“When you fast . . .” Jesus
Matthew 6:16
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I think it is interesting that Jesus says “when you fast” — not “if you fast”. It seems to me that fasting has become a optional spiritual discipline and not something that we are called to do. One reason I think that this has happened is because we do not understand the “body’s participation in discipline, worship, grieving, and repenting” (McKnight).
In Romans 12:1, we are urged to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, which becomes our spiritual act of worship. There are many ways we can offer our bodies as sacrifices, but one way is through fasting. “The spiritual exercise of fasting presumes that we commune with God through our bodies ” (Hintz).
Fasting gives us physical reminders that we receive our strength and nourishment from God. In our self-indulgent world, fasting helps draw our attention away from ourselves and helps us focus on what is eternal.
Quotes are from the book : Fasting, McKnight and a book review by Marcy Hintz.
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