Food is Good

Food is good. Food is not only good it is necessary. It is so necessary we will die if we go to long without food. Every morning I wake up and it doesn’t take long for me to begin thinking about food. What am I going to have for breakfast?
I have heard for years that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. I don’t know about the science of that statement, but it seems to make sense. My body needs to fueled so that I have the necessary energy to go through the day.

Food is critical to a properly functioning body. This effects every part of our life. My brain, emotions, and muscles are all directly impacted by the intake of food.

I cannot live without food. That is why we think about food many times a day.

Jesus said to the disciples, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” What? The disciples were confused. They began to talk among themselves. “Hey Peter, did Jesus stop by 7-11 while we weren’t around?” “I don’t James, there was a grocery store back a couple of miles. Maybe he picked up a sandwich at the café.”
Wrong! That is not what Jesus is talking about.

“Guys, listen up…my food is to do the Father’s will and to finish the work.” (John 4:34)

This is in John 4. That chapter starts out with the classic encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well. He told her that He was the living water. Now He tells the disciples that His food is to do the Father’s will.

You can’t live without water, and you can’t live without food. That is the comparison Jesus is making.

Food is compared to doing the will of the Father. Jesus’ was nourished, energized, filled up, strengthened, and enlivened by doing the will of the Father.
Food is not optional, how come we so often approach obedience to God’s will that way? It is not optional. True, I may continue breathing and living today without focusing on the Father’s will – but that is not truly living. It is a poor substitute for the true, abundant life that God has for us. True life is when I walk with the Father in His will.

Food is good. Food is necessary. Every morning I wake up and think about food. Every day I must eat food. God’s will is good. God’s will is necessary. Every morning I should wake up and seek to submit my spirit to the will of God. Every day I must seek the will of God.

Did you know that God’s will is actually better than food? There is a level where the analogy between food and God’s will breaks down. It is possible to view and use food incorrectly. You can become a glutton of food, which is a sin. You can eat too much, or too much of the wrong thing. You can overeat and become overweight.

Not so with God’s will. We are supposed to be gluttons of God’s will. There is no such thing as overeating God’s will. The problem is not becoming obese on God’s will, but becoming too thin. So, watch what you eat when it comes to actual food, but don’t ever be complacently satisfied with knowing and doing the will of God.

Teach Me To Do Your Will

The word disciple means learner or student. What are you a student of?
I love to learn. I love to learn new things. I hope to be a student for the rest of my life. When it comes to following Christ, we are to be continually learning of Him.

Look at Psalm 143:10
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!" (Psalm 143:10, ESV)

First of all it is a prayer for help. It is recognition of the fact that doing God’s will is not something we are ingrained to do. We need help. We need someone to teach us. Not just anyone, but the Lord.

There is a twofold trap that we can fall into:
1. That I can do it.
2. That it will just happen.

I am not so good at doing my own will, much less God’s. I need some serious help. And the amazing thing is that God provides it. He has the power to sufficiently manage my life, if I will surrender it to Him.

As for number 2: learning does not normally just happen. You don’t just learn by osmosis. We do have a responsibility as students to seek learning. If you just think that your faith is going to grow, without actually having to apply yourself, it’s not very likely.

What about the subject matter of this learning? It is God’s Will. There is no subject greater to learn than the subject of God and His Will. It is a pursuit that is worthy of the utmost attention, devotion, and dedication.

Most people are too overconsumed with their own will. If we showed as much desire for God’s will, as we did for our own, I think our lives, churches, and the world would be different as a result.

On President Barack Obama

Did your candidate win or lose? What emotions has the outcome produced in you?

There is a whole continuum of responses to last nights election of Barack Obama. For some there is outright jubilation. I read of a friend whose response was," I am crying tears of joy. I'm off to a celebration party. Yeah Obama!" Others are lamenting in a puddle of despair and thinking of moving out of the country. Probably the majority of the people are indifferent - could care less.

I've had to learn a lesson about politics over the years. There have been times when my candidate won and times when my candidate lost. In fact, since I have been old enough to vote I am 2 out of 5. That's not too bad.

I have learned that my hope doesn't reside in who wins the presidency. That is true whether it is someone I am for or against. The hope for my life, my family, and this country belongs to the Lord God Almighty.

Isaiah reminds me, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God." He is Sovereign. He has all power. He knows and sees all.

Daniel 2:21 says that He removes and sets up kings.

I trust His Sovereignty. I trust His plan. I trust His hand.


I will pray for President Obama. That is my Christian obligation. I will pray for his salvation, his family, his protection, for him to be guided by godly wisdom. And then I will trust in the Sovereign God.

What about you?

God's Way

A brief devotional thought from:

Jeremiah 10:23

I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.

As I was reading through Jeremiah this verse caught my attention. I do not think it is about free will as much as it is about an unsuccessful will. When we trust in ourselves, our own ways, and our desires we fail. We are not very good at directing our own path.

In the context of this chapter this is exactly what the people of Judah had displayed. They had turned from God to their own ways and it has led to absolute failure.

The other option is the only one that works. It is the option to choose God. To give control of our ways and our lives to Him. The only way to true life is with God in control. Only those who let God direct their lives will be blessed by Him.