Fasting is a time of contemplation. A time to humble yourself before the One God.
by Steve Schlichter–
Fasting is a time of contemplation. A time to humble yourself before God. A time to search yourself and confess attitudes and actions that are contrary to the nature of God. Those we commit that we should not and those we omit that we should do. The more we understand God's nature, the more humbling and meaningful our expressions of love and worship can be.
Fasting, prayer, and meditation upon God's words are ways we can draw closer to God and worship him as he actually is. The question, then, is what is the nature of God?
God is one. He is unique and indivisible, as these verses bare witness:
Moses: "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" (Deuteronomy 6:4)
Jesus: "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD.'" (Mark 12:29)
Paul: "Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one." (Galatians 3:20)
James: "You believe that God is one You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder." (James 2:19)
There is but one God and none other is like him–entirely unique, self-sufficient, indivisible. This oneness (Tawheed) is the nature of God. Whatever is true of God is indivisible. God has many attributes that make up this oneness. In the Old Testament (Tawrat), he has many Hebrew names that each are used to highlight an attribute of God.
El Echad, the one God (Malachi 2:10)
El Hanne'eman, the faithful God (Deuteronomy 7:9)
El Tsaddik, the righteous God (Isaiah 45:21)
El Emet, the God of Truth (Psalm 31:5)
Immanuel (God with us) (Isaiah 9:6 and Matthew 1:23)
These and many others speak of the self-sufficient, the Most High, everlasting, mighty, knowledgeable, great, glorified, holy, gracious, strong, patient, compassionate, and awesome. Each of these are separate attributes that make up the oneness of God. God is one but has many attributes. You cannot divide or remove an attribute. Even though God is unified, that unity consists of many distinct attributes.
These attributes imply a personal God, not an impersonal force. Who is the person of God? Is personhood an attribute? When we refer to a part of our body, we say MY arm or MY head. we do not identify as a body but as a person with a body (and a soul). Who is the person of God–the owner of these attributes that makes up this personality?
Companies have different cultures. Some companies might boast on productivity, equality, or diversity. These make up the personality of the company. The company itself is one but it is made up of a community of persons that work, collaborate, and share common goals. As humans, we want to assume that God is one person just like us. Why should we assume that God is just like us?
Some of God's attributes are relational. They cannot exist without an object. Love, for example requires an object. How can God be love or have the attribute of love? The God of the Bible reveals himself to be one God in a community of persons. In the same way that God is one even though he has many attributes; he is also one even though he consists of a community of 3 persons. You cannot remove an attribute because God is indivisible just like you cannot remove a person. God eternally exists in 3 persons. All his attributes shared among 3 distinct personalities. Each equal in divinity but distinct in person and roles.
The gospel of John explains that Jesus existed with the Father before creation and that he was himself God - the Word (Jesus) was God and was with God (John 1:1). Paul explains that in Christ exists fullness of divinity incarnated in bodily form (Col 2:9) and that the word (Jesus) became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1:14).
What is the meaning of God coming to live as a man? God is love. God was love before he created anything to love because the persons of God loved each other. Christ comes from God as God for God to demonstrate God's love to us. No greater love exists than one who dies for his friends and their is none that love more than God. Love is the attribute of God that Christ conveys when he entered humanity. His meaning is love.