Can You Fast for Others?

Prayer ~ Lord, show me how You see me. I want to be pleasing to You in all that I think, say, and do…but am I really pleasing You? Our relationship is vital to me—without You, I feel worthless and alone—but with You I am complete and no matter the circumstances—I find joy in life. I want to serve You by serving others.

What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the LORD? No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. - Isaiah 58:4-8

 

Meditate. What are you doing to serve God and His chosen people?

 

I have been fasting a lot for months…intermittent fasting. It has not been spiritual fasting—just a new way of eating. It is not really a diet, but a way of reducing my weight, my waist and hopefully making me healthier. I was surprised by this scripture passage. Can we fast for others?

Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind.

Can you hear the echo of Jesus' words when He described how we are to treat our Christian brothers and sisters?

Are you fasting or eating?
Can you share it with others?

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.' Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' Matthew 25:34-40

Jesus was teaching His disciples…and us…with the story of the King and the coming judgment. A good lesson on how God sees what we are doing. Look at how you treat others. Do you turn away from opportunities to serve the thirsty, hungry, and poorer people—assumed to be Christians—in your community? Time to consider others—to serve God’s chosen. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ And he will answer, 'I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life." Matthew 25:45-46 (Eternal life = salvation)

 

Memory Verse of the Week ~ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Romans 8:31

 

© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins of the Bible: New Testament Stories

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