Sermon on the Mount
Fasting
This devotional is written by Paul Blandford.
Matthew 6:16-18
16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Reflection
Immediately after the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus says "When" you fast and at that time it was common practice to fast regularly. But it’s not compulsory, it’s an invitation.
Fasting is not transactional, meals foregone do not equate to answered prayer. God is relational and our spiritual practices develop our relationship with Him and our awareness of His presence, rather than earn points.
My experience of fasting has been that it strengthens my "choice" muscle and exposes how easily I turn to food or other things to control my anxieties or distract myself. It brings into the light the ways in which even reasonable habits and desires subtly, but powerfully control me. By growing my self-control in one area, I acquire a transferable skill for other aspects of my life.
As Jesus said, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that God speaks" and "My food is to do what the One who sent me wants me to do and to finish his work."
Jesus invites us to live in the Spirit and be attentive to His prompting.
Fasting is one way to practice tuning out from our physical hungers and mental distractions, so we might walk in step with the Spirit, and get our priorities in the right order.
So, when you fast don’t make a big deal of it or get all religious, be normal. When you feel drawn to the fridge, phone or box set, be present to the Lord and choose to talk to God, read a bible verse, and declare "no actually , God you are really what I need now and it won’t kill me to let the other stuff wait a while."
Father, please give me the grace and power to re-order my life to your way of living.
Fasting is not transactional, meals foregone do not equate to answered prayer. God is relational and our spiritual practices develop our relationship with Him and our awareness of His presence, rather than earn points.
My experience of fasting has been that it strengthens my "choice" muscle and exposes how easily I turn to food or other things to control my anxieties or distract myself. It brings into the light the ways in which even reasonable habits and desires subtly, but powerfully control me. By growing my self-control in one area, I acquire a transferable skill for other aspects of my life.
As Jesus said, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that God speaks" and "My food is to do what the One who sent me wants me to do and to finish his work."
Jesus invites us to live in the Spirit and be attentive to His prompting.
Fasting is one way to practice tuning out from our physical hungers and mental distractions, so we might walk in step with the Spirit, and get our priorities in the right order.
So, when you fast don’t make a big deal of it or get all religious, be normal. When you feel drawn to the fridge, phone or box set, be present to the Lord and choose to talk to God, read a bible verse, and declare "no actually , God you are really what I need now and it won’t kill me to let the other stuff wait a while."
Father, please give me the grace and power to re-order my life to your way of living.
Recent
Archive
2019
January
John the Baptist prepares the wayJesus announces the good newsJesus heals manyJesus forgives and healsJesus heals on the SabbathParable of the sowerLamp on a standJesus restores a demon possessed manJesus raises a dead girl and heals a sick womanA prophet without honourJohn the Baptist beheadedJesus feeds the five thousandJesus walks on waterThat which defiles
February
Faith of the Syro-phonecian womanFeeding 4000Jesus heals a blind man at BethsaidaTransfigurationJesus heals a boy possessed by an impure spiritJesus predicts his death a second timeDivorceThe rich and the kingdom of GodJesus predicts his death a third timeBlind Bartimaeus receives his sightJesus comes to Jerusalem as kingJesus curses a fig tree and clear the templeThe authority of Jesus questionedPaying tax to CaesarThe greatest commandmentThe destruction of the temple
March
June
July
A Fellowship of DifferenceLove your neighbourLove your enemyNeither Jew nor GentilePray for PrideEphesians 6:10-13Ephesians 6:14Ephesians 6:15Ephesians 6:16Ephesians 6:17Ephesians 6:18-20LoveLove, for the day is nearLove is patientGod is loveCreationSabbathThe Lord does not grow wearyPsalm 23Come all you who are wearyBe stillJesus asleep in the boatQuiet you with love
August
Proverbs 1Proverbs 2Proverbs 3Proverbs 4Proverbs 5Proverbs 6Proverbs 7Proverbs 8Proverbs 9Proverbs 10Proverbs 11Proverbs 12Proverbs 13Proverbs 14Proverbs 15Proverbs 16Proverbs 17Proverbs 18Proverbs 19Proverbs 20Proverbs 21Proverbs 22Proverbs 23Proverbs 24Proverbs 25Proverbs 26Proverbs 27Proverbs 28Proverbs 29Proverbs 30Proverbs 31
September
October
A Brief Skim Through the BibleA Brief Skim Through the BibleA Brief Skim Through the BibleA Brief Skim Through the BibleA Brief Skim Through the BibleA Brief Skim Through the BibleBack very soonSermon on the MountSermon on the MountSermon on the MountSermon on the MountSermon on the MountSermon on the MountSermon on the MountSermon on the MountSermon on the MountSermon on the MountSermon on the MountSermon on the MountSermon on the MountSermon on the Mount
No Comments