Deep Dive into Habits of Grace by David Mathis - Sharpen Your Affections with Fasting
Fasting is understood as a temporary spiritual discipline, which is explicitly destined to end when Jesus returns. It is a practice undertaken by believers specifically "in this life" because of their foundational "belief in the life to come," confident in the promise that they "will have it all in the age to come."
In the current age, fasting serves as a powerful means of God’s grace designed to enrich one’s joy in Jesus and to prepare hearts for the next life, for the ultimate experience of "seeing him face to face." It is a discipline for "this world," enabling individuals to stretch their hearts beyond the pervasive pain and trouble around them. Furthermore, it allows for the expression of a profound "holy discontent" with both personal sin and the inherent weakness within, thereby cultivating an intensified longing for more of Christ. This discipline is characterized as a "desperate measure, for desperate times, among those who know themselves desperate for God."
The temporary nature of fasting is intrinsically linked to the anticipation of Christ's second coming. Upon His return, the need for holy abstinence will cease entirely. At that glorious time, Jesus "will not call a fast but throw a feast," signifying that all holy abstinence will have fully served its glorious purpose. The true value of fasting as a spiritual gift will then be fully realized and understood. Until that transformative day, believers "will fast," embracing this radical, temporary measure to strengthen and sharpen their affections for God and to deepen their spiritual desires, acknowledging their hunger for more of the invisible God they have already "tasted and seen." It is a forward-looking practice, bridging the present reality with the promised future of complete divine satisfaction.
Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian
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