Yes, we know:
If you snack too much, you won’t be hungry for supper.
Yet we do it anyway.
What about with God? Do we overdo the junk food (satisfying worldly appetites) so that we’re left with no appetite for the satisfying things of God? John Piper argues yes.
In A Hunger for God [download a free copy], Piper says we can re-awaken our appetites through fasting. Delighting more in the Giver; less in the gift.
Food is good. But God is better. Normally we meet God in his good gifts and turn every enjoyment into worship with thanksgiving.
But from time to time we need to test ourselves to see if we have begun to love his gifts in place of God.
The reward? God himself.
Fast to glorify him, for his will to be done, for his name to be honored. Not to win admiration from others. Not to earn brownie points from him. (You can’t negotiate with God.)
As we let God satisfy us, we will be restored not only to serve him, but also to serve others. Isn’t it interesting that three famous men in the Bible who fasted (Moses, Elijah, Jesus) are also three who were used to miraculously feed others?
In A Hunger for God, Piper works through Isaiah 58 to show that our fasting is not merely to deny ourselves, but to supply the needs of others. When we fast, we are to feed the hungry; house the homeless; satisfy afflicted souls;….
And the rewards from fasting will come: light out of darkness; physical strengthening; continual guidance; soul satisfaction; ….
God rewards fasting because fasting expresses the cry of the heart that nothing on the earth can satisfy our souls besides God. God must reward this cry because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.
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1 comment:
I needed this today. Thanks! :-)
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