesome night!
Alex
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