Are You Starving Yourself?
New Year’s resolutions – do you make them?
Every year millions, perhaps billions, of people all over the world resolve to make things different in the New Year. The resolutions that are made are as varied as the people making them. However, one resolution that frequently appears at the top of the list has to do with improved health.
“I want to be healthier in the coming year – to lose some weight.”
Health is a fairly significant concern for many, many people.
Recently I have had the privilege of hearing some very educated speakers on the topic of health. We tend to primarily focus on exercise when we want to address issues of health, but from what I have been hearing we need to focus more on what we put into our bodies.
Is exercise important? Yes. Is what we put into our bodies really important? Absolutely.
I am a swing and a miss on both counts: I don’t exercise regularly and I don’t fuel myself well. In fact, I was chatting with Anne just before dinner as I sat down to write this, and realized that I haven’t had anything to eat today. A caramel macchiato at 10 AM has been my only sustenance all day. And, when I do eat, it’s not necessarily the best ingredients I put in my body. Habits like that do not lead to a healthy body, soul or spirit.
I can starve my body of the nutrients it needs to be the best it can be. It’s not out of ignorance, it’s out of laziness. I know what I should eat and drink, I’m just too lazy to actually do it – I don’t care enough. That’s a bad habit that needs to change.
We can do the same thing spiritually. We can starve ourselves of the very “food and beverage” we need for life; to survive, grow and be healthy. We starve ourselves of the spiritual food we need that leads to the life we so desire.
My question to you is simple: Are you starving yourself of the spiritual food you need to be vibrant and alive? The very spiritual food you need to experience the life you are looking for from Jesus?
I have met many men who confess they feel empty; they aren’t experiencing the life Jesus promised them. There can be numerous reasons for this, but I want to look at it through the lens of personal responsibility…
What would you think of a man who was sick, losing weight and slowly fading away because he refused to eat? And, he was complaining that God didn’t seem to care about him because he keeps getting worse.
You would probably say something like, “Buddy, wack your head with a stick – you need to eat. You’re starving yourself. God hasn’t abandoned you, you have abandoned yourself – and God.”
It seems ridiculous when we look at this in the natural, but this is what we often do in the spirit. We starve ourselves of what the Lord has given us to ensure we are healthy and growing in Him. There are myriad spiritual foods the Lord has given us, but some of the basic food groups are the following:
- Communion with God through prayer, worship and study of His Word.
- Communion with others through giving of our time, talent and treasure; and through receiving by listening to, learning from and leaning on others.
Fellowship with God and with others.
If you feel empty, if you feel like you are starving for the life God promised you, then perhaps you are not feeding on what the Lord has given you for life.
I think there is one great impediment inhibiting us from feeding on that which the Lord has given us for life…
Pride.
We think we can do life on our own without what God has said we need for life in Him.
Are you starving yourself of the life God has for you? Are you insisting on disregarding that which God says leads to life and instead are doing your own thing?
Let’s resolve for this coming year to humble ourselves and feed on that which the Lord says leads to life – may 2014 be our healthiest year yet.
Isaiah 55:1-9 (The Message)
Seek God while he’s here to be found, pray to him while he’s close at hand. Let the wicked abandon their way of life and the evil their way of thinking. Let them come back to God, who is merciful, come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.
“I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think.”
What do You Want for Christmas?
Click to watch the WestJet Commercial.
Wow! Have you seen it?
Have you seen the WestJet Christmas ‘commercial’?
Totally awesome.
If you haven’t seen it, click the link under the photo to watch it.
Here is the gist of the campaign…
WestJet put a huge Christmas present in the departure lounge of an airport somewhere in Canada. They installed a large TV screen in the front side of if that invites waiting passengers to scan their boarding pass. Upon doing so, Santa begins interacting with the passengers via live video. He knows their names (because of the scanned passes) and asks them what they want for Christmas.
Passenger after passenger, amidst squeals of delight at the remarkable technology, share with Santa what they would like for Christmas: socks, underwear, a flight home to family at Christmas, a camera, a warm scarf, new boots…the list goes on and on, with one family even asking for a 50″ TV.
As soon as the passengers give their requests, WestJet staff race off to purchase the requested gifts. There is an army of WestJetters who buy, wrap and deliver the gifts.
