Formation

When I considered how extreme I would be for Lent, I recalled a story I heard about a very rich apple farmer named Ralph Broetje. He is a faithful believer and, at some point, wondered if he needed to give up growing apples because it was so profitable. A spiritual mentor asked the question, "Would a part of Ralph die if he did not grow apples?" Ralph said without hesitation, "Yes." As I thought about giving up books and ideas for Jesus, I identified that, like Ralph, a part of me would die. God has given me a love of learning. Consequently, I am still reading books, although they are spiritual in orientation. In "Soul Feast," Marjorie Thompson differentiates between information and formation: information is utilitarian; it is a means to some other end, whether it be persuasive arguments, problem-solving, conversation starters, programming, etc. Formation, on the other hand, "is generally understood as an end in itself. It has to do with the dynamics of change in the human heart, change that reshapes us into the kind of beings God intends for us to be." Therefore, as we read Scripture and spiritual books, I pray that it would be formative, not merely informative. My prayer is that this fast is a formative practice that draws us to God's heart. May we have His heart.
I wanted to write some of the promises that God has given us for this place. It is so good to be formed by His faithfulness to redeem and restore!
"God will provide rain for the seeds you sow. The grain that grows will be abundant." -Isaiah 30:23 (The Message)
"The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in." -Isaiah 58:11-12
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be taht goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it." -Isaiah 55:1-11