True fasting is fasting that is honorable in the sight of God. I do not fast often. I have never seen the purpose in doing so regularly. And until tonight, I suppose I didn't really comprehend the value of it.
Tonight on my way to work I had a vision of two men, one who wore a black shirt and one who wore a white shirt. The man who wore a white shirt, was looked upon by others as being holy, while on the inside, he did what he did for recognition and looked forward to gratitude. The man who wore the black shirt was basically ignored by others, but in him was humility and his act were all selfless, as all he desired was to please God.
I think most of us wear a shirt that is grey.
When we are wearing the white shirt, we are shown gratitude, we tend to value it, and consider that recognition valuable. What is wrong with this is when that gratitude we are then working for is no longer present, we are discouraged, disheartened, and worse our faithfulness is lessened.
When we are wearing the black shirt, we are aware of our natural desire for recognition, so what we do we do for the Lord, and we focus on that. We are denying ourselves what would be natural in order to preserve our clear conscience, remaining open to the purity of the fruits of the Kingdom that come through us.
Only when wearing the black shirt do we prove the righteousness is the Father's alone. So for us to set aside our white shirt, and throw away our grey shirt, we can explore true fasting. I wanted to share with you this example taken from chapter 3 of The Shepherd of Hermas.
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This fasting,” he continued, “is very good, provided the commandments of the Lord be observed. Thus, then, shall you observe the fasting which you intend to keep. First of all, be on your guard against every evil word, and every evil desire, and purify your heart from all the vanities of this world. If you guard against these things, your fasting will be perfect. And you will do also as follows. Having fulfilled what is written, in the day on which you fast you will taste nothing but bread and water; and having reckoned up the price of the dishes of that day which you intended to have eaten, you will give it to a widow, or an orphan, or to some person in want, and thus you will exhibit humility of mind, so that he who has received benefit from your humility may fill his own soul, and pray for you to the Lord. If you observe fasting, as I have commanded you, your sacrifice will be acceptable to God, and this fasting will be written down; and the service thus performed is noble, and sacred, and acceptable to the Lord. These things, therefore, shall you thus observe with your children, and all your house, and in observing them you will be blessed; and as many as hear these words and observe them shall be blessed; and whatsoever they ask of the Lord they shall receive.”
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Now, most believers can barely afford to live. And some believers would live on bread and water happily, as they generally can't afford bread, nor have water clean enough to drink. But the point to be made here is that fasting is not just what we eat and drink physically, but what we eat and drink spiritually.
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John 6:56
56
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
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So we replace our 'every evil word' with encouraging and loving words, or no word at all. We replace our 'every evil desire' with denial of ourselves so holiness can come through us. We replace the 'vanities of this world', so our hearts can remain with the Lord and on the unseen qualities of God.
Our black shirts are the mark of our service. And if we want to not wear our grey shirt or our white shirt, we have to consider observing true fasting.
It is good to say you believe, and it is good to do loving acts. But there is honor in doing more, and living for the service we can provide in humility.
Something to consider.
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