Choosing to Push Away from the Table
1 Corinthians 8:8
But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.
Encouraging Words
One of the practices of our Orthodox faith is fasting. We fast from meat and dairy on most Wednesdays and Fridays. We fast during Lent and throughout other times of the year. It is interesting how many times I am told by non-Orthodox friends that fasting is not spiritual and it is a form of works. This saddens me because we do not fast for legalistic reasons. We also know that salvation only comes through the works of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, why do we fast? First, it is because our Lord told us to fast. He fasted as well. Secondly, it is so that we can develop discipline in our lives. If I can control what I eat at certain times, and the desires that drive me to eat, then I can learn to control other aspects of my life as well. Third, it is so easy to develop a passion around eating and fasting helps me to learn how to control this passion as well as others. And this list goes on. What is important is that we are taught to do all that we do out of love for God and our neighbor. Glory be to God!
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