First things first, let me apologize if this delectable picture of creamy goodness makes you hungry for some real comfort food. And, if it is tempting you to get up from the computer and fall into the sin of gluttony by going to get some right now – don’t go! I’m sorry. I wanted to shock you into thinking about the things for which you hunger and thirst.
Myself, just seeing this picture of mashed potatoes (aka Ambrosia, food of the gods), causes me to tremble. I think I may have even gained a pound just looking at it. But it also serves to remind me Jesus said we cannot live by bread alone, but on every word the proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Bread, of course is a metaphor for whatever we crave in this world that we think fulfills us.
There is only one thing that I really want to hunger and thirst for, and that is Jesus. The problem is…sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I let the things of this world (which are so good), like gourmet food, nice clothes, and fancy cars get in my way of hungering and thirsting for the only thing that can truly satisfy – Jesus Christ, alive in me.
I’m willing to bet (I really don’t gamble) you have a similar problem; we all do. It is human nature to want more stuff, really nice stuff. And, until we accept that more and more stuff isn’t good for us, like too much mashed potatoes and gravy (or whatever things you crave), we will not learn to fill our appetite with what truly satisfies, Jesus.
Few of us will go a day without food, but many of us go “days” without feeding on, talking to, or being with Jesus. As St. James said, “…this ought not be”. Why do we fail to fill our lives with the one thing that can transform our lives into the joyful and peaceful existence we all crave? Because we don’t make a plan to fill our lives with Jesus.
If you go to church on Sunday or Saturday, and don’t spend any other time with Jesus and His word, I say if because the stats tell us about 1 million people stop going to church every week in America (let that soak in for minute), then you are not eating enough of the bread of life. We would not even think about eating food only once a week, so why do we do it with Jesus?
The truth is, we need a plan to fill our lives with Jesus Christ. We need to be intentional about thinking, praying, reading, and worshiping Jesus Christ in our daily lives. If we do not set up a plan to do these things, we are planning to fail. Thankfully, Jesus understands our failures. He loves us even though we often do not return His love. Instead of treating us like we treat Him, Jesus is always calling us into closer communion with Him.
This is my inaugural post for this blog. I hope you will choose to be hungry with me for more of Jesus. For the last year, I have written a daily devotional called Life IN Christ. I wrote it based on the gospel of the day from the Revised Common Lectionary. I just wrote about whatever God revealed to me about that day’s scripture. Some of those posts can be found at www.followingjesusdaily.com, if you care to go back and read them. I wrote it as a way of drawing me into daily worship of Jesus, and invited others to follow along.
On this blog I plan to post each Monday and Friday, thoughts that will help us through the week to concentrate more on the gospel and filling our lives with Jesus. Each Monday I will reflect on the gospel reading for the Sundays, and consider how to keep the word alive in us and feed on it through the week. Then, on Friday I will recap the week and see how we are doing together on the journey.
Don’t worry, it won’t be a repeat of the sermon you hear in church Sunday, unless perhaps you are an Orthodox Christian. Most of us will not have heard on that day, the particular gospel I will be using. To give us Western Christians a little different rhythm to life I will be using the Lectionary of the Eastern Orthodox Churches. This lectionary has been in continual use since the 4th Century in the Eastern churches; they have been on my heart a lot lately due to the persecution they face in the Middle East.
I hope you will subscribe to this blog and join in the journey by commenting or asking questions. We learn best when we learn together. Remember, discipleship is not a solo experience. Join me as we hunger and thirst for more of what truly matters…Jesus Christ.
Grace & Peace for your journey,
Pastor Brad