Daniel Fast Day 2
FRUITFULNESS
Chasing Shadows
Our family is the proud owner of a beautiful blond Golden Retriever named Daisy. She is a wonderful family dog and we love her very much. (I apologize if you’re a cat lover). Daisy is as laid back as can be. In fact, my wife’s nickname for her is “Lazy Daisy” due to her calm demeanor. However, there is something that causes this mild-mannered dog to get extremely excited. She doesn’t just get excited, she gets completely sidetracked and all of her attention and focus is drawn to this one thing. Daisy is a shadow chaser!
Whether it is produced by sunlight or a flashlight, she chases shadows relentlessly. You can call for her and even raise your voice at her, but to no avail. Her entire focus is fixed on the shadow. I have often wondered how an intelligent and good-natured dog can get so bogged down by something that isn’t real. Here’s the kicker, no matter how hard she chases, she will never catch what she is chasing. Yet, every time she sees it, she starts chasing it all over again. She gets so drawn to something that is merely a shadow of something real that she does not listen to her master’s voice. “So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.” Colossians 2:16-17(NLT)
One of our greatest challenges of becoming fruitful in our spiritual walk is that we focus on things that have no substance, things that are merely shadows. These things have the appearance of being real but in essence, are nothing but dead works. We find ourselves chasing something we will never catch and we get frustrated because we expend spiritual energy on empty pursuits. We seek, but we do not find. We knock, but no door opens. We ask, but no answer comes. You see, shadows cannot give us reality but rather, they point to the fact that there is something real! Without substance, there is no shadow and a shadow can never replace the substance.
What shadows are you chasing? One of the main reasons Paul wrote to the church at Colossae was to warn them not to fall back into aspects of Judaism. There were those in the church who wanted them to obey the Law such as circumcision, special holy days, and the Sabbath. Paul reminds them that these things are all shadows of the real. The real is Christ Himself!
Our challenge might not be Judaism, but it is very easy to become a pharisaical Christian instead of a relational one. A pharisaical Christian places the emphasis on what I do for Jesus instead of who I am becoming through Jesus. A pharisaical Christian is more interested in formulas than in faith, in outside appearances rather than inner holiness, in justification of self rather than honest evaluation, in rigorous self-righteousness rather than humble transparency and dependence on Christ. A pharisaical Christian falls into the trap of comparison instead of walking in compassion towards those who are struggling.
Luke 18:9-14(NLT) “Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
We must constantly remind ourselves that Christ is the Substance. He is the Real and everything we do or say must be evaluated in the light of His Person, not the justification of our actions. We are not made righteous by our actions. We have been made righteous by Christ Jesus’ act of sacrifice on the cross. The substance is not our actions. The substance is the Cross of Christ and Him crucified, and we being justified by Him. Our actions are in response to His sacrificial act.
We do not fast and pray to prove how spiritual we are. We fast and pray because we are willing to let go of any and all things so that we may know Him better. Don’t make the Daniel fast a shadow of the real. “How do I do that?”, you may ask. By focusing on what you are giving up, and placing all your emphasis on what you can and cannot eat. Rather, place your emphasis on seeking Christ and deepening your relationship with Him, not on the shadow of fasting that is only pointing to the real. When we do that, we are no better than Daisy chasing shadows because no matter how much the Master tries to talk to us, we are focused only on the shadow and we never find His voice which is truly our substance!
2 Peter 1:16-19(NCV) ”When we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not telling just clever stories that someone invented. But we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes. Jesus heard the voice of God, the Greatest Glory, when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him.’ We heard that voice from heaven while we were with Jesus on the holy mountain. This makes us more sure about the message the prophets gave. It is good for you to follow closely what they said as you would follow a light shining in a dark place, until the day begins and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
When we are chasing shadows, we feel we are making an effort (which we are), yet it is effort with no end. It is work with no reward. It’s a movie with no end. No wonder we find ourselves spiritually drained, mentally confused, and physically exhausted. Chasing shadows will do that to us! May we stop chasing shadows and pursue His voice. We will see the greatness of Jesus, and hear the Glory of the Father’s voice, and then, we will know that shadows can never replace the substance of a real, living, vibrant relationship with Christ. We will see His light shining in a dark place and Christ will rise in our hearts.
Prayer and Reflection:
Father, thank You that Jesus is the reality and that I don’t have to spend my life chasing a shadow instead of knowing the real. I ask that You would reveal to me where I am chasing shadows, give me clarity to see, and the faith to act on what You reveal to me. Help me not to be so blinded by my own self-righteous actions that I completely ignore Your voice and Your leading. Help me not to point to others’ failures and in that way, validate my own inadequacies by not being vulnerable and transparent. Give me the wisdom to discern between shadows and substance. Give me real rest from being in Your presence and seeking Your will and ways. I ask that You bless my fellow laborers in Your vineyard. That all of us will find You and know You, and that Christ Jesus will flood our hearts with His light! In Jesus Name I pray, amen!
