great, good for you. you can worship God, like you were created to do, just like the rest of us. you are fulfilling one of the basic purposes you were created for to worship & serve the Creator-King of the universe. when we robotically fulfill our purpose in God, expectig attention from it, there is no other reward to be had beyond that recognition. you serve God, and people praise you for it, or say ‘wow. what a righteous dude.’ then you are receiving your reward. serving God is not about being seen, and we shouldn’t expect to be lauded when we do.

in mark 2, some disciples of john and of the pharisees are fasting. we know this because they made it obvious, and told people. i think the only jewish holiday that requires a fast is the day of atonement, so they could have been observing that holiday. it would explain why both camps (unrelated) are fasting and asking questions about it, like it was expected of Jesus’ disciples to do the same thing.

i totally understand having to make yourself do something for God in order to learn the discipline and joy of doing it. that’s how i got to enjoy my morning reading and devotional time. i wasn’t so pious that i was born doing it…i had to make myself get out of bed and do it. and so today, i enjoy doing it, and miss it when i miss it. so, these 2 groups may have been engaged in a holiday based discipline, and wondering why Jesus’ disciples weren’t doing what was expected. it is also entirely possible that they were just fasting to prepare for the Sabbath, and there was no special call to do so beyond the example of their rabbis.

whatever the motivation for the fast, one of the basic principles of fasting is to keep it quiet. people are not supposed to know you are fasting, and if you announce it to the whole world, then people are going to question your motives. i know people who have done extended fasting, and after a while, you end up having to tell people what you are doing. you can make up reasons for not eating, or say that you aren’t interested, but eventually it comes out. and that’s okay. if you are on an extended fast, then more than likely, God called you to it, and so there may be a lesson to learn for those around you.

but we have go to be careful in our service to God, that it remains as service to God and not as a show for men.

listen, we do not serve God to gain the praise of men. we do not serve God in order for people to say how great or pious or godly we are…goodness, no. if we are, then we have missed the mark entirely. if we serve at church to be seen, if we help our neighbor in order to hear a “thank-you,” if we give money to the poor in order for someone else to see our charity, then woe to us.

if chorazin and bethesda were going to be in trouble for not turning to God because they saw Him at work in Jesus, then we will also be in trouble. because we are at least emulating Jesus through what we have seen, but our hearts are still focused inwardly rather than on God, just as theirs were. to see God at work, to experience His grace and mercy and power first hand, but maintain a cold, calloused heart that seeks for itself…there is no hope or reward there. there is no reconciliation for the heart that seeks it’s own glory, or ignores the call of God.

and so, when we serve, we must know that we are indeed fulfilling who and what God created us to be, but in that, we must understand that was our role to begin with. our righteousness is counted as a mass of bio-hazard waste in the light of God’s own righteousness. what we do in God is who we are supposed to be in the first place. a tree is not rewarded for bearing leaves. a fish is not praised because it swims. they are simply being what God made them to be. God gets the glory for the tree and the fish, and for our service as well.

when we focus the attention on ourselves, we rob God of the praise that is due Him.

Father, please forgive my arrogance, that anyone should ever praise me for my service. help me to understand better just what it means to serve You wholeheartedly. help me to make sure that i hide behind You, and that You receive all the glory and praise. please spur me to greater service in You, so that others will see your hand at work, and do the same…giving You the glory all the time through their actions and words. thank-You for the opportunities to serve daily, and for trusting us with those duties for You. please forgive me when i miss the mark.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Spirit, have mercy.

amen.