Things that have gone out of fashion in the Evangelical world (part 3) - Fasting

In the final post in this series, I come to something that is truly a weakness in Western Christianity, and it is also a weakness for me.  I have never heard a sermon on fasting,I have never preached a sermon on fasting. 

We live in a culture that demands that its appetites be satisfied. Whether this is food, alcohol, sex or rest, we see it almost as a human right that we get what we want. Even the Rolling Stones questioned that! To go hungry is something to be avoided and the nearest thing we get to it in this culture is to "detox".

But why fast? Is it simply to show God how pious we are? Isaiah 58:6-8 makes clear what our fast should be like. 

"Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? "Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? "Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard."

The dangers of reading the Bible

I am am currently studying Philippians 2:1-11. Everybody I talk to, who know the passage say, "wow! What a wonderful passage. Isn't Jesus wonderful?" I haven't reached that bit yet. I've got to be honest I am feeling rather weighed down by the bit before it.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:3-5).

Each of those phrases make me despair of myself. How often do I act out of selfish ambition? How much do I value others above myself? How often do I focus in the needs of others more than my own? When do I actually have Christ's attitude? Let me confess. The answers are "Very often, not a lot, not very often and almost never" in that order. 

And I haven't even got to the detail of Christ's attitude that I'm supposed to have!