Posts with the tag “fasting”

This powerful exploration of Mark 2:18-22 challenges us to examine whether we're truly feasting with Jesus or just trying to fit Him into our old religious routines. The Pharisees and John's disciples were fasting while Jesus' followers were celebrating, and this difference wasn't about breaking rules—it was about recognizing who was in their midst. Jesus uses vivid imagery to make His point: He's the bridegroom at a wedding feast, the new cloth that covers our shame completely, and the new wine that requires entirely new wineskins. The warning is clear and urgent: we cannot simply patch Jesus onto our existing lives or pour His transformative presence into the containers of our old ways. He didn't come to be added to what we're already doing; He came to make everything new. This message confronts our tendency to reduce Jesus to a religious accessory, to repackage Him according to our preferences, or to reject Him altogether. The question that should shake us is this: Why would we continue fasting on Jesus while feasting on the world, when we could be feasting on Him and fasting from everything that brings death? The joy of knowing Christ isn't about somber religious performance—it's about celebrating the reality that our Bridegroom has come, our shame is covered, and we've been given completely new life.  Read More

There are plenty of reasons people fast from certain things. There are medical, dietary, and religious fasts (Ramadan is an annual Muslim fast seeking to earn favor). Why would or should Christians fast?Before I share why we should fast, let me address one misplaced motive. We should not fast to get something from God. Several Christians seem to add fasting to their regular disciplines to convince...  Read More

That is the title of the first chapter in John Piper's book, A Hunger for God. (Click here for a free ebook). It's also a question lots of Christians ask. Since Lent is most often associated with fasting, and most of us probably don't practice the spiritual discipline of fasting often, I thought it would be good for us to consider this question in this season. In short, the answer to the question ...  Read More

This Wednesday, February 14th, is not just Valentine’s Day. It’s also the first day of Lent. Much like the season of Advent, Lent is a season of preparation. While Advent is focused on Jesus coming to us, Lent prepares us to reflect on and celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection. Starting on Ash Wednesday, it lasts until Easter. It is 40 days long, not counting Sundays, since these are considered ...  Read More