June 9, 2016

WHY DO WE FAST?

2 Chronicles 30:18-20

Most of the people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not cleansed themselves, but they ate the Passover contrary to what was written.

But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the good Lord provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, even though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary." And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

Encouraging Words

In the Orthodox Church, we practice fasting. We fast from meat, dairy, and various other items every Wednesday and Friday, during Lent, and other times throughout the year. We do not do this in a legalistic way...at least it is not intended to be that way. We go so far as to teach that I am responsible for my plate only and not my brother or sister's plate. We also teach that if a someone offers me something that would break my fast, I take it because the love for my neighbor is a high calling than keeping the fast. So, why do we fast? Just as an athlete exercises and practices to improve their skill at their game, so do we as we fast. Think about it. The original sin committed by Adam and Eve was breaking a fast. God told them to abstain from eating from the forbidden tree, and to this day we all have the challenge of putting things before God. Food can be one of those things. If I can develop my "muscles" of saying, "No!" to that which my body, or more likely my mind, craves, then I can begin to say, "No!" to the other passions in my life. By exercising one muscle I also exercise others. The fasting will not get me into the kingdom of God, only Jesus can do that. It will not earn me any brownie points with God, heaven knows that I am worthless in relationship to Him and only Jesus can host me into the presence of God. I fast so that I can focus more on my God than on me. I fast so that I have more that I can give to my neighbor who is in need. I fast so that I can sacrifice my desires and take up the cross of Jesus and glorify Him. God blesses us because of the state of our hearts, not the rules that we follow.