Okay…let’s chat.  So, I’ve enjoyed hearing some great “fast” stories of God’s provision, people seeing God’s hand working in amazing ways, and testimonies of people being stretched spiritually, emotionally, and physically.  But, I am starting to hear some frustration.

For many of you, this may be your first extended fast.  Some are noticing low blood sugar…others are communicating that it is affecting their work performance…others decided early on that they wouldn’t be able to go without food, so they shut it down all together.

My first response is praising the Lord!  “What?!?!  Why would you praise the Lord about those comments?”  I praise the Lord that people are talking about it…that they have thought about what it could look like in their lives…that many have started.

My second response is to encourage you to remember my message.  It is not the “letter of the law” that is important.  In other words, it is not the details but the motivation of your heart, and the replacing of whatever you are going without with intentional spiritually intense activities.  If you can’t go without food the next three days, find something else.  The point is to heighten our hunger for God – by humbly purifying ourselves, expressing total dependence in Christ, and seeking His clarity of direction.

I can tell you that I am not super human!  I am struggs with the food thing.  I stopped at Home Depot last night at 153rd and 169, and Red Robin was intentionally sending out wafts of its glorious bottomless fries and stacked burgers!  But, as I struggled with the aroma and my new-found appreciation for food, I thought of a message I listened to yesterday morning, and I was struck with today’s topic…one that I pray will not only help those of you who are hanging on with the fast but all of us in our spiritual disciplines – the topic of delight.

Spiritual Disciplines (Morning Reflection)
Many of you know that I grew up in a church with strong fundamentalist roots.  The kind of roots that – intentional or not – can often be perceived as focusing on the externals…what do you wear, how long is your hair (don’t have to worry about that one anymore!), do you carry your Bible around (and how big is it?), are you reading the Bible, how long are your prayers…you get the picture.  But as with much of what the fundamentalist attempt to do, there were some good starting points.  We should be disciplined in our Christian life.  Don Whitney’s book (Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life) is an excellent starting point for understanding what these are and how to cultivate them – Biblical Intake, Prayer, Worship, Evangelism, Serving, Stewardship, Fasting, Journaling…   Friends, this is the fuel that keeps the engine burning…the nourishment that causes the baby to grow…the…well, you get the point.  Examine this list to see any that are not present.  Start small, be consistent, and rely on Christ’s strength to grow you.

Delight Fuels Discipline (Afternoon Reflection)
I see that hand…you in the back, do you have a question?  “Yes, I thought today’s topic is ‘delight’.”  Ahhh, yes, you are correct.  So, this is where delight comes in.  The message yesterday morning was by Matt Chandler.  It was his New Year’s message…talking about resolutions.  He made a poignant statement that I want to commend to you:  “Unless delight is driving discipline, discipline doesn’t last.”

Boy, is this true!  Why do the gyms packed in January thin out in February and March?  Why do we have a hard time sticking to diets – and then even more sticking to a healthy lifestyle after we come off of them?  It’s because without our discipline being driven by delight, discipline will not last!

Apply this to your fast…to your spiritual disciplines.  Repent where needed and seek the strength of Christ to change your heart.

Delight…What Does It Look Like? (Evening Reflection)
What do we typically delight in? Good food – such as deep dish Chicago style pizza!!!!  Our family…our careers…out toys…our friends…I could go on.  But, what makes us delight in them?  We find value in them.  There is benefit to us.  They produce joy in our lives.  Yet, all of those realities have the potential of failing us…of changing.

Thankfully, the Bible provides help.  Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord…”  The deeper you know and have experienced God (His provision in your life, His leading, His prompting…), the greater your delight!  God never changes (Malachi 3:6).

Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Your words were found…and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.”  Do you delight to know and apply God’s Word?  After all, it is God’s Word that is said to be “more desired than gold, than much fine gold“! (Psalm 19:10).

Read the Psalms, and you will quickly discover that the Psalmists delighted in prayer.  Consider what prayer is…a direct line to the Sovereign of the Universe.  One that is never busy.  One that will always be picked up.  One that delights to do good to us (Romans 8:28-29).  THAT’S something to delight in.

And then there’s the whole reality of our salvation (Psalm 149:4).  That God would condescend to us as depraved sinners and call us out of darkness into His marvelous light…that He would do for us what we could never do ourselves…and that He would give us Christ and the Holy Spirit to sustain us on our journey…

Do any of those other horizontal realities even come close to providing what these spiritual realities promise?

Delight in the Lord, His Word, Prayer, and your Salvation…May the Lord be the focus of your fast, and may delight drive your discipline!

Thought For The Day…
“The attempt to satisfy self apart from doing the will of God is inevitably not just a frustrating and empty thing, but even a very discouraging thing.” – James MacDonald