There are Christians in the world who cling to Jesus’ sayings about denying yourself, passages like, “If any would be my disciples let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.”

We live in a culture where we do not deny ourselves anything, at all. We take and use and consume more than we need, indeed, more than we have. Our debt is a tangible sign of our excess, of our appetite. There is a great danger that wealth and possessions and the like become our god. Jesus warned against this, saying you cannot worship both God and mammon. For many Christians around the world, Lent is a time to renew our determination to walk the way of the cross. It is a time to get serious about praying. It is a time to fast: to deny ourselves, to practice not eating every single thing that is set in front of us. To squelch the god of the belly. Furthermore, our Lenten discipline also includes almsgiving. Many take money they would have spent on food, alcohol, sweets, meat, and other luxuries that are not enjoyed by the poor, and give that money to causes that serve the poor. Lent is a time for fasting, praying and giving.

There are those who point to Isaiah 58, and say that the kind of fast God wants is not denying ourselves a little bit of chocolate, but rather feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and fighting injustice in the world. They are right. Fasting can all too easily become a trite religious contrivance. A way to feel religious without digging into the messy issues of the world. Jesus warned about this.

I would not, however, use this as an excuse to avoid fasting, a practice mentioned all throughout Scripture. Jesus himself teaches his disciples about fasting. He begins his teaching with the words, “When you fast.” Clearly Jesus assumes that his disciples, his followers will be fasting. I believe that to be a follower of Jesus means to adopt certain spiritual practices, like prayer, fasting and giving. Jesus teaches that our fasting should not be done in order to be seen by others. It is a spiritual practice between you and God. There is great danger in showy religiosity, which leads to pride, which works against humility and other spiritual disciplines.

Jesus fasted. If fasting is not in your spiritual toolbox, it’s okay. We live under grace, not law. But I would encourage you to consider it, not as a means of earning a right relationship with God (something that is our for free) but as an act of love to God and the struggling world. You will grow spiritually. The world an those around you you benefit it a myriad of ways. There is a reason Jesus practiced and taught fasting.