Fasting in the Lords way...
In light of our upcoming fast, I thought it would be good to review this talk by Pres. Eyring: "Is Not This The Fast That I Have Chosen?"
(after reading it, see if you feel like we should all make an online fast offering donation on Friday as well. I don't know about you, but when I participate in "special fasts", I don't usually think about making a fast donation, even though the simplest part of the fast is that we take the money we would have spent on food and donate it to the poor. After reading this, I think that should be part of every fast. If you agree....share this part of the fast on Friday with your friends and family, to increase the power of our fasting and prayers.)
"Since general conference falls on a weekend that would normally include the fast and testimony meeting, I fasted and prayed to know how I should still obey the commandment to care for those in need. Notice, even though his ward will still have a Fast Sunday the week before or after Conference, he still wants to do something on that "normal" weekend.
On a Saturday, still fasting, I woke at 6:00 and prayed again. I felt impressed to look at the world news. There I read this report:
Tropical Cyclone Pam destroyed many homes as it made a direct hit on Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu....He had begun fasting on Friday because he's "still fasting" when he wakes up Saturday morning...
There I read this report:
Tropical Cyclone Pam destroyed many homes as it made a direct hit on Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu....
They are so far away from the home where I read that report, and yet I knew what the Lord would be doing through His servants. I knew that what made it possible for them to succor those children of Heavenly Father was fast offerings, given freely by the Lord’s disciples who were far away from them but close to the Lord.
So I didn’t wait for Sunday. I took a fast offering to my bishop that morning. I know that my offering may be used by the bishop and Relief Society president to help someone in my neighborhood. My small offering may not be needed near where my family and I live, but the local surplus could reach even as far as Vanuatu. He is clearly connecting the power of his fast to his fast offering donation and doesn't want to wait until it's convenient.
Other storms and tragedies will come across the world to people the Lord loves and whose sorrows He feels. Part of your fast offering and mine this month will be used to help someone, somewhere, whose relief the Lord will feel as if it were His own.
Your fast offering will do more than help feed and clothe bodies. It will heal and change hearts. The fruit of a free-will offering may be the desire in the heart of the recipient to reach out to others in need. That happens across the world....We know that across the world, we are praying that this pandemic has turned hearts to the Lord.
The brief time we fast every month and the small amount we offer for the poor may give us only a small part of the change in our natures to have no more desire to do evil. But there is a great promise, even as we do all that we reasonably can to pray, to fast, and to donate for those in need: Do you believe that there is a 'small change in your nature' every time you fast? Notice again, he ties donating to the poor to every fast.
“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.
“Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.”13
I pray that we will claim those great blessings for ourselves and for our families.
I bear my witness that Jesus is the Christ, that in His Church we are invited to help Him as He cares for the poor in His way, and that He promises everlasting blessings will come from our helping Him. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
In this pandemic there are those poor in health, poor in money, poor in faith, poor in relationships. We have all been in a form of "bondage" as we've quarantined in our homes. Fasting is "His way" to care for us as we care for each other. Let's all help Him in "His way" this coming Friday, and every time we fast.
Earlier in the article he quotes:
"President Spencer W. Kimball called failing to follow that law a sin of omission with a heavy cost. He wrote: “Rich promises are made by the Lord to those who fast and assist the needy. … Inspiration and spiritual guidance will come with righteousness and closeness to our Heavenly Father. To omit to do this righteous act of fasting would deprive us of these blessings.”
(after reading it, see if you feel like we should all make an online fast offering donation on Friday as well. I don't know about you, but when I participate in "special fasts", I don't usually think about making a fast donation, even though the simplest part of the fast is that we take the money we would have spent on food and donate it to the poor. After reading this, I think that should be part of every fast. If you agree....share this part of the fast on Friday with your friends and family, to increase the power of our fasting and prayers.)
"Since general conference falls on a weekend that would normally include the fast and testimony meeting, I fasted and prayed to know how I should still obey the commandment to care for those in need. Notice, even though his ward will still have a Fast Sunday the week before or after Conference, he still wants to do something on that "normal" weekend.
On a Saturday, still fasting, I woke at 6:00 and prayed again. I felt impressed to look at the world news. There I read this report:
Tropical Cyclone Pam destroyed many homes as it made a direct hit on Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu....He had begun fasting on Friday because he's "still fasting" when he wakes up Saturday morning...
There I read this report:
Tropical Cyclone Pam destroyed many homes as it made a direct hit on Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu....
They are so far away from the home where I read that report, and yet I knew what the Lord would be doing through His servants. I knew that what made it possible for them to succor those children of Heavenly Father was fast offerings, given freely by the Lord’s disciples who were far away from them but close to the Lord.
So I didn’t wait for Sunday. I took a fast offering to my bishop that morning. I know that my offering may be used by the bishop and Relief Society president to help someone in my neighborhood. My small offering may not be needed near where my family and I live, but the local surplus could reach even as far as Vanuatu. He is clearly connecting the power of his fast to his fast offering donation and doesn't want to wait until it's convenient.
Other storms and tragedies will come across the world to people the Lord loves and whose sorrows He feels. Part of your fast offering and mine this month will be used to help someone, somewhere, whose relief the Lord will feel as if it were His own.
Your fast offering will do more than help feed and clothe bodies. It will heal and change hearts. The fruit of a free-will offering may be the desire in the heart of the recipient to reach out to others in need. That happens across the world....We know that across the world, we are praying that this pandemic has turned hearts to the Lord.
The brief time we fast every month and the small amount we offer for the poor may give us only a small part of the change in our natures to have no more desire to do evil. But there is a great promise, even as we do all that we reasonably can to pray, to fast, and to donate for those in need: Do you believe that there is a 'small change in your nature' every time you fast? Notice again, he ties donating to the poor to every fast.
“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.
“Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.”13
I pray that we will claim those great blessings for ourselves and for our families.
I bear my witness that Jesus is the Christ, that in His Church we are invited to help Him as He cares for the poor in His way, and that He promises everlasting blessings will come from our helping Him. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
In this pandemic there are those poor in health, poor in money, poor in faith, poor in relationships. We have all been in a form of "bondage" as we've quarantined in our homes. Fasting is "His way" to care for us as we care for each other. Let's all help Him in "His way" this coming Friday, and every time we fast.
Earlier in the article he quotes:
"President Spencer W. Kimball called failing to follow that law a sin of omission with a heavy cost. He wrote: “Rich promises are made by the Lord to those who fast and assist the needy. … Inspiration and spiritual guidance will come with righteousness and closeness to our Heavenly Father. To omit to do this righteous act of fasting would deprive us of these blessings.”
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