Matthew 6 - Practising Righteousness Sample

Fasting

As with giving and praying, so it is with fasting—God rewards the giver, God rewards the prayer, and God rewards the faster, if it is not being done to be seen by others.

Fasting can, by nature, be a little arduous and can have an unintended consequence—the capacity to make one look a little under the weather. In our culture fasting is normally accompanied with headaches and cranky attitudes for the first few days at least. Jesus asks us to find ways to obviate this by washing, looking fresh, and smelling good. Yes, it is as simple as that. The point is don’t make a point of appearing as though you are fasting. Were that to be the case you will be rewarded by people noticing (and maybe being impressed), but that’s all. We wouldn’t receive God’s reward, which is infinitely more wonderful and life giving, including answers to prayers, and seeing his will enacted on the earth.

Fasting is also assumed, as giving and prayer are. It is normal for Christ followers to fast. Is it possible that forgiveness and fasting are the least popular Christian disciplines? They require more of us; therefore, they are less likely to be practiced. It is no exaggeration to say that most great Christian endeavors, most progress of the Kingdom has a background impetus of fasting. It was the first thing Jesus did after being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is the first thing Paul did after his revelation of Jesus on the road to Damascus. It was the launching pad for Paul’s apostolic sending seen in Acts 13. It is unlikely anything of eternal value hasn’t had people fasting and seeking God. God rewards.