April 5, 2023

PRAYER, FASTING, AND ALMSGIVING

Tobit 12:8-9

Prayer is good with fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness. A few prayers with righteousness are better than many with wrongdoing. It is better to do almsgiving than to lay up gold. For almsgiving rescues one from death, and it will wash away every sin. Those who do almsgiving and are righteous will be full of life.

Personal Challenge

In the Eastern church and much of the Western church we are in the end stretch of this year's Lenten season. This year the two calendars are only one week apart. What do we do during Lent? We are asked to spend more time in prayer and do more fasting and almsgiving. For many this is perceived as living a life based on works. This could not be farther away from the truth. We choose to do prayer, fasting, and almsgiving because we are grateful for what God has done for us through His Son and we desire to be more like Christ and closer to God. We do this because we want to bring the desires and passions of the flesh under control and live lives worthy of our God. We do this out of love for Him. Glory be to God!