Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
I heart Romans. You can just close your eyes and point to a verse and open them up and get a tail-kicking. So much good stuff jam-packed into one letter. This opening line to chapter 12 is a really great perspective on what we are choosing to do. Setting aside what our body wants and seeking to nourish our spirits. It's an act of worship.
But the next verse is a great too. This weekend, one of the things my pastor preached about was being weird. He said he was more worried when people said he seemed normal than when people think he's weird. Not being like everyone else is a good sign you are living a transformed life. And in Romans 12:2, Paul puts it better than I ever could. (He was inspired by God though. So he had that going for him. Which is nice.) Fasting for 21 days is weird. If it were just a diet, it would be completely normal. But it's not.
I pray that this is only the first in a very long list of things that you do this year that are weird. I pray that you turn your back on the patterns of this world and allow God to transform you from the inside out. I pray that you get hooked on this closeness with God you are sharing and don't allow it to drift away after 21 days are over.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Day Ten: Fasting Is Weird
Labels: Daniel fast posts, Paul's letters
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4 comments:
Definitley agree with your "weird" assesment. If we are not of this world, then we should not look like we fit in. In Pauls word, we are aliens. I love the "salt" metaphore Jesus gave us. If salt is not salty, it is good for nothing. Jesus, make us salty. Make us aliens here. Make us weird to the world!
We are 'sojourners' on earth---just passing through to our permanent destination! We must be diferent from the world--God help us inthat quest!
Being weird comes easy for me. The question to myself is..why am I fasting? I am doing it because several of you guys doing it or because I want what God is going to show/give me or because I my cup seems empty and I need Him to fill it? I've decided that I need Him more than any need I might have and that is why I fasting.
As for this earth not being our home, you are so right Bea. I sometimes feel that I am walking around with a suitcase in hand looking for home and it is not here. Looking up and waiting for he One that is going to take me home. Can't wait to see Him. :)
"I pray that you get hooked on this closeness with God you are sharing and don't allow it to drift away after 21 days are over."
Thank you for that. Because this is longer than a day, being in His presence builds each day. I'm living a little more each day of this Fast so that my goal is to be complete in walking with Him 24/7.
I remember saying, 21 days,oh my! But 3 weeks, I can handle that. Now I'm prepared to go beyond that, correction I WILL go beyond that. The fasting is temporary, the LIVING WITH HIM TOTALLY is forever.
Again, I can't say it enough, THANK YOU for allowing God to use you to keep us on His Path, now and forever.
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