Welcome to the Lent @ Jessup blog. In preparation for Lent please reflect on the following introductory post. New posts will be updated daily, Monday through Friday, beginning on Ash Wednesday, february 22nd.
Lent and Fasting
Lent and Fasting
When you fast...
-Jesus (Mt 6:16)
Our King and Savior assumed we would fast. We see in the life and teaching of Jesus that fasting was not an “optional spiritual practice” but an “essential way of life.” Throughout the pages of scripture, we see fasting exercised by the heroes of our faith; in a season of mourning, Daniel “ate no choice foods.” (Dan 10:3); after David repented of his sin, “he fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground.” (2 Sam 12:16); while asking the Lord for safe travels, Ezra and the exiles corporately fasted—“I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey… “(Ezra 8:21); and in the life of Jesus we see that he fasted for 40 days before his public ministry began (Mt 4:2).
If fasting was so important to those who have gone before us, should it not be equally important to us today? In a culture that screams self-entitlement, should we not fight against it with self-denial, trusting that the Lord knows how to meet our needs better than we do? The discipline of fasting is a way to live in the reality that “man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Mt 4:4).” Do we seek God and his Word as eagerly as we seek food? Are we more concerned with the words on our social media page, than we are with the word of God? Do we invest more time on our physical training than we do on our spiritual training? Is it clear by our lives what we really value most?
Bible Reading: Matthew 6:16-18
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Reflection Questions
During this season of Lent, is there something that I commit to fasting (abstaining) from, to spend that time drawing near to God? For example, partial food fast, coffee, social media, television, shopping, etc.
When I desire to partake in that which I am fasting from, will I discipline my mind and body to turn to God in prayer for his strength and his will?
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