Fasting

At RMCM, we are taking this first full week of the year as a time of fasting and prayer. We are doing this as a means of consecrating this first portion of the year to the Lord, and also as a way to seek Him for His vision for us in 2010. Here are a couple of thoughts on fasting that I hope will help you have a great week of seeking God.

Fasting is not something that Christians do as a sacrifice to get God’s attention, His favor, or His blessing. Favor and blessing are provided for the believer by the blood of Jesus, and appropriated by the believer through faith.

Fasting does not move God; God has already moved toward us in Christ. Fasting moves us–it humbles us, and puts us in a position to more clearly hear what God is saying to us.

Fasting demonstrates the fact that we live by the Spirit and by faith, not by the flesh. When we fast, we set food, and other distractions aside, not just for the sake of setting them aside, but in order to clear the way for some quality time with God.

Over the course of the week, we will be sharing a few ideas about fasting, as well as some keys to effective fasting. I hope all of you are off to a good start in setting this first full week of the year aside to God.

Karen and I would be very interested in your thoughts and experiences during this week. Drop us an email, and let us know how it is going.

Pastor John

LOOKING AT THE BRIGHT SIDE

I wish to report that I set a new personal record today for a 5K run. Unfortunately, it was a new slowest 5K ever. Maybe I have run one slower, but I think I was asleep at the time and can’t remember it clearly. But, even at times like this, I like to look at the bright side. After all, even when we are going through difficult times in life, there is always a lesson to be learned, or some positive element to it all, if we just look for the silver lining. Paul wrote, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things” - Philippians 4:8. So, I decided that no matter how slowly I slogged through my run today, I would practice thinking of it in positive terms. Here is what I came up with:

One great thing about the course I selected was that the first half is all uphill. Why is that good? Because being an out and back, it means the second half is all downhill. This course also happens to be one of my favorite places to run in the summer. Karen and I regularly run anywhere from 3 to 6.5 miles on this series of roads and trails. The familiarity of knowing the area well, and having run it many, many times, added to the feeling of near motionlessness as I crawled over the terrain today. It was kind of hypnotic.

Another positive today, was that having done virtually no exercise whatsoever for the last three months, I was well rested at the beginning. For some reason that feeling evaporated kind of quickly though. Also, having gained a significant amount of weight over that same three-month period meant that I was well fed and didn’t really have to worry about bonking. Theoretically, I should be able to run non-stop around the world just burning the calories that my body has efficiently stored away as fat. No need to stop and refuel. Similarly, if I were to collapse from fatigue today, I should be able to make through the entire winter lying there on the trail waiting for rescue. A comforting thought when you are out there on the trail by yourself.

That brings us to another positive, there was no one else out there today. It was suggested that the ambient temperature of 10 degrees at 1 pm may have discouraged some of the less motivated runners, but I think everyone was just Christmas shopping. Actually the temperature was a big plus in my book. No problems with overheating, and the sweat that soaked through my layers on the way out (uphill remember) turned quickly to a sheet of ice that helped block the wind coming back downhill. It was awesome–I didn’t have to carry an extra outer layer, the sweat-ice kept me warm.

My equipment choice provided another place for rejoicing. I decided to break out a brand new pair of winter running shoes today. When I picked up my old pair, I noticed that the outsole was literally pealing off, and that the heel displayed a 20-degree list to the side. Loving my knees as I do, I decided to open up a new pair of North Face 103 Gore-Tex shoes. Having spent the summer in some ultra-light trail shoes the North Face XCR’s were a whole different feel. These shoes are each approximately the same size and weight as a Volkswagen Beetle. I figured that with each stride I was getting double the workout – awesome! However, there is nothing like Gore-Tex for keeping your feet toasty on a somewhat chilly day like today. Not to mention the fact that the sheer size of the footprint kept me floating over the snow.

Oh, did I forget to mention the snow? Yeah, the problem with running this particular course in the winter, is that the BLM closes the road about 100 yards from where I parked the car. After that, the road, which becomes a two-track, which becomes a trail, isn’t really seeing that much use – what with Christmas shopping taking everyone’s time and all. So as I continued, the trail went from hard packed road, to slightly packed two track, to soft snow that mimicked running through deep sand. That was OK with me though, because having not run in three months, I needed the extra workout.

So, all in all it was a great day. To top it off, I am almost assured that my next run will be faster than this one. I now have a benchmark that is so low, that I would have to walk backwards to go any slower. I am virtually positive that, if I get some consistency back in my running program, I will be back in shape by Spring. In the mean time, I am just happy to be out on a beautiful day, in a beautiful place, plodding along at my own pace.

GOD'S WORD MAKES LIFE SO MUCH EASIER

Back in the summer of 1981, Karen and I began attending a local church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For my part, I can take absolutely no credit for this decision. I didn’t even want to go; it was Karen who felt that it was important, as we prepared for marriage, that we start going to church together. Prior to this time, we had both developed the habit of starting each day by simply reading the Bible, getting quiet before God, giving our day to Him, and trying to hear any direction that He might give. Nothing fancy, just a simple devotional time done probably 5 or 6 times a week on average. Over a period of time through our local church, we were exposed to the ministries of a number of different men and women of God. We began to listen to recorded teachings, read good books, and develop better Bible study habits. None of this seemed like any big deal at the time, we were just seeking to know God better a little bit at a time.

Now, 28 years later, I can see that each one of these small decisions was absolutely life-changing. Slowly but surely, in one small dose after another, God has shared His wisdom about life with us. He has shown us simple but practical truths that have made our lives and marriage immeasurably richer, more satisfying, and so much easier. Don’t get me wrong; we have made plenty of mistakes and bad decisions. We have wrestled with the issues of life just like everyone else. But when I look back at all of the small but powerful truths that the Lord has provided for us, I can’t imagine how hard life would be without them.

I have been to hundreds, no thousands, of church services and meetings over the years. A few were in some way amazing and unforgettable. But most were not that remarkable, except for some little nugget that God would drop into our spirits. We would just grab hold of that little truth, and begin to think about it, chew on it, and allow it to produce a change in our thinking and ultimately our behavior. The result has been that we have avoided becoming angry and bitter, feeling victimized by life or people, we have a strong marriage, some wonderful friends, and our life is full of purpose. Again, those of you who know us know that we are FAR from perfect – I’m just saying that God’s word makes life so much easier. With His input, we can all navigate through the difficult times that we are facing without getting off track.

Proverbs 1:32, 33 NIV - “For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

These verses warn us against two mistakes that are easy to make, and easy to overlook in our daily lives. Waywardness is going your own way, setting your own course, without taking time to intentionally seek, find, and apply God’s wisdom. And complacency is simply not paying attention, not really caring one way or the other about the direction of your life. The complacent person doesn’t necessarily reject God or His Word, he just doesn’t seek it either – it is a “take it or leave it” attitude toward the things of God.

God says that the end result of waywardness and complacency, is the same as that of rejecting God altogether. My encouragement to you today is to develop the simple, but consistent, habits of reading your Bible, devotional prayer, quiet time before God, and plugging in to a good local church. Your life will never be the same.