Beautiful Friday

Friday already.   How did that happen?    BC Forest Industry should be kept in business this week with the amount of paperwork our household has used with Church,  work,  Courses,  and Reports being printed.   Amazing!  Country and Western author,   Louis L'Amour always said when you read a book,  you need to plant a tree.  Indeed.   Ditto with creating 15 to 30 page reports!

With online courses and assignments,  it is amazing how one has to develop a discipline towards getting the assignment in on time.    Each of us in this house have a differing way of getting assignments completed.   Husband spends a lot of time on Facebook games while "contemplating".   Old Son reads course books and zooms onto internet research... in between checking out favourite websites :)    I do a bit of studying each day,  jotting notes down on the computer,  then three days before the assignment is due there is a bit flurry of writing.    Then the assignment is left for one day and then reviewed,  word smithed,  references checked.   And who comes out with the top marks in their course?   Husband who plays Facebook games of course.  Life is amusing.

Have a great Friday and remember to take time to thank God for our family (yes, even the one's that play Facebook games :).

Devotional 

Prayer:   Majesty and Almighty God,  we thank You that You provide us with disciplines that we can follow so that we can fulfil Your Great Commission.  This day,  let us know of Your presence as we go out into the world telling them about You Son.  Amen.

Read:  St. Matthew 6: 16 - 18

Fasting.  The voluntary  abstinence from food.    This is one of the Christian Disciplines that we Presbyterians have tossed aside.   Back in the day,  Fasting used to be as important to do as Prayer, Reading Daily Scripture,  attending Communion Preparatory worship,  and so on.    Why has fasting been tossed aside by Presbyterians?   Good question!     

Fasting.   The verse opens with Jesus saying to the Disciples,  “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites…..”  But why is it when we Fast for a blood test,  all we can think about is that huge chocolate bar or nice salty hamburger and fries or the 5 inch thick steak  or the buttery whipped potatoes??  Fasting for the Jewish peoples occurred in two ways.  First  fasting was a visible sign of mourning.      Second,  fasting was a time of High Holy times.

In Leviticus 23: 26-32, the Israelites are given instruction on how and why to Fast.

Some Christian Churches today fast during Lent.   Because our denomination does not make Fasting one of it’s disciples,  we end up focussing more on ourselves than Fasting to clear our thoughts to God.  So,  do you think that Fasting must become one of our Church’s disciples again?  Why or why not? 

Prayer:    Great God, we thank You for this time studying Your word.  Help us as we take what we have learned this day and stepped out in Your love.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.  

Many blessings!