Fasting Part 1

# 284 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 20:34-39, “So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully. 35 And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. 36 Then he said to his lad, "Now run, find the arrows which I shoot." As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, "Is not the arrow beyond you?" 38 And Jonathan cried out after the lad, "Make haste, hurry, do not delay!" So Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. 39 But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. (1 Sam 20:34-39) Jonathan carries on his conversation with David through the lad, even adding some extra words of warning to David, “make haste, hurry, do not delay.” I think of those who have been called to minister the gospel in the church today. The Lord speak to us through them, just as Jonathan spoke to David through the lad. These ministers of today ought to have the same sense of urgency as they bring the gospel to the masses. “Make haste, hurry, do not delay,” your soul is in grave danger without Jesus! Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior now! Today is the day of your salvation! Something else that strikes me about Jonathan's actions at the table. He rose from the table in fierce anger and refused to eat the entire second day of the feast. The Bible has a word for refusing to eat....it's called fasting. Fasting is one of the greatest spiritual tools that the Lord has provided for His church, and in fact is one of the distinguishing marks of a follower of Christ. Jesus said to His followers in Mt 6:16, “when you fast,” Such a statement coupled with His remark that after He departed from this earth His disciples WILL fast, ((Mt 9:15) indicates to me that this discipline is expected of you and I. In the days ahead, I will be spending some time teaching on this powerful Christian discipline, praying it will have an impact on you and more importantly in God's kingdom.