Week 10 (7 Mar) Day 5

Matthew 6.16-18

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

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Personal Reflections After using the areas of giving and prayer to illustrate His teaching that we be properly motivated in our acts of devotion to God, Jesus ends off this section with the aspect of fasting. Fasting whether from food or anything else that draws our devotion away from God, is considered a spiritual discipline that ought to be practised regularly.

God’s reward is ours when we fast out of a genuine desire and motive. Instead of making oneself look pitiful and pious to man, fasting ought to reflect the true state of penitence and longing for God to intervene in our situations. Do you have a regular discipline of fasting? For what reason and with what attitude do you fast? How would you practise a regular habit of fasting and with the right attitude?