The New Year

School starts next week. My brother's going into his final year of high school, and although this should freak me out - I mean, my little bro's gonna be out of school this time next year - I think change is slowly becoming the norm. No longer is there a feeling that the future is looming - I can almost see myself managing to cope with this gift God gave me called life :)

So hmm, what to share. I guess thoughts that have been going through my head recently are a good place to start.

I guess I've been finding myself wondering about what temptations to give into or not to. Whether its slacking off, eating, or more serious temptations like sin, there are always (seemingly) rational motivations in either direction. Generally when you give into a temptation though, it's for hedonistic reasons (if it feels good, why not do it). I slack off cos I'm lazy, I eat cos I like eating + I might be hungry, I give into sin because sin feels good in the short term. The only problem with giving into all of these things is that giving into things ...smooths the pathway, in a manner of speaking. Each time I give into eating, I make it easier for me to keep eating. That particular pathway is pretty much as smooth as it can get for me. What can I say, eating's good. But the topic of self restraint and self control has been on my mind, cos I don't tend to always exercise it. In some ways it does make logical sense not to exercise self restraint or control, but in a spiritual sense it is perfectly clear.

God asked us to put Him first in everything. To me, this means as a first priority above all other hardships and temptations. James 2:14-17 reads:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

So if we say that God is above all trials and temptations, how is this extravagant statement proven? The only real way to prove that you put God first is to go through trials and temptations, and see what the result is. Will you profess God in not only your words but also your actions? That is the question.

Some people say that fasting is futile - a simple grab at attention from God when He's already given us everything (Jesus). I guess for me fasting is a couple of things rolled into one, but they're both completely the opposite of a cry for attention. Fasting tends to be an action which aids in focussing on God - not only are you saying, through actions, that God is more important to you than hunger & temporary good health, but during that time, whenever you get hunger pains, you're reminded that this time is meant to be God time. Anything that reminds and allows you to spend more time in prayer with God cannot help but produce spiritual fruit, just as plants grown with increased exposure to sunlight with the help of heat lamps grow much faster and stronger than other plants.

Many other religions rely heavily upon fasting as part of their faith. In Hinduism, fasting is a regular practice. Luqman, the wise once said, "When the stomach is full, the intellect begins to sleep. Wisdom becomes mute and the parts of the body restrain from acts of righteousness."

So yeah. What is everyone's opinions of fasting, self control and just general abstinence?

-Fin-