From DeAnna:
It's nice to know God is on my side. I decided to do a little search for something to read before an actually delicious bowl of Muesli this morning. Remember that fasting is not my forte, it seems that the devotional I found seems to be exactly what I needed to read. The key verse - I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which people may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." John 6:48-51.
Jesus must be the daily dose of food that we seek. The intention of this is to grow closer to God, not to become holier than thou, but to find His peace and understanding. Just a little something to nibble on this morning.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Hmmm.
From DeAnna:
So I've never been one to give up food at the expensive, of well, anything. With a new season of our lives coming upon us, beginning with a decision that John and I made about attending the new branch of Trinity - Echo Community Church, we have decided to take part in the church-wide fast for 21 days. This began with John stating - I'm doing the fast, you can do it with me if you want. Being the good wife I'd like to consider myself to be, I said of course I will follow along with you.
Boy, is that a wrong reason or what? The purpose of this venture is not to please my husband. For awhile I have been trying to reconcile within myself to stop seeking everyone else's approval, because it just turns up in heartache or disappointment. Not to say that getting my husband's approval is going to be thrown to the wayside. However, whether it has been people at church, my friends, the cool people, or even students, I've always wanted to just be "liked." While I know there aren't many people out that who want to be hated, most people do enjoy having others think well of them, but I have an uncontrollable urge to be liked.
So now, I think I started this fast for the wrong reason, to please my husband. A direct result of this misjudgment - misery. In Matthew 6: 16 -18, Jesus talks about fasting - "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Here I've been walking around somber-faced, denying "delicious food," and drooling over tostitos like a hypocrite! Worse yet, even though I've only been a little bit hungry, with the type of fast I've been doing, I still actually enjoy the food I'm eating and feel better as a result.
It's really funny how God works in our lives, not that I want to be a hypocrite - but I sure look like one now. I think God is giving me a whole new purpose for this fast. For a little while, I've only been seeking a surface level relationship with the only One I need approval from - God. In John 5:44 Jesus is confronting the Jews about persecuting Him for working on the Sabbath. Then He discusses the testimonies they've heard about Him, asking why they don't believe in Him even though they've heard of Him, and says, "How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?"
Approval from God should be enough to sustain anyone. His praise, and the opportunity to one day hear "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness," (Matthew 25:21) should be the ultimate motivator. I guess I've got to learn how to make it mine. So on with the fast, I'm seeking.
So I've never been one to give up food at the expensive, of well, anything. With a new season of our lives coming upon us, beginning with a decision that John and I made about attending the new branch of Trinity - Echo Community Church, we have decided to take part in the church-wide fast for 21 days. This began with John stating - I'm doing the fast, you can do it with me if you want. Being the good wife I'd like to consider myself to be, I said of course I will follow along with you.
Boy, is that a wrong reason or what? The purpose of this venture is not to please my husband. For awhile I have been trying to reconcile within myself to stop seeking everyone else's approval, because it just turns up in heartache or disappointment. Not to say that getting my husband's approval is going to be thrown to the wayside. However, whether it has been people at church, my friends, the cool people, or even students, I've always wanted to just be "liked." While I know there aren't many people out that who want to be hated, most people do enjoy having others think well of them, but I have an uncontrollable urge to be liked.
So now, I think I started this fast for the wrong reason, to please my husband. A direct result of this misjudgment - misery. In Matthew 6: 16 -18, Jesus talks about fasting - "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Here I've been walking around somber-faced, denying "delicious food," and drooling over tostitos like a hypocrite! Worse yet, even though I've only been a little bit hungry, with the type of fast I've been doing, I still actually enjoy the food I'm eating and feel better as a result.
It's really funny how God works in our lives, not that I want to be a hypocrite - but I sure look like one now. I think God is giving me a whole new purpose for this fast. For a little while, I've only been seeking a surface level relationship with the only One I need approval from - God. In John 5:44 Jesus is confronting the Jews about persecuting Him for working on the Sabbath. Then He discusses the testimonies they've heard about Him, asking why they don't believe in Him even though they've heard of Him, and says, "How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?"
Approval from God should be enough to sustain anyone. His praise, and the opportunity to one day hear "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness," (Matthew 25:21) should be the ultimate motivator. I guess I've got to learn how to make it mine. So on with the fast, I'm seeking.
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