Fasting, Love, and Living Without Regret

A week after the passing of his mother, and only two days after her funeral, Pastor John returned to be with us at Imago Dei. Even though the leadership had told him to go ahead and take off as much time as he needed to go through the grieving process, PJ said that he wanted to go through that process, being surrounded by his church family.
Sharing this as he began his sermon, PJ pointed out that we need to be real with each other at church. When someone asks, “How are you?”, do not put on a fake smile and say everything is fine when, in reality, things aren’t going so well. Be honest enough to say, “I’m not doing so good today. I’d appreciate your prayers.”
By the same token, I would add that if things are going well for you, don’t be afraid to express that either. In general, Christians ought to be the most joyful of all people. This joy should be evident in our smiles and our attitudes when we come to church. As we come together to worship God, there certainly needs to be a sense of reverence for God in our hearts. But that doesn’t mean we have to come to church looking like we’ve been sucking on sour lemons.
So regardless of how things are going for you, be real enough to express that when you come to church and someone asks how you are.
Having spent a few days in fasting while he was in Dallas, John wanted to share some thoughts about fasting with us. His first point was that fasting and prayer are essential to experiencing God in our lives. Then we learned that sorrow and needing to make a big decision in your life serve as two reasons for fasting. I would add that repentance is another reason for fasting. In several places within the Old Testament, when the nation of Israel had been living in disobedience to God, a priest, prophet, or sometimes a king would call the nation to repentance, prayer, confession, and fasting. They were being called back to God.
I think this would be a good time to point out the effects of fasting, other than the fact that by the end of the fast, you are hungry. When I think of this, I quickly remember Jesus’ words to Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness. When Satan challenged Him to turn stones into bread, Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:4). This tells me that fasting reminds us that we are dependent upon God for our sustenance in life. The very breath we have in our bodies is a gift from Him. Fasting is intended to be an expression of our dependence upon God.
Second, I would point out that it is not just fasting, but fasting combined with prayer, that is essential to experiencing God. We do not fast just to see how long we can go without food. A time of fasting is to be a time of prayer, and probably some Bible reading as well. It is a time of talking to God, listening to God, seeking His will, seeking His face, communing with Him at the deepest levels of intimacy.
For how long should you fast? I think we should be wary about setting any definite guidelines. Matthew 4:2 says that Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. PJ’s recent fast lasted four days. Once, while in college, I participated in a 24-hour fast. The duration of the fast is not as significant as the purpose for the fast and your sincerity about it. However, I think most would say that if you just skip dinner one evening, that’s not much of a fast.
When done properly, fasting is an expression of our love for God, which brings us to the point that love overcomes any obstacles. At first, one might wonder what this has to do with fasting. And I will admit that at first, I struggled to come up with a proper transition between these two points. But let me submit to you that, as we learned on Sunday, love empowers us to lose the ability to be selfish. Fasting, as an exercise in self-discipline, can be a practice in selflessness. In addition, as we focus on God during a fast, God touches us with His love, which provides the supernatural ability to overcome any obstacle that would hinder us in loving God and loving other people.
This love is spoken of in I Corinthians 13, and Paul’s quintessential description of love ends with the statement, “Love never fails” (v. 8). And saying that love overcomes any obstacles is simply another way of stating the same truth.
Now, when we spend our lives loving God and loving those around us, we can live life without regret. In a world that focuses on success in business and finance, this is very important. For how often have we heard of a wealthy businessman, at the end of his life, say he regrets the fact that he was so preoccupied with building his empire that he never took time to love those who were closest to him? We have heard it many times. By contrast, we do not often hear anyone complain that he spent too much time with his family.
This idea of living without regret echoes the exhortation we find in both Colossians 1:9-10 and Ephesians 4:1. The passage in Colossians takes the form of a prayer as Paul writes, “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with all the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” In Ephesians 4:1, this exhortation to walk in a worthy manner actually takes the form of a command: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” And when you go on to read the next several verses in Ephesians 4, you will see that, for Paul, walking in such a manner means loving one another. So we have come full circle.

SOME QUESTIONS

1. Am I facing any situations that may call for fasting? Do I recognize the benefits of fasting, as well as the proper attitude toward fasting? (For those who have fasted before) Is my fasting an expression of my love for God, or is it just a religious duty?


2. Read I Corinthians 13:1-8, which talks about the characteristics of love, and Ephesians 4:1-3, where we are commanded to walk in a manner worthy of the calling of God in our lives. What similarities do you see between these two passages? How do they solidify the connection between the point that love overcomes any obstacles and the exhortation to live life without regret?