Give Up. Pursue Christ.

     Is there value in Lent?  Is there value in giving up those doughnuts I love so much?  How about a "Facebook Fast" or abstaining for other forms of media.  If so, what should be given up and what are the benefits? In Colossians 2, Paul states, "If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh" (Colossians 2:20-23 ESV).   Paul doesn't seem to have a high view of abstaining, at least not for the purpose of stopping our flesh from it's pursuits.  This is because an external focus will never address the heart of our spirituality or sin issue.  Sin is not "out there," sin begins in our own hearts and minds.  Doughnuts are not the cause of my sin, my desires are (James 1:13-15).  
     The obvious question is, "So, Paul, what IS of value (or helpful) in stopping the indulgence of the flesh?"  The answer is not found in physical pursuits or restraints themselves, but in what we set our minds upon (Colossians 3:1-2).  When we set our minds on Christ, we will put off the pursuits of the flesh and put on the spiritual pursuit of Christ-likeness.  But how does one set their mind on Christ?  Paul says,  "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 ESV)"  To the Ephesians his similar admonition is "do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit"(Ephesians 5:17-18 ESV).  In other words, be saturated with the Word of God, filled with the Spirit of God and make no provision for the appetites of the flesh!  We attack the deceptions of the flesh with the truth of the Word and we submit to the work of the Spirit as we obey God's Word in the power of the Spirit.
     An eternal focus is the result of the Scripture saturated, Spirit filled child of God.  The passing nature of the physical world and this temporary body is secondary to the eternal reality of what is to come.  To do otherwise, is to live opposed to the eternal life and hope which Christ died to give us.  In Philippians 3, Paul puts it this way: "For many...walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself" (Philippians 3:18-21 ESV).  
     The physical pea shooters of mere physical restraint ultimately have no effect in an all out spiritual war.  Should we fast?  Some would say that Jesus' instructions on fasting in Matthew 6:16-18 were given before his death, resurrection and ascension and prior to the promise Holy Spirit.  However we find the church fasting in Acts 13:1-3 we find the believers at Antioch fasting and the Holy Spirit directing them during this fast.  What was the focus of their fast?  NOT giving up food, but prayer!  A chapter in Acts 14 later Paul and Barnabas are found "fasting and praying" as they commit newly appointed elders to the Lord. Again, the focus is not giving up, but rather pursuing Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit.  There is no sense of a bargaining with God and while this was a corporate fast (yes, they each knew the other was participating), they did not do it for the approval of others (Matt. 6:16-18), they did it to rid themselves of distraction.
    So we find ourselves back at Colossians 3:2 where Paul exhorts us to "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."  If fasting can help you clear away distractions in order to focus upon "Christ who is your life" (Colossians 3:3), then by all means fast.  If fasting is in any way performance or a physical restraint to combat your fleshly indulgences, then be reminded that they "are of no value" to such ends.  Faith in Christ is everything, so when we abstain or fast, may it be to express our longing for more of Christ! . Faith in Christ is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4-5).  Faith is how we began this walk--not by works.  Therefore, faith is how we daily continue this walk--by the Spirit (Galatians 3:1-3). 
     Let's not ask what our friends are giving up for Lent, rather let's ask those who are participating, "What are you pursuing?" and engage one another in a Christ-centered conversation that focuses on our longing for the person, work and promises of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  Let us ALWAYS PURSUE CHRIST with all the strength that the Spirit of God provides! Pursuing anything less is chasing shadows...a lot of religious activity with little to show for it.


Additional resources on fasting:
1.  Scripture: Isaiah 58
2.  Desiring God Ministries:  http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/topic-index/fasting

• Including this quote:  "Do you have a hunger for God? If we don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because we have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because we have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Our soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great. If we are full of what the world offers, then perhaps a fast might express, or even increase, our soul's appetite for God. Between the dangers of self-denial and self-indulgence is the path of pleasant pain called fasting."

3.  Grace to You:  http://www.new-testament-christian.com/fasting.html

"Buffering. Please wait...."

      We've all impatiently waited for a streaming video to play while the notification on the computer screen or smartphone noted that it was "buffering..."  Infuriating, isn't it?  We wait without any option but waiting, except to abandon our quest to view the video which is promised just beyond the reach of “Buffering…”  We feel helpless and dependent on our computer and our connection, longing for a better signal that will give us the immediacy we demand.  No amount of begging, cajoling or complaining changes the wait.  Even refreshing the screen merely restarts our wait!  We demand that the computer bring us our visual entertainment, now!  We may have watched countless videos without wait, but if this one video refuses to flash forth its promised pleasure, then we are reduced to our complaining and passively waiting (or maybe an irritated call to customer service who helpfully offers no help at all because that's what they are paid to do!).  But the computer doesn’t care and our internet connection has no ears to hear or desire to come to our aid, regardless of the length of our wait or the loudness of our complaints.

      Waiting is not our strength.  We do not want to wait for anyone or anything, or at least I don’t.  I don’t want to be late. I don’t want to be dependent.  I don’t want to be delayed.   I don’t want to be in need.  But in God’s economy, my need is opportunity.  It is an opportunity for me to wait patiently and it is an opportunity for him to act graciously.   Patient waiting is belief in action, which is faith.  Patient waiting expresses the belief that what is coming will care for my present need and expresses dependence upon the one who delivers what is needed.   Waiting and faith go hand in hand for they are they are, in fact, made up of the same ingredients of knowledge, dependence and helplessness.  If you know that God is the source of your strength and the supply of your needs, then you wait.  If you cannot change your situation or alter your need, then on your own you are, in reality, dependent and helpless.  Depending on your situation and your personality, this may leave you feeling lonely, discouraged, depressed, angry, bitter....or all the above.

      However, the believer is not without hope for we have been instructed to “wait upon the Lord” with the expectation that on the other side of this “buffering” of grace is the pleasure of God’s rich supply (Psalm 24:14; 31:24; 37:7; 130:5; Isaiah 33:2) .  We wait because we know waiting to receive what God provides is far greater than moving forward depending on our strength.  Thankfully, we do not wait in passivity.  We actively wait as we confidently “draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).  This active waiting avoids despair and it avoids the strange pride of the religious martyr who strives to impress God and others in his waiting.  Unlike the buffering video, there is something you can do in your waiting upon the Lord—seek  Him and all he provides in prayer.  He already knows you and your needs (Matthew 6:32-34; Luke 12:30-31) and will provide for all your needs according to his supply, which is unending and unaffected by connections and equipment!

      Do you want to hear an amazing truth?  The God who commands us to confidently approach him in our need to find mercy and grace is waiting to be gracious to you!  Isaiah 30:18 states,  “The LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”  God often waits to bless, for our waiting on Him rather than our self-willed persistence brings glory to him and puts us in position to recieve his mercy and grace.