OUT OF AFFLICTION

Jesus told us that in this world we would have tribulation.  But we are to be of good cheer because He had overcome the world.  (John 16:33)  As Christians we are not promised a life without difficulties.  Psalm 34:19 states, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”  We can be assured of God delivering us out from the difficulties, but not to keep us from entering into difficulties. 

We see in the situation recorded in Daniel 3, in which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace they were not in there alone. There was a fourth person in there with them.  They came forth from that fire that had killed the men who threw them in, without even the smell of smoke upon them.  They were not alone, nor will we be left alone in our time of affliction.  (Hebrews 13:5)

Isaiah 43:2-3a When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. ³ For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:

MAIN DISH OR SIDE DISH?

Jesus desires to be the main dish of our life, not just a side dish.  Too often we partake of Him as a side dish and think we are doing well.  Sometimes we think that we are doing good because at least we are partaking of Him, unlike many others around us, even those within the body.  But those who compare themselves with others are not wise.  We must measure ourselves with the plumbline of God’s Word, with the plumbline of the commands and expectations of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Especially during this holiday season with all the hustle and bustle it is so easy to not keep the main thing the main thing and push Jesus aside until we get to the other side of this season.  Although there are seasons in God putting Jesus aside and making Him a side dish even for a season is not a good thing. 

Is Jesus your main dish or a side dish, as you go through this season? 

Revelation 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Mark 12:29-30 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: ³⁰ And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

WHAT ARE YOU EATING?

We have all heard the phrase “you are what you eat.”  If we eat a healthy diet we will be healthy and if not, we won’t. This applies both in the natural and the spiritual.

Sometimes I have thought it was not fair that certain people could eat as much as they want and not gain weight.  Or that some people can eat a very unhealthy diet and yet not seem to suffer the consequences.  Yet it seems that if I even look at something sweet I gain weight. Or if I am not careful about my diet I soon suffer the consequence of increased pain or an acidy stomach. No matter what it seems like now, there are consequences, if not immediately, there are long term consequences in relation to what we take in.

The same is true of our spiritual man.  Daniel and his friends chose not to partake of the foods of the Babylonians that were offered to them.  They chose not to defile themselves with those foods. (Daniel 1:8-20)   The result was that they were ten times wiser than the others.  John the Baptist was in the wilderness eating locusts and wild honey, certainly not the normal diet of the day. (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6) Although this refers to their natural diet, I believe it is an indication of their spiritual diet as well. 

Ezekiel and John were both admonished to eat the book. (Ezekiel 2:8-3:3; Revelation 10:8-11) I believe God is saying the same thing to us today, “eat the book.”  That is, do not just read the book (Bible) but take it in. Meditate upon it. Let it become part of you.  As it was for both Ezekiel and John it will certainly cause a certain amount of discomfort at times, but the long term affects will be glorious. 

Jesus told his