As you have entered into this fast, you may have wondered if we are headed down the path of legalism.  Perhaps you have been tempted to look at other believers who are not fasting as you are as less spiritual.  Maybe you’ve been in settings where you were eating with others who are also on the fast, and you carefully watched what others were eating or not eating.  That’s legalism, and it must be broken in our hearts.

God approaches us from his truest and most natural state—the state of grace.  Grace, not legalism, will help us to find real and lasting transformation in our lives.  What is the nature of grace?  Grace prioritizes relationship, acceptance, and generosity over rules.  

Jesus Christ, however, approached us equally with the truth.  That is to say, he not only expressed the mercy and love of God, but clearly and completely unveiled for us the true nature of God.  When we see Jesus, we see God!  In his presence, we find the words of John Newton true:

“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.”

Pray today that God’s Spirit will help you see God through the lens of grace and truth given to us in Jesus Christ and that the tendency to slouch toward legalism would be broken in our hearts.