Fast to Give
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Fasting can be a great way to serve the Lord. Fasting is the act of giving something up. Giving things up for the Lord helps us to focus on Him and, with prayer, align our wills with His. There can be a twofold achievement when we fast. We can take the money that we save from fasting and use it towards something that serves Him. This money can be donated to a charity, given to a homeless person or simply added to your offering in a worship service. There are many little things that would take a conscious effort to give up, but are easily accomplished.
If we make it a habit to give something up, while focusing on Jesus, we not only focus on aligning ourselves with God’s will but also increase our contributions to the good of others. So what do we give up. Where can we cut back so that we can give that extra to someone who needs it. The answer is simple, all over of the place. I don’t mean to give up everything, I mean that we have a lot of options available to us. And we don’t have to give up the same thing everyday either. We can give up one thing one day and a different thing the next.
There are many facets of our lives which are probably glutenous in a way, and it wouldn’t hurt us to see what our lives would be like without those things. Make a list of things that you use on a daily or weekly basis, that you don’t need and merely want. Now right down a time line, if you keep a Day Runner that would be perfect. Write what things you will give on which days and be sure to look at it every morning. Pray and ask our Lord to help you. If we write down our goals and review them we are significantly more likely to do them.
Here a list of small but money saving theoretical fasts that can picked up permanently or interchanged on a daily basis. Or for those who need time to build up this habit weekly.
1. Our morning fix – Wether it be coffee at a known coffee shop or sugery pastry, this can usually be anywhere from two to eight dollars. Make some cereal or oatmeal at home and brew you own coffee or tea.
2. Cigarettes – This is a hard one for some, and not even an option for others, but if you do smoke, try cutting out a pack a week or more. You can save yourself over 5 dollars per pack.
3. Instead of going out to see that new movie, rent one that you haven’t seen yet. You can save anywhere from 5 dollars to more than 50 dollars if you have a family. If you do go to the theater though, try to go to a matinee.
4. Buy generic products. Instead of buying name brand, buy the cheaper non name brand. Usually the generic is just as good as the named brands.
5. Instead of buying new books, borrow from the library. You can save quite a bit this way, especially if you read a lot. If you do have to buy a book, see if you can get it used.
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6. Bottle your own water, instead of drinking expensive bottled water. Invest up front with a Brita water filter and buy a reusable bottle. Not to mention this is better for the environment.
Some things are easier to give up than others, but if we pray and ask the good Lord for help, we can cut back on even the hard things. By fasting and applying what we save to the good of others we are growing spiritually and contributing to making the world better. What better way to emulate Christ in our lives? What other things can you think of that we do or use regularly that we can give up to help others?
I really like this article. It does give some practicle ways to fast. Something that I sometimes like to do is to do a long fast from something that can cause me to sin. For example, I always struggled with vanity and for a year I gave up makeup. I didn’t even think at the time to donate the money I would usually spend on makeup. Fasting is such a good way to focus on God, give back, and even work on our sins.