When the flight arrives the passengers head to the baggage carousel for their luggage, but the first luggage to arrive – amidst much regalia – are all the wrapped gifts heading down the luggage belt like a merry Christmas gift train spilling onto the carousel with the names of the recipients brightly displayed on each gift.
The passengers are “gobsmacked” – to borrow a fitting English term.
Joy and excitement fills the room as passenger after passenger unwraps the very thing they asked for merely hours before. Tears are shed. Hugs are shared. Joys are exclaimed. Thanksgiving is offered. It is an amazing site – just incredible.
There was one particular line that Santa shared on the blooper reel that caught my attention. A woman had just shared her desire with him for new socks. He indicated that was no problem, but then said, “You are going to wish you asked for something more.”
Something CS Lewis said popped into my mind,
“The problem is not that we desire too much – it’s that we desire too little.”
When all the gifts were being unwrapped by the passengers I have no doubt that a number of passengers looked at what other people were getting – especially the family who got the 50″ TV – and said to themselves, “I should have asked for more.”
Jesus asks us, “What do you want?”
We are told in scripture to ask in prayer and we will receive – the only limitation is our faith. Perhaps our only limitation is the lack of audacity to go for it. To really shoot for the moon in our request of God.
I am not talking about the things of this world – a new car, house, boat, money, etc. No, I am talking about significant, earth shaking, eternally significant and seemingly impossible things. There is no limit to God’s power and resource.
What would you think of someone who, when asked by Bill Gates what they wanted as a gift – and that money was no object, asked for some new underwear? How about asking for a billion dollars to care for orphans, or to provide clean water around the world, or to build schools and train teachers for those children who go without education, or to feed the poor, or do research and development into fighting disease, or myriad other needs we have in the world?
My point is this: the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings is asking us what we want – are we aware of significant issues of eternal importance and engaged with God in stewarding His unlimited resources to see His joy, right living and happiness come in people’s lives? Or, are we more concerned about a new car or a set of golf clubs? There is nothing wrong with a new car or a set of golf clubs, but if that is the extent of our desire, then we have missed the heart of God.
Oh Lord, have mercy on us. Help us to engage with you in the deeper issues of life and ask for what is already in Your heart for us and through us for mankind.
So, what do you want for Christmas? Are you asking for enough? Ask and you shall receive…
Matthew 7:7, 8
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
John 1:38
“Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’”
James 1:17
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Please sir, I want some more.
Slowly and fearfully he gets up from his seat and moves toward the object of his fear. He is driven forward by hunger.
The pain of staying the same has finally overcome the pain of the change he wants. No one has done this before – at least they haven’t done this and not suffered any consequences.
The object of his fear is also the only one who can help him. Will he be punished or rewarded? He doesn’t really know, but he is willing to find out.
Slowly, cautiously, fearfully, timidly, yet tenaciously he approaches the one to whose authority he must submit. He doesn’t really like this, but he has no option. So, ‘cap in hand’, he makes his way forward in the hopes that he won’t be rejected, or worse, punished for simply wanting a better life.
Does he deserve a better life? Probably not. Has he earned a better life? Probably not. Does he even have the right to ask for more? Probably not again. The cards are stacked against him, but his hunger is relentless.
He makes his way to front, lifts his bowl and asks the stern, angry and fear inducing master for more food:
“Please sir, I want some more…”
Things quickly go sideways and Oliver is soon extremely regretful for daring to hope there could possibly be more for him.
Do remember the story of Oliver Twist?
It was Charles Dickens’ second novel. Oliver Twist has been the subject of numerous film and television adaptations. It is also the basis for a highly successful musical and the multiple Academy Award winning 1968 movie entitled Oliver.
The scene I described above is when Oliver dares asks the orphanage/workhouse master for more food at dinner. These are the lyrics to the song sung by the master that follows his request:
“Oliver, Oliver – Never before has a boy wanted more
Oliver, Oliver – Won’t ask for more when he knows what’s in store
There’s a dark, thin winding stairway without any banister
Which we’ll throw him down and feed him the cockroaches served in a canister
Oliver, Oliver – What will he do when he’s turned black and blue
He will rue the day somebody named him Ol-i-ver
Oliver, Oliver – What heavens pray will the governors say?
They will lay the blame on the one who named him.”
