A full stomach

Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.

Scripture: John 6:10-11 (The Message) Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” There was a nice carpet of green grass in this place. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread and, having given thanks, gave it to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish. All ate as much as they wanted.

With Jesus, there is always an abundance of food for the masses. He always has enough on hand to meet the needs of those around him. No matter what the circumstances, he is never short. People never walk away hungry. That day, those who were hungry were filled to their heart’s content. There was no excuse for anybody to walk away without a full belly.

If you have Jesus in your life, we don’t have the need to eat from any other plate. The question is, do we want to have a well-balanced life of Jesus? Or do we want to add a few supplements, from, say Depak Chopra or Oprah Winfrey. Or maybe we’ve gotten on a fitness craze and made a guru out of the latest pitch man or woman. God wants to be No. 1 in our life, and he is a jealous God of anything we put in front of him. Being physically fit and eating nutritiously is important, but God cares more about our spiritual health.

What in our lives are we turning into gods, possibly without us even knowing it? In Old Testament times, the God of Abraham had to fight for display space with the likes of Asherah, the sex goddess, and Baal, as well as hundreds if not thousands, of other false idols. Anything we make a God out of, whether it be alcohol, cigarettes, food, TV, pornography, work, toys or even our kids, competes with God. There isn’t room for anything else, other than God. If we partake of any other replacement, we will walk away hungry for more.

We may be starving for affection, for attention, for status, for material things, whatever. All of those things are in a skirmish for our time. The people who came to listen to Jesus speak had to stop and sit down before being fed. They had to slow down and relax for a little while. Jesus simply wanted people to take time out from their busy schedules to sit down with him and eat and drink. Every meal we eat should be treated as if Jesus were sitting right next to us. Next time you sit down for a meal, have a conversation with Jesus. You won’t walk away hungry.

How does this apply to my life?

Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to make it a priority to include you in my meal times. Help me to take the time to know you today. Amen

Doug Mead
Parenting Solo

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Vol. 3, No. 159

This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/november.asp?version=51