Day
4 and 5
“Dear
Darlene, When I was at school, the
teachers suggested (and after thinking about it, I thought it was a good idea)
that fasting is about giving up something that is so important to us, that we
FEEL the choice we make for God.
“So,
for example, at school - it was giving up chocolates, or TV. We were encouraged
to use the time we would have spent on these activities to contemplate God and
His goodness to us. We were also
encouraged to use the money that we would have spent on these activities to
donate to church – after all that is where we are fed His rich food.” Sincerely, Milena
Response to Milena:
"And
one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had
answered them well, asked Jesus, 'What commandment is the foremost of
all?'
“Jesus answered, 'The foremost is, 'Hear, O
Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord;
and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbour
as yourself.'
• There is no other commandment greater
then these.'"
We've
all heard that passage a few times, so we're not surprised with what it
says. There is, however, something
interesting in what the scribe says in response to Jesus' answer that applies
to fasting (as well as our daily lives in Christ):
"And
the scribe said to Him, 'Right, Teacher, You have truly stated that He is One;
and there is no One else besides Him; and to love Him with all the heart and
with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbour
as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.' And when Jesus saw that he had answered
intelligently, He said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.'" Mark 12:28-34
Having
so many of you respond for more information about fasting after the
"40-Days Season of Prayer and Fasting" I wrote about last week,
convinced me to write more frequently about fasting as we see the start of a
united prayer effort begin.
In
this passage in Mark, we can see the heart of fasting; the focus of our desire
to will and to complete a season of fasting is the attitude of our hearts (a
big favourite theme of mine!) not the sacrifice we make.
It
is not the food you do or don't eat that is the point of fasting. The point of fasting is to focus more clearly
on your loving heavenly Father God, the One who died to save mankind from their
desire to rebel against the Father's loving care.
Take
care with love, especially His! Your
servant and friend in Christ, who still prays for you each morning. Darlene
PS:
My statement of faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com You can find the WeakDay Devotion online by
doing a Google search for “WeakDay Devotion” (Also, there is an android “Google
Blogger” app you can download to read them on your phone.)
NEW PRAYER REQUESTS and UPDATES
(NOTE:
Words underlined have a link embedded to
provide more details)
For
more information, I’m researching and pulling an overview of this for you
at: https://newsaboutcovid19.blogspot.com/
Please
pray for the health care workers, those trying to contain the spread and most
importantly those who contract the virus – that they are wise and take
precautions to protect others.
Latest Update: (source John Hopkins) Please note that
the stats are typically updated about five hours from now, but these reflect
the changes overnight.
o Today in 67 countries (USA, Australia
and Thailand new)
o 88,338 confirmed cases
o 7,607 critical condition
o 3,001 reported deaths (all in China except
54 Iran, 34 Italy, 21 S Korea, 7 Cruise Ship, 5 Japan, 2 HK and France, 1 USA,
Australia, Thailand, Taiwan, The Philippines)
- Scott – getting Married March 26th, they will be a
blended and Blessed couple. Thank
you for praying all these years for him and his children.
- Baby Jolie– a
year old struggling to recover from meningitis and kidney failure. Still in hospital. Her leg wound remains a concern and
amputation is still a possibility.
She is responding and VERY SLOWLY getting better. Many hurdles have been crossed with
prayer and great Doctors, with several more to cross before she can go
home. (she will need full-time
nursing care) but it could be as soon as two weeks. Praise the Lord. Family so grateful for all your prayers.
- Savannah – has a very long road to travel.
The 15-year-old granddaughter of Cliff and Beth, diagnosed with a difficult-to-treat,
psychological disorder with potential serious consequences. New meds seem to be helping. She is showing progress with this brain
injury. Pray for her attitude,
wisdom for her health carers, patience for her parents and complete healing.
- USA President Donald Trump – It is our responsibility as Christians to
remember God has a plan through this man. If you doubt the importance of his
appointment, just look at how much antagonism there is against him. Surely Satan is NOT happy and means to
thwart God’s plan. Pray someone
helps President Trump understand the true meaning of a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ, that he will have a driving hunger to read
God’s Word for himself and that God sends a Bible-believing Christian to
regularly disciple him in the Truth and that God shuts the mouths of the
false prophets who circle around him.
- Fred – is making plans to move from California to Tennessee in the first
quarter of 2020. Pray for his wise
attention to details and stamina as he makes this life change.
- Tracey – Pray Tracey finds a new role to satisfy her and allow her to grow
and share her skills and wisdom.
- Me – The Lord has provided me with a short, 4-week project. Thank you for praying. Please pray He finds a way for my laptop
to be fixed soon (if you receive the email version with the full prayer
list, the formatting is different (sorry).
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