Sadly, I think this is sometimes how we picture our interaction with God.
Cap-in-hand we fearfully approach God knowing that we don’t deserve anything but punishment and dare to ask for more, or for help of any kind, hoping that somehow we won’t make things worse by making Him aware of us. Perhaps better is we stay lost in the crowd and resign ourselves to the fact that we are on our own and this is as good as it gets.
Can you relate?
Well, I am very pleased to tell you that that is not an accurate picture of God’s heart toward you. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, received His gift of forgiveness and new life, you have been born again into the family of God as a beloved son. He has loved you with an everlasting love. He has drawn you with loving kindness.
We actually can’t even imagine all that God has prepared for us as His beloved children. We can boldly approach His throne of grace like dearly loved princes of a benevolent king. No fear – perfect love casts out all fear. No need to come cap-in-hand when we are in Jesus. Jesus makes a way for us to connect with our Father who aches for His children to come to Him for all we need. He also pours out good gifts to us. There is no fear in asking for more – He invites us to ask so He can provide.
No, there are no Olivers in the family of God – only beloved sons who can boldly come to their Father for all their needs.
Hebrews 4:16
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
James 1:17
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Jeremiah 31:3
“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
Matthew 7:11
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!”
Get Up On Your Feet!
Click to see an amazing intro of Jesus
He stepped up on the stage and blew the crowd away. You could say he brought the house down.
Nobody had an inkling of what he was about to do before he did it. He is a comedian. He’s supposed to be funny; he’s not supposed to be serious. But what he did was no comedy act – he was dead serious and it brought thousands to their feet in solidarity with his message.
The comedian is Steve Harvey and his message was given to an arena full of spectators there for a good time. For a reason I do not know, he decided to present how he would introduce Jesus if he ever got the chance. His presentation drew a spontaneous standing ovation, in the middle of his intro, from those in attendance. Because the crowd knew that is what we owe Jesus – a standing ovation.
I won’t attempt to describe his presentation – you have to see it to believe it. So please take a little break right now and click on the photo to watch the video.
His introduction got me thinking about how we worship during church meetings. Oftentimes we can be quite reserved during praise and worship times. We might be struggling with feelings of unworthiness, shame and guilt. We might simply be feeling a little bummed out. We might be angry or upset about something. Whatever the reason, we can sometimes disengage and not really ‘enter into’ corporate worship.
In light of this I thought about how I would respond if I had had the opportunity to be at an event where Mother Theresa was introduced. It wouldn’t matter how I was feeling, I would give her a standing ovation. Who she is and what she has done demands my utmost respect and admiration – and how we typically express that admiration when in an audience is to give a standing ovation. I am sure you would respond in the same manner.
Our response to Mother Theresa wouldn’t be based on what we were feeling – it’s irrelevant. Our response would be based on the honor that is due her. Our response would be based on what she is worthy of. We would step out of whatever negative mindset we may be in to give an appropriate response to being in the presence of someone worthy of honor.
Now, let’s apply that same thinking to times of praise and worship during church meetings.
Is Jesus worthy of our worship? Yes.
Is the purpose of our worship to honor God for who He is and what He has done? Yes.
Should how we feel have any impact on whether or not He is worthy of our worship? No.
In light of this I think Steve Harvey’s introduction of Jesus could be played before every church worship time – to help us focus on the fact that our worship is in response to who God is, and has nothing to do with what we are feeling at the time.
King David understood this. He would speak to himself to remind himself that worship is about God’s worthiness, not his. “Praise the Lord O my soul!” He would exhort himself to praise the Lord even when he didn’t feel like it. I think that is the heart the Lord wants us all to have; to choose to step out of ourselves and give the Lord the honor due His great goodness and His good greatness.
Let’s remember Steve Harvey’s profoundly powerful exhortation, “Get up on your feet! Put your hands together and show your love for the second coming of the One and Only!”
Let’s choose to wholeheartedly give the Lord the honor, glory and worship due His name, which has nothing to do with who we are but everything to do with who He is and that He has chosen to pour out His love on those who are so unworthy.
Yes, get up on your feet and praise the Lord O my soul – all that is within me praise His holy name!
Psalm 103:1, 2
“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits…”
Psalm 106:1
“Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”
Psalm 147:1
“Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him.”