READ:
John
18:1-11 and Philippians 3: 4-11, focusing on verse 10
CONSIDER:
In John
18 the ways of the world (self-serving ambition) and the weapons of the world
(armies & swords) are contrasted with the ways of King Jesus. His kingdom is not of this world (Jn. 18:36),
and he puts others ahead of himself. “Jesus
is saying, “My kingdom is not of this world.
It’s completely different. This
is how I’m going to change things: I’m going to put others ahead of
myself. I’m going to love my enemies.
I’m going to serve and sacrifice for others.
I’m not going to repay evil with evil; I’m going to overcome evil with
good. I will give up my power, my
life. Weakness, poverty, suffering, and
rejection will now be at the top of the list.
My revolution comes without the sword; it is the first true
revolution.”” (Tim Keller, The King’s Cross. P. 189)
In
Philippians 3 we see how Jesus turned Paul’s life around. Some would say he turned it upside down. In reality Jesus turned Paul’s world
right-side-up. Paul’s worldly ambitions
were set aside, counted as worthless compared to the new ambition God had given
him. Knowing Christ was now the motivation and goal of Paul’s life. Such knowledge of Christ comes through
intimacy with Christ. Through this
intimacy we come to know His power.
Through this intimacy we find that walking with Christ includes suffering,
and this suffering is embraced because in it we come to know more of the grace
and love of Jesus. Through this intimacy
we see death in the light of Jesus’ own death and resurrection.
PRAY:
Pray for
the Holy Spirit to make His word alive to you; for you to have new insight and
understanding on the suffering of Jesus in the hours leading up to the
cross.
Pray for
your heart to be filled with thanksgiving and praise for Christ, knowing he
walked this road of suffering for your sake.
Pray for
God to show you the reality of your personal ambitions, your affections, your
goals; and pray for Him to show you where any of these have taken priority over
Jesus or have become a hindrance in your walk with Christ.
Confess
these things.
Thank God
for the forgiveness that is yours in Christ.
A Few Tips On Fasting
Donald
Whitney says, “Like all the spiritual disciplines,
fasting hoists the sails of the soul in hope of experiencing the gracious wind
of God's Spirit. But fasting adds a
unique dimension to your spiritual life and helps you grow in Christlikeness in
ways that are unavailable through any other means.”
The specifics of how you participate
in this time of fasting is up to each individual & family to determine,
keeping in mind any medical issues that might be present. Perhaps one
day is as good as another, but planning is essential and helpful. Monday
is my suggestion, as I will produce a prayer guide for that day based on the
previous Sunday's sermon. The guide might also look forward to the next
passage and could also be a part of our weekly LG discussion.
Susan and I will seek to fast for a
24 hour period, but everyone can do it as they feel led and as they are
physically able. For instance Susan and I would eat dinner on Sunday night,
then fast until Monday dinner, being sure to drink lots of water throughout the
day.
One of
the best sourses for specifics about fasting was written by Bill Bright, and
can be found here: http://www.cru.org/train-and-grow/devotional-life/personal-guide-to-fasting.html
Fasting
can narrowly be defined as the spiritual discipline of abstaining in some
significant way from normal food for spiritual purposes. The Bible defines fasting as a Christian's voluntary abstinence
from food for spiritual purposes.
Fasting is voluntary in the sense that it is not to be coerced. Unfortunately fasting may seem very foreign and strange to
many of us, because we are not used to doing without food or drink, and we are
not interested in voluntary discomfort. Donald
Whitney says, “Christians in a gluttonous,
self-indulgent society may struggle to accept and to begin the practice of
fasting. Few disciplines go so radically
against the flesh and the mainstream of culture.”
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