Chasing Shadows
Our family is the proud owner of a beautiful blond Golden Retriever named Daisy. She is a wonderful family dog and we love her very much. (I apologize if you’re a cat lover). Daisy is as laid back as can be. In fact, my wife’s nickname for her is “Lazy Daisy” due to her calm demeanor. However, there is something that causes this mild-mannered dog to get extremely excited. She doesn’t just get excited, she gets completely sidetracked and all of her attention and focus is drawn to this one thing. Daisy is a shadow chaser!
Whether it is produced by sunlight or a flashlight, she chases shadows relentlessly. You can call for her and even raise your voice at her, but to no avail. Her entire focus is fixed on the shadow. I have often wondered how an intelligent and good-natured dog can get so bogged down by something that isn’t real. Here’s the kicker, no matter how hard she chases, she will never catch what she is chasing. Yet, every time she sees it, she starts chasing it all over again. She gets so drawn to something that is merely a shadow of something real that she does not listen to her master’s voice. “So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.” Colossians 2:16-17(NLT)
One of our greatest challenges of becoming fruitful in our spiritual walk is that we focus on things that have no substance, things that are merely shadows. These things have the appearance of being real but in essence, are nothing but dead works. We find ourselves chasing something we will never catch and we get frustrated because we expend spiritual energy on empty pursuits. We seek, but we do not find. We knock, but no door opens. We ask, but no answer comes. You see, shadows cannot give us reality but rather, they point to the fact that there is something real! Without substance, there is no shadow and a shadow can never replace the substance.
What shadows are you chasing? One of the main reasons Paul wrote to the church at Colossae was to warn them not to fall back into aspects of Judaism. There were those in the church who wanted them to obey the Law such as circumcision, special holy days, and the Sabbath. Paul reminds them that these things are all shadows of the real. The real is Christ Himself!
Our challenge might not be Judaism, but it is very easy to become a pharisaical Christian instead of a relational one. A pharisaical Christian places the emphasis on what I do for Jesus instead of who I am becoming through Jesus. A pharisaical Christian is more interested in formulas than in faith, in outside appearances rather than inner holiness, in justification of self rather than honest evaluation, in rigorous self-righteousness rather than humble transparency and dependence on Christ. A pharisaical Christian falls into the trap of comparison instead of walking in compassion towards those who are struggling.
Luke 18:9-14(NLT) “Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
We must constantly remind ourselves that Christ is the Substance. He is the Real and everything we do or say must be evaluated in the light of His Person, not the justification of our actions. We are not made righteous by our actions. We have been made righteous by Christ Jesus’ act of sacrifice on the cross. The substance is not our actions. The substance is the Cross of Christ and Him crucified, and we being justified by Him. Our actions are in response to His sacrificial act.
We do not fast and pray to prove how spiritual we are. We fast and pray because we are willing to let go of any and all things so that we may know Him better. Don’t make the Daniel fast a shadow of the real. “How do I do that?”, you may ask. By focusing on what you are giving up, and placing all your emphasis on what you can and cannot eat. Rather, place your emphasis on seeking Christ and deepening your relationship with Him, not on the shadow of fasting that is only pointing to the real. When we do that, we are no better than Daisy chasing shadows because no matter how much the Master tries to talk to us, we are focused only on the shadow and we never find His voice which is truly our substance!
2 Peter 1:16-19(NCV) ”When we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not telling just clever stories that someone invented. But we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes. Jesus heard the voice of God, the Greatest Glory, when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him.’ We heard that voice from heaven while we were with Jesus on the holy mountain. This makes us more sure about the message the prophets gave. It is good for you to follow closely what they said as you would follow a light shining in a dark place, until the day begins and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
When we are chasing shadows, we feel we are making an effort (which we are), yet it is effort with no end. It is work with no reward. It’s a movie with no end. No wonder we find ourselves spiritually drained, mentally confused, and physically exhausted. Chasing shadows will do that to us! May we stop chasing shadows and pursue His voice. We will see the greatness of Jesus, and hear the Glory of the Father’s voice, and then, we will know that shadows can never replace the substance of a real, living, vibrant relationship with Christ. We will see His light shining in a dark place and Christ will rise in our hearts.
Prayer and Reflection:
- Have you struggled to hear God’s voice? Could it be because you are chasing shadows?
- Have you thought about the shadows you are chasing? What are they?
- Are you tired and weary? That could be an indicator that you are chasing shadows instead of pursuing the reality of Christ.
- Are you willing to let go of the idols of shadows and rather pick up your cross and follow Jesus? What are you justifying that needs to be exposed to His light?
- Christ is the only One who gives real rest. If you are not finding real rest, then you need to ask Him for it. Have you asked Jesus for the rest you need?
Father, thank You that Jesus is the reality and that I don’t have to spend my life chasing a shadow instead of knowing the real. I ask that You would reveal to me where I am chasing shadows, give me clarity to see, and the faith to act on what You reveal to me. Help me not to be so blinded by my own self-righteous actions that I completely ignore Your voice and Your leading. Help me not to point to others’ failures and in that way, validate my own inadequacies by not being vulnerable and transparent. Give me the wisdom to discern between shadows and substance. Give me real rest from being in Your presence and seeking Your will and ways. I ask that You bless my fellow laborers in Your vineyard. That all of us will find You and know You, and that Christ Jesus will flood our hearts with His light! In Jesus Name I pray, amen!
Posted in Daniel Fast 2024