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On a day set aside for fasting, “coincidentally” the next
chapter in my reading was Isaiah 58. I
wanted to know how to fast to please God so I dug into the text and here are
some insights.
Fasting is not about outward show or about trying to get God
to do something we want. It’s about
heart attitude and the practical out workings that come from it. There are many marvelous promises in this
chapter with conditions. Here are some
thoughts on what these conditions are and what they may mean in everyday life.
- The
focus of fasting is not on me (“I am so hungry”), but should lead to a
focus on others.
- I need
to die to or lay down my own desires (v.3), cease from my “own ways’,
seeking my own ways, seeking my own pleasure, speaking my own word
(holding my opinion with pride). (v. 13)
- Loosen
the bonds of wickedness: repent from sin and attachment to idols (trying
to meet my needs with anyone/anything other than God.)
- Undo
bands of the yoke, remove the yoke, break the yoke. Extend forgiveness. Unforgiveness holds others in a yoke or
bondage.
- Remove
the pointing finger (v.9). A
critical, judgmental attitude.
When we make accusations, we ally ourselves the Accuser of the
Brethren – Satan.
- Do not
hide yourself from your own flesh.
What is my attitude toward family members?
There are probably many more points to be learned from this
chapter; these are just a few that struck me.
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| Please see my comment on David's blog, the post on God as an idea or person. It's something I just shared this morning at formational prayer group.
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| Faithful to the One Henri J. M. Nouwen
There is no promise that everything will be rosy. The first thing is not to play savior of the world but to keep living in the world as a child of God. I see all these things happening, but I do not allow them to seduce me into the darkness. I live in the world but belong to God. If you live a life of watching and waiting, you will know what kind of call you have. You are not called to solve every problem in the world....
I work with mentally handicapped people. Sometimes I spend hours with one person, and we barely speak. Does that help people in Bosnia, does that help people in Northern Ireland, does it help people in Somalia? I don't know, but I think it does. I think that when I am faithful to one person who is given to me, then I am doing more than when I am anxiously trying to put out all the fires all over the world. And that gives me peace. Source: The Road to Peace, edited by John Dear | | |
| During Daniel's senior year he wrote a paper about the connection between music and culture. Which leads the other? Which one begins new trends? Here is a quote from Scottish patriot, Andrew Fletcher, in 1704. Here's the paraphrase: "You write the laws, let me write the music and I will rule your country." Original: "I knew a very wise man so much of Sir Christopher's sentiment, that he believed if a man were permitted to make all the ballads, he need not care who should make the laws of a nation." What implications does this have for praise and worship music? | | |
| Well, can you believe it, my first entry since January? I want to respond to Daniel's question this week on choice and obligation. I'm always afraid to put it in the comments section if it's several days since the post, because I figure people have commented right away and won't go back to look at a late post. But I like to think about things for awhile and turn them over in my mind before commenting. So here goes: Choice: you always have free choice, always. As long as you are willing to live with the consequences. Ex: you don't have to get up to go to work, you have a choice. You may lose your job though. Similar to going to school, only with different unpleasant consequences. Next scenario: you made a choice to commit to something or someone. Then you don't like being "obligated." You still can choose to not fulfill or not to show up. Consequences: losing your reputation as a dependable person, a person of your word. Or hurting a friend or loved one by not fulfilling your commitment. Next scenario: you haven't made a specific commitment but a more general commitment, but you feel guilty or obligated in some way. Example: you are the member of a church. You may feel obligated to be supportive of everyone in the church which means you need to go to every function, show up at everyone's father's funeral, every wedding, every graduation party, etc. What's wrong here? Lack of definition of what your commitment is, to what and to whom. Answer: discerning, listening prayer to find out what God wants in the specifics--go to this wedding, but not that pot-luck dinner for example. Final scenario: you've made the choice of a commitment, you still want to keep it, but after some time it all feels like "obligation." The best example of this is marriage. In the beginning it's easy to go on emotion: Can I cook something for you? Can I take you out to a movie? I'd be glad to mow the grass. Etc. Later you can get into doing these things by obligation. "I HAVE to cook dinner." Instead of feeling trapped in obligation, a little meditation helps. " I made a choice to love and marry this person. I don't regret that. I want to show my love, therefore I will cook dinner." I think it's a heart issue. Reminding yourself that you have made choices and can continue to make choices helps get one out of the "obligation trap." See I Cor 13. Love is a choice. | | |
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