Not Fasting, but Feasting!

Not Fasting, but Feasting!

Here is an excerpt from "The Joy of the Gospel: An Exposition of Mark 2:18-22": 

"If God has deserted you and cast you off in judgment, or is threatening to do so, then by all means weep and mourn and fast. If God has hidden His face from you in righteous anger, or if His judgments are actively upon you, or if He has allowed your enemies to triumph over you, or if He is far away and His love is nowhere to be seen, then by all means tear your clothes, sit down in sackcloth and ashes, and through fasting cry out in desperation for the mercy of God.

But if God has drawn near to you, if He has shown you great compassion and gathered you to Himself, if He has taken away your judgments and set His everlasting love upon you, if He has conquered evil and triumphed over your enemies, if He is in your midst and lavishing the joy of His kingdom upon you, then celebrate and sing aloud and rejoice with all your heart and sit down with the King at His table. Not fasting, but feasting! Not sad faces, but large hearts! Not laments, but songs of joy! Not aching for a distant kingdom, but rejoicing at its arrival! As King Jesus proclaimed: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel”! (Mark 1:15) Do you understand?"

NOTE: Header Image/Featured Image Photo by Alessandro Alimonti on Unsplash