In the south, grilling is an art form. And the smoker, well don't even get me started. It's not a means to an end, it's not merely one of multiple ways to prepare food. No. The grill is revered and the chefs looked up to. Status comes from your grilling ability. Ribs that have been on the smoker all day, special wood chips prepared just for this. Chicken that takes what seems like forever but the wait is worth it, grilled at a low heat and seasoned just right. In the south, family gatherings revolve around these two things. Other family members test out the various side dishes, which homemade macaroni and cheese recipe is the best? The baked beans with everything thrown in that simmer to perfection. And let's not forget the homemade banana pudding. Oh yes, in the South this is the stuff that brings families together. And in the South, the calories simply don't count for the weekend.
I'm in the South. And I thought the gas station was full of temptation...
It's a new reality on this journey really, to be in an environment where there are questions about a Daniel Fast (and speculation). It was for a bit uncomfortable to have the spotlight put on the fast and on me. You know the old saying about fasting in secret. Although the interpretation is not a secret as we believe it to be. As uncomfortable as it was/is it drove me back to the book of Daniel. Not looking for a loophole (okay fine, it may have crossed my mind once:-) ), but to understand the foundation again. It was pretty crystal clear that Daniel requested and ate only vegetables (and fruits) with water. To avoid not just the unclean preparation of the food, but because this food that had been given to the gods of the country he was held captive in. It struck me this morning that although the unclean preparation would go against Jewish law, how dishonorable would it have been to eat foods sacrificed to something other than God? It is a constant theme throughout the book, this concept of honor -both in how Daniel honored God and how he honored his captors, "Please", "Your Majesty," "My lord" (lowercase l).
How easy would it be down here, where no one really knows, where I know my husband would understand, to play off the commitment I have made. Or to in the midst of many claim health reasons or to at the very least grab a piece of fish (seasoned and deep fried the way we can never make it up home... I'm just sayin) and say it's for lent. See, this fast though I'm beginning to see that it is about so much more than health, spiritual or physical, it is about more than a command. It is about honoring the one true living God. How do we do this without being a bit radical? Without selling out to Him in ways that are hard for us sometimes (not all the time, but sometimes). We can't. So we take the bold move, we make a declaration that come hell or high water I WANT MORE OF GOD and by golly, I'm going to get it. He promised. And it's okay to get the questions, it's okay to see the eyebrows raised in disbelief. It's about more than Sunday mornings, it's about more than a Bible reading plan, sometimes we must be bold.
A.W. Tozer in his book The Pursuit of God said, "Let no one imagine that he will lose anything of human dignity by this voluntary sell-out of his all to his God. He does not degrade himself as a man; rather he finds his right place of high honor as one made in the image of his Creator...In exalting God over all he finds his own highest honor upheld."
Isn't that just like an awesome Dad? In His children trying to honor Him the end result is us realizing and finding our own highest honor upheld. That is love. That is true, genuine, amazing love. That's our Daddy right there.
A.W. Tozer followed up later in his book with, "See how God winked at weaknesses and overlooked failures as He poured upon His servants grace and blessing untold. Let it be Abraham, Jacob, David, Daniel, Elijah or whom you will; honor followed honor as harvest the seed. The man of God set his heart to exalt God above all; God accepted his intention as fact and acted accordingly. Not perfection, but holy intention made the difference."
I'm in awe. God accepts intention as fact? Not perfection, but holy intention. I am a type A perfectionist. Nothing I do is ever really good enough for me. But to serve a God who looks at my holy intention, my desires, my honor of Him and reciprocates as "harvest the seed." The seed starts small, the harvest is huge. Look at how much corn you get at harvest out of one seed, much more than the one seed that was planted. Not only is God reciprocating but he is multiplying. This is amazing! This is something to jump up and shout about! God doesn't expect perfection, oh yes we've heard it from the pulpit multiple times but to really really really fold this into our heart and understand who the God we serve is and that he doesn't just expect us to keep doing and working and toiling for His honor but he wants to honor us as well. He wants to pour out his grace and blessing "untold" - we can't even put it into words, all because He sees our intentions and accepts them as fact. This is worth missing the ribs and the chicken and even the banana
pudding for a year. Yes, definitely worth it.
I'm in the South. And I thought the gas station was full of temptation...
