So, you made it to Day Three…praise the Lord!  Last night I was tossing out one of my girl’s remaining scraps of a cheese burrito.  As the water drenched the tortilla and it slipped away into the garbage disposal, I caught myself day-dreaming, “I bet that would taste AMAZING!”  (True story)

It is amazing the emotions you experience when you have gone without something you take for granted.  So, as we look to day three of our week-long fast, my thoughts immediately turned to gratitude. Wouldn’t that be a good topic for day three?  (Spoiler Alert – that will be a good topic…but not today.)  We could talk about those countries where the people are thankful for scraps – which would be more food for a day than they are used to.  But, before we get there, I experienced another reflection that I want to commend to you today.

Repentance
As I studied the topic of fasting, humility and repentance were constant companions of this discipline.  As you have reflected on glory and the gospel – or perhaps as you have stretched yourself beyond what you ever have before in denying yourself of food or some other essential function of your daily life – I wonder if you have been given a clearer picture of your weaknesses and perhaps your dependence on “good” things (sometimes at the expense of the “best” things)?

Repent of Distractions (Morning and Afternoon Reflection)
Evaluate your life and examine it as a fruit pie (whoops! sorry for the food reference!) where the entire pie is a representation of the 24 hours that make up your day.  How much of that pie is spent on work, hobbies, family activities, listening to news programs, sports programs, shopping, checking Facebook, texting, entertainment, driving, hanging with friends…all potentially “good” things in and of themselves?  Now how much of that pie is spent on intentional meditating on God’s Word, reflective and worshipful prayer, discipleship, dwelling on those things which are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy (as defined by God’s Word!), stirring up good works in love in other believers (discipleship), etc…all activities the Bible instructs us to have as part of our daily lives – the “best” things?  Now, I’m not wanting to get legalistic and start exhorting what activities to avoid and what the proportion should look like.  But, let’s look at it realistically.   How many times do we say, “I really should be doing better…” but then congratulate ourselves on our “transparency” – never doing anything about it?  If there are areas in which God convicts you, repent of them.  And, in the power of the Holy Spirit, trust Christ to strengthen you to desire and pursue the “best” things today, and tomorrow, and the next day…

Repent of Respectable Sins (Evening Reflection)
Jerry Bridges brings to light a very “un-fun” topic in his book Respectable Sins.  So many times we think of sins we need to repent of as: adultery, drunkenness, stealing…you know, the “big ones”.  Ever approached the throne of grace ready to confess your sins and concluded, “hmmm…I can’t think of anything to confess”?  Here’s a snapshot of those Bridges chooses to identify (and there could be many more!):  Ungodliness, Anxiety and Frustration, Discontentment, Unthankfulness, Pride, Lack of Self-Control, Impatience and Irritability, Anger, Judgmentalism, Worldliness, Envy and Jealousy, Sins of the Tongue…I’ll stop there.  All of these are areas the Bible calls “sin.”  Ugggh!  Even in typing these, I feel a Paul-like confession coming on – “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)

The joy of the topic of repentance is that – when we do it biblically – Romans 7:25 applies to us!  “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  This allows such a discouraging topic to become our ultimate hope in this life!  The victory is through Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:57).  Celebrate who we are in Christ today and what we can become through repentance and victory!

Thought for the Day…
“What has God given me to break the pattern of not doing the things that I most want to do? Answer:  Fasting.”  – James MacDonald*

*These quotes come from a larger set of cards from Walk In The Word.  I would highly recommend them.  Pull one in the morning and take the card – and the thought – with you throughout the day.  For more information, click here.