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joi, martie 13, 2008
What Jesus Did! - The Hidden Fast
When you fast, don't make yourselves look sad. The hypocrites do that. Don't be like the hypocrites. They make their faces look strange to show people that they are fasting. I tell you the truth, those hypocrites already have their full reward.
So when you fast, make yourself look nice. Wash your face. Then people will not know that you are fasting. But your Father that you cannot see will see you. Your Father sees the things that are done in secret. And he will reward you.
- Matthew 6:16-18 (ERV)
THOUGHT:
We do not pursue the spiritual disciplines to gain us notoriety and respect. They are of value when we offer them to God and go about our daily routine as if nothing were different, except our character. Our character is to be transformed to be more like our Father in Heaven. A fast to God is not about looking like we're fasting on the outside, but that we're being transformed on the inside. That transformation will show itself over time, and in the meantime, the fruit of fasting will be its own reward.
PRAYER:
Loving Father, I recognize that every good thing I have comes from you. Thank you for being so generous. I especially enjoy the food you provide for me each day. As I fast, please help me to base that fasting in the thankfulness for all you have done for me and please use it to form in me more of your character than I had yesterday. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Related Scriptures:
"I will tell you the kind of special day I want--a day to make people free. I want a day that you take the burdens off people. I want a day when you make the troubled people free. I want a day when you take the burdens from their shoulders. I want you to share your food with the hungry people. I want you to find poor people that don't have homes, and I want you to bring them into your own homes. When you see a man that has no clothes--give him your clothes!
Don't hide {from helping those people}; they are just like you." If you do these things, your light will begin shining like the light of dawn. Then your wounds will heal. Your "Goodness" (God) will walk in front of you, and the Glory of the Lord will come following behind you. Then you will call to the Lord, and the Lord will answer you. You will shout to the Lord, and he will say, "Here I am." You should stop making troubles and burdens for people. You should stop using bitter words and blaming people for things. - Isaiah 58:6-9
Jesus answered, "{When there is a wedding,} the friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. They cannot fast (be sad) while the bridegroom is still there. But the time will come when the bridegroom will leave them. The friends are sad when the bridegroom leaves. Then they will fast. - Mark 2:19-20
These men were all serving the Lord and fasting. The Holy Spirit said to them, "Give Barnabas and Saul to me to do a special work. I have chosen them to do this work." So the church fasted and prayed. They put their hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them out. - Acts 13:2-3
- Matthew 6:16-18 (ERV)
THOUGHT:
We do not pursue the spiritual disciplines to gain us notoriety and respect. They are of value when we offer them to God and go about our daily routine as if nothing were different, except our character. Our character is to be transformed to be more like our Father in Heaven. A fast to God is not about looking like we're fasting on the outside, but that we're being transformed on the inside. That transformation will show itself over time, and in the meantime, the fruit of fasting will be its own reward.
PRAYER:
Loving Father, I recognize that every good thing I have comes from you. Thank you for being so generous. I especially enjoy the food you provide for me each day. As I fast, please help me to base that fasting in the thankfulness for all you have done for me and please use it to form in me more of your character than I had yesterday. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Related Scriptures:
"I will tell you the kind of special day I want--a day to make people free. I want a day that you take the burdens off people. I want a day when you make the troubled people free. I want a day when you take the burdens from their shoulders. I want you to share your food with the hungry people. I want you to find poor people that don't have homes, and I want you to bring them into your own homes. When you see a man that has no clothes--give him your clothes!
Don't hide {from helping those people}; they are just like you." If you do these things, your light will begin shining like the light of dawn. Then your wounds will heal. Your "Goodness" (God) will walk in front of you, and the Glory of the Lord will come following behind you. Then you will call to the Lord, and the Lord will answer you. You will shout to the Lord, and he will say, "Here I am." You should stop making troubles and burdens for people. You should stop using bitter words and blaming people for things. - Isaiah 58:6-9
Jesus answered, "{When there is a wedding,} the friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. They cannot fast (be sad) while the bridegroom is still there. But the time will come when the bridegroom will leave them. The friends are sad when the bridegroom leaves. Then they will fast. - Mark 2:19-20
These men were all serving the Lord and fasting. The Holy Spirit said to them, "Give Barnabas and Saul to me to do a special work. I have chosen them to do this work." So the church fasted and prayed. They put their hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them out. - Acts 13:2-3
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