From Sticky Souls to Transformed Hearts
God’s command—from the glorious clouds overshadowing the Transfiguration of Jesus in the gospels—reminds us: when we listen and do whatever the Son of God says he will lead us from barrenness due to selfish living into righteous fruit-producing living for the glory of God. Self cannot satisfy self. We must hunger for God.
This is basically our journey for Lent, because sinful attitudes and actions try to stick to our souls and destroy our Life with God. Jesus wants us to produce righteous fruit that bring glory to our King’s rule and reign.
“To endure the cross is not tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ. When it comes, it is not an accident, but a necessity.”
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Day 7: Fasting Your Weakness
Fasting is a spiritual discipline and over the past week, we have been encouraged to fast many different things. Today, we need to pray about fasting our human weaknesses [yes, we all have limitations] in exchange for something so much better—feasting on Grace. In Scripture, human weakness can mean a lack of physical, mental, or emotional strength. However, weakness can also be a source to promote growth in humility, dependence, and faith.
Jesus exemplified the discipline for fasting his weakness in exchange for the power of God; he had no trouble demonstrating the humble heart of a servant or the need for carrying the heavy cross of suffering. Love demands humility; love demands the cross of grace and self-denial. We may not like how that sounds, but we must realize our human strength is insufficient to live the abundant life in devotion to God. It is a wise choice to fast our weaknesses, because we have been promised Christ’s strength for the things he sends us to be and do. We don’t have to operate in our human weakness, we can call for God’s grace; it’s all we need (2 Cor 12:9-10). Such an amazingly fruitful trade!
In our passage from John today, Jesus demonstrates that servant’s heart that calls for our attention. Here is our Lord—Mighty in strength and mighty to save—and he humbles himself as the lowest of servants and reveals the strength of character Father God requires. Jesus loves, so we must humbly fast our weak love in order to feast on and share his pure agape—sacrificial love. It all comes down to who will sit on the throne of our hearts.
John 13:1-7 NTL Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
1 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. 2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.
6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
Prayer: Lord, thank you for this lesson on the humility and strength of Jesus. We can be weak, Lord, but you have promised to make us strong. We fast that weakness in exchange for your grace and power. Please help us to deny ourselves and pick up our cross, so we can follow you into abundant living. In Jesus’ name. Amen.