It’s amazing to me when God shows me why I have friends. Not the fact that I have friends, but specific people. Today He used one of my most favorite people to exhort me to diligently seek His face throughout this week. This isn’t in the Bible, but it could be: Blessed is he who has godly friends, for he shall be encouraged to draw closer to the Lord.
Last Friday began the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 2000 years ago, Jesus had this meal with His disciples and gave them a sacrament by which to remember Him; they didn’t know He would not be with them a week later. You can read about it in Mark 14:12-26.
This week I am going on another TV fast. In addition, I will not be recording the shows I will miss, and I will also refrain from being signed on to IM. I hope to spend much more time in prayer and reading the Word this week than usual. On Friday at 3:00pm, coinciding with the time Christ gave up His life, I will begin a food fast. I will break the fast at our Sunrise Service at church on Sunday.
The purpose is several-fold. Primarily, I want to study the Lord’s last week before His death for me. I want to know more about what it was like to die for me. I want a renewed vigor for serving Him with my whole life. I want to know what my sin did to Him, and I want to hate it like He does. And I want to feel His love in a way I haven’t ever felt it. I also want to have deeper fellowship with Him so that I may more easily recognize His voice now and in the future, and in doing so be able to discern where He is leading me.
Please pray for me as I do this. If you would like me to pray for you during my quiet times, please leave a comment or email me. I will check the blog comments daily. Let me also exhort each of you to join me if you feel led. Perhaps not the whole week, but maybe from Friday on. I promise it will be life-changing. Afterwards, we can talk about what God showed us. If nothing else, take the time to read the accounts of Jesus’ last week. Meditate on them and ask God to show you something new about it.
-j
I'm Jason, and I like to write.
Jay, I have found that one of my spiritual gifts is that of encouraging and I just wanted to pass my gift along to you. I think it is awesome that you are striving so diligently for a closer walk with Christ. I think it’s something that everyone should do more fervently than they do (myself, of course, included). I accept your invitation to join you in the fast from Friday till Easter. (Call me and remind me though, cuz I might forget), Love you like a brother.
Erik