A Culinary Parable

I am so happy to be able to eat again! My favorite restaurant has finally opened back up! Their menu is new and improved. They have the best cook in the area. My favorite meal, a cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato, steak fries, and coke is once again right down the street! Oh, how I have missed food.

In case you are wondering, I stopped eating when the pandemic forced my favorite restaurant to shut its doors. I knew it might affect my health to not eat, but I assumed it would just be for a couple weeks. Then weeks turn to months and months to over a year. 

Don't get me wrong, I tried cooking myself. But I didn't have all the ingredients I needed at home. And when I read the recipe and saw all those measurements, I was just confused. My conclusion was that I just needed to leave the cooking up to someone trained in culinary arts. After all, they could cook much better than I could. 

The Bible says in Matthew 4:4, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." 

How ludicrous would it be for someone to not eat physical food for an extended period of time? How silly to say, "Since I'm not a great cook, I just won't eat?" Yet how many of us fail to "eat" spiritual "food" on a regular basis. Our spirits were created to consume spiritual food. And that food comes from the Word of God - the Bible. 

Sadly, when the pandemic hit, many could no longer attend their church in person. And equally sad, is that many Christians only "eat" once a week from the Sunday morning message. Instead we ought to read and study God's word on a daily basis in order to stay spiritually healthy. "Crave" the word. 

"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." 1 Peter 2:2

It's the new Christian that needs someone to feed him the word of God, but the mature Christian has learned how to "feed" him or herself. Reading, studying, and praying all feed the spiritual man. You don't have to understand everything you read either. That's okay if you don't. What is important is that you have a regular intake of scripture. 

"Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:13, 14

A great way to feed ourselves spiritually is by spending time daily in God's word. If you don't already have a regular habit of Bible reading, now is a good time to start. 

The folks at LifeChurch.tv have assembled countless Bible reading plans. 

Through the Word is another great resource to help you "feed yourself spiritually."

I gotta go now, there's the "dinner bell." Time to "eat!"

Springtime Reminders

Springtime brings new growth including tree blossoms, flowers, and grass. God takes out his colored markers and daps color all over His creation. Greens and blues are prominent on the ground and sky. Oranges, yellows, and reds highlight the flowers while whites and pinks set the trees and bushes apart. 

Tiger Swallowtail

Squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and butterflies seem to appear out of nowhere. The Robins are out early pecking in the yard for worms to feed their young ones. Grey and Fox Squirrels scamper up and down trees playing tag with one another. The Tiger Swallowtail flutters from bush to bush attracted by their brilliant colors. 

Eastern Grey Squirrel

This season brings to mind the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 6 from the sermon on the mount:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." 

Budding Ornate Bush

Springtime highlights new life, but it also demonstrates how God sustains life. Plant life may be dormant for a time, but it springs forth in March or April. Butterflies emerge from their winter pupas. Chipmunks awake from hibernation through the cold months. While some of God's creation is out of our sight, they are not abandoned, but are simply in a resting state. He is still cares for them.

To us, Jesus says:

"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things (food, clothing, etc) will be given to you as well."

As you venture out into the summer of 2021, remember the value God places on you! Remember to put God's kingdom first in your life. Live righteously. Then rest upon His promise to care for you.