This week we consider Fasting & Abstinence alongside Exodus 16 as we conclude our worship series on practicing Christian disciplines to stay in love with God.
Outline for Staying in Love with God.
•May 15: Acts 2.1-21 (Public Worship)
•May 22: Acts 2:37-42 (Witness/Testimony)
•May 29: Psalm 92.1-4,12-15 (Prayer)
•June 5: 2 2 Timothy 3:14-17 (Searching Scripture)
•June 12: Matthew 26:26-28 (Communion)
•June 19: Exodus 16.1-3, 9-15, 31, 35 (Fasting)
In A Blueprint for Discipleship Kevin Watson writes: “Fasting is the practice of not eating food for a period of time. [John] Wesley regularly fasted throughout his life, either once or twice a week. Abstinence refers to abstaining from something….There are many things we can abstain from for a period of time in order to focus on our relationship with God…The point of fasting and abstinence is not to make ourselves miserable. Instead, it is a means of reminding us of our dependence on God.”
Reflect on your own experiences with Fasting and/or Abstinence. How did your experience with fasting or abstinence remind you of your dependence upon God? In what ways, if any, did your experience create a sense vulnerability and/or frustration?
Read Exodus 16.1-3, 9-15, 31, 35 and notice how the Israelites journeyed in the wilderness. While they did not fast entirely from food, they were hungry with only enough manna to sustain them for the forty years.
Finally, since this is the last week of our series, what practice(s) might you like to individually take on over the next nine weeks as we begin a new worship series on the parables of Jesus?