“Do you know that in a race all runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-26
The Christian life is similar to athletic training. It involves a two-sided strategy of doing things that improve athletic performance while avoiding (or abstaining from) things that degrade performance. Athletes will abstain from certain foods, risky activities in other sports, and events that conflict with their exercise and rest plans. Paul uses the metaphor of a runner in the previous passage. It is clear that he led a “simple” life. One uncluttered with things, activities, and events that (although okay) would turn out to be detrimental to his life goals.
Part of “Christian training” is controlling the desires that come naturally to us. In many cases, they are inherently okay, but can be an enemy of the best. They can crowd out our goals, cloud our motives, or become addictive. Desires like food, sex, fun, praise, influence, and popularity are okay unless we become slaves to them. Fasting is one way to refocus our attention on God.
Anything that we go to in place of God for comfort in a time of need has become an idol to us. It is when you go to any of them first in a time of need that they have ceased to be good for you.
In her book Soul Feast, Marjorie Thompson calls the habit of simplicity and abstaining “self-emptying.”
But isn’t that, well, draining? Where does sacrifice fit into a life of joy?
Jan Johnson writes in Simplicity and Fasting (Spiritual Disciplines Bible Studies):
“But the death to self is difficult! train us to relinquish what we want. But when done as God leads, they do not need to make us miserable. teach us to truly enjoy each blessing of creation as it comes–enjoying one simple luscious grape at a time, being grateful for a car that runs well, getting us from one place to the next.
We learn to love the world God loves without running on the fuel it runs on–unlimited amounts and varieties of food, media and words.”
Pause and pray for guidance as you reflect on the excesses in your life. Then complete the following exercise.
Examine your motives for saying “yes” to too many things. Think of three times you said “yes” in the last three days. Ask these questions about these times:
Stay tuned for part three: When to Exercise Abstinence. Or download your free copy of Simplicity and Sacrifice today!
If you missed our free live-streamed event with Mindy Caliguire last week, we won’t hold it against you. We had a great time discussing the vital need as leaders to lean into God every day, and lean off of yourself. Are you taking care of your own heart? Are you a disciple as well as a discipleship leader?
Here are three of the top take-aways reported by the attendees:
“This is a constant thing so I need to daily give myself this reminder — maybe even at multiple times of the day. I lean into God already but it’s easy to neglect it and sort of float on my own.”
“The cost of following Jesus in ministry ISN’T to be the diminishing of our own soul.”
“I will need to come back to this when necessary conversations come up relating to this.”
“Our adversary is not the board, the senior pastor, etc… God has made a way for transformation to happen through intercessory prayer.”
Which brings us to…
“We need to wisely tap into intercessors.”
“I will need to pray about who and how to get better at this.”
And what was the #1 next action planned by DiscipleOn! members and guests?
Lead a rebellion! With the mindset of a rebel – lead for transformation yet with the determination to not allow our own souls to be neglected.
The checks are in! The donations from #GivingTuesday have been counted (and multipled x4!). Y’all, we are at 91% of our goal!!
Thank you to everyone who has taken up the challenge from our generous “Matching2Multiply” crew! There are 17 days left in the year…who is going to push us over the top and max out our x2 matching offer?!
Fasting, abstaining, saying no…these often carry negative connotations in our culture today. But abstaining played a more positive role in Scripture.
In the Old Testament, abstinence and/or fasting were encouraged and practiced for many reasons:
From these examples and others in Scripture, we see that, yes, abstaining meant giving something up, but the goal of that abstinence included holiness (being set apart), prayer, service, faith, and celebration. These are all very positive and good things. In the New Testament, we see Jesus on earth as a human, showing us how to live God’s intended lifestyle. Simplicity and abstinence were part of His life, and should be an intentional practice in ours.
Christ practiced abstinence…
Jesus was also clear that there were times not to fast – “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.” (Matthew 9:14-15).
Here the emphasis is on Jesus’ presence, with fasting as a symbol of mourning when the cause for celebration was gone. Since Pentecost, Christians have the Holy Spirit living in them, giving them cause to celebrate God’s presence every moment of every day.
Abstinence gives us cause to celebrate because we are obeying Him and becoming more like Him.
Want to learn more about the spiritual practice of fasting? We want to help you! Simplicity and Sacrifice: Embracing More with Less is available to download for free, as our gift to you this Christmas.
Mindy’s passion for church leadership and disciple-growing cultures is clear from her body of work. She’s the founder of Soul Care, a spiritual formation ministry that exists to increase “soul health” in the body of Christ. She previously served as the Director of Transformation Ministry for the Willow Creek Association (WCA) and currently serves on the senior alignment team at Gloo as the Compassion International & Church Initiative Lead (www.gloo.us). Mindy is also a speaker and leadership consultant, working with local churches and national organizations such as Renovare, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Salvation Army, and her home church, Ascent (www.ascentcc.org).
Register for the webinar (FREE!)
“Right now, I’m reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I’m also in the middle of Canoeing the Mountains by Todd Bolsinger, and it’s really blessing me. It’s about adaptive leadership — how do you lead in uncharted territory? I think it’s a helpful perspective for our staff and elders. I’ve asked my leadership team to read it too.”
Rachel Young, Associate Pastor of Spiritual Formation
Clear Lake Presbyterian Church, Houston, TX
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Wow! Our donors are amazing. Thank you, to everyone who gave from $20 to $1,000 on #GivingTuesday. Checks are still coming in, but so far your gifts have exceeded those received for National Giving Day last year by a whopping 63%!
With one month left to go in 2016, we’re over halfway to our year-end fundraising goal. This has been a year of growth, momentum, and humbling gifts as God continues to work through Ascending Leaders to make a discernible difference for discipleship in the churches we partner with. So what do you think — can we fly right on past that stretch goal? Can you help us do more than we could possibly envision on our own?
Good news: our Matching2Multiply crew is standing by to double your donations through the end of the year!! You may have missed #GivingTuesday, but you can still multiply your impact by sending a check or giving online before midnight on New Year’s Eve!*
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