When

A passage I return to often is the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7), where Jesus laid out what “Kingdom People” look like. He dug deep into the Law of Moses and showed how to live it out; “You have heard it said….. but I say….”

In chapter six he says, “When you give. When you pray. When you fast.” Not if. When.
Why are these things taken for granted as part of life in the kingdom? I think it’s because they are practical, tangible means of resistance to a world that keeps pulling us into its way of being.
I’ve been reading Walter Brueggemann’s “Sabbath as Resistance” where he describes these practices as part of sabbath rest– as the conscious choice to resist producing all we can to acquire more.

So how are they resistant?

Giving is the opposite of hoarding. It demonstrates trust in God to provide, and takes our eyes off ourselves and puts them onto the other.

Praying is the opposite of self-reliance (when praying for ourselves) and self-centeredness (when praying for others). It demonstrates trust in God to intervene, shifting our eyes from the situations we see to the God who calls us to trust.

Fasting is the opposite of self-indulgence, self-gratification, and addiction. It shows this world does not control us– a circuit breaker that lifts our eyes off what we desire and shifts those desires onto the God who gives us the desires of our heart.

Sabbath –resting– is the opposite of striving in our own strength. It says “enough is enough”, trusting God to supply what we need, and lifts our eyes from frantic working to God’s creation.

My question for myself, and for you: are these things IF or WHEN in your life– and what is the result? What areas of resistance might be important for you?

My challenge for myself, and for you: try turning the IF into WHEN and see what happens.

Adam