It's a new reality on this journey really, to be in an environment where there are questions about a Daniel Fast (and speculation). It was for a bit uncomfortable to have the spotlight put on the fast and on me. You know the old saying about fasting in secret. Although the interpretation is not a secret as we believe it to be. As uncomfortable as it was/is it drove me back to the book of Daniel. Not looking for a loophole (okay fine, it may have crossed my mind once:-) ), but to understand the foundation again. It was pretty crystal clear that Daniel requested and ate only vegetables (and fruits) with water. To avoid not just the unclean preparation of the food, but because this food that had been given to the gods of the country he was held captive in. It struck me this morning that although the unclean preparation would go against Jewish law, how dishonorable would it have been to eat foods sacrificed to something other than God? It is a constant theme throughout the book, this concept of honor -both in how Daniel honored God and how he honored his captors, "Please", "Your Majesty," "My lord" (lowercase l).
How easy would it be down here, where no one really knows, where I know my husband would understand, to play off the commitment I have made. Or to in the midst of many claim health reasons or to at the very least grab a piece of fish (seasoned and deep fried the way we can never make it up home... I'm just sayin) and say it's for lent. See, this fast though I'm beginning to see that it is about so much more than health, spiritual or physical, it is about more than a command. It is about honoring the one true living God. How do we do this without being a bit radical? Without selling out to Him in ways that are hard for us sometimes (not all the time, but sometimes). We can't. So we take the bold move, we make a declaration that come hell or high water I WANT MORE OF GOD and by golly, I'm going to get it. He promised. And it's okay to get the questions, it's okay to see the eyebrows raised in disbelief. It's about more than Sunday mornings, it's about more than a Bible reading plan, sometimes we must be bold.
A.W. Tozer in his book The Pursuit of God said, "Let no one imagine that he will lose anything of human dignity by this voluntary sell-out of his all to his God. He does not degrade himself as a man; rather he finds his right place of high honor as one made in the image of his Creator...In exalting God over all he finds his own highest honor upheld."
Isn't that just like an awesome Dad? In His children trying to honor Him the end result is us realizing and finding our own highest honor upheld. That is love. That is true, genuine, amazing love. That's our Daddy right there.
A.W. Tozer followed up later in his book with, "See how God winked at weaknesses and overlooked failures as He poured upon His servants grace and blessing untold. Let it be Abraham, Jacob, David, Daniel, Elijah or whom you will; honor followed honor as harvest the seed. The man of God set his heart to exalt God above all; God accepted his intention as fact and acted accordingly. Not perfection, but holy intention made the difference."
I'm in awe. God accepts intention as fact? Not perfection, but holy intention. I am a type A perfectionist. Nothing I do is ever really good enough for me. But to serve a God who looks at my holy intention, my desires, my honor of Him and reciprocates as "harvest the seed." The seed starts small, the harvest is huge. Look at how much corn you get at harvest out of one seed, much more than the one seed that was planted. Not only is God reciprocating but he is multiplying. This is amazing! This is something to jump up and shout about! God doesn't expect perfection, oh yes we've heard it from the pulpit multiple times but to really really really fold this into our heart and understand who the God we serve is and that he doesn't just expect us to keep doing and working and toiling for His honor but he wants to honor us as well. He wants to pour out his grace and blessing "untold" - we can't even put it into words, all because He sees our intentions and accepts them as fact. This is worth missing the ribs and the chicken and even the banana
pudding for a year. Yes, definitely worth it.
- Tiffany Adams
Good for you Tiffany!
ReplyDeleteI spend 3 years in the Charlotte area, and I know what temptations are there. A good plate of pulled pork, good sauce, some Texas Toast, and some fried okra - I'm there with you!
That said - you're also in good company, as many know Christ, and can respect your commitment.
Personally, I had quite a meltdown last night, as we had a cake auction in our Cub Scout troop. Besides being tired, the feeling of deprivation overcame me, and it was not pretty. After chucking a non-cooperative cup, I broke down in confession before God.
Bill Bright in his wonderful fasting resource talks about spiritual breathing:
Like physical breathing, Spiritual Breathing is a process of exhaling the impure and inhaling the pure. If you knowingly sin, breathe spiritually to restore the fullness of God's Holy Spirit in your life. You exhale by confessing your sins immediately when you become aware of them, and you inhale by inviting the Holy Spirit to re-take control of your life. As an act of faith, trust Him to empower you. During the fast, spiritual breathing-constant reliance on the Holy Spirit-will enable you to resist temptation, not only to sin but to abandon your fast
This was key to re-focus my commitment.
Thanks for taking your temptations out in the open, and translating them into God-focused, and God-honoring encouragement!
Dave, this is amazing. Spiritual Breathing. What a tangible thing that we can focus on to remain committed. Thank you so much!
DeleteI mean Dave! Dang it, I was right the first time and didn't scroll up enough to see the real name when I was checking myself. Sorry about that!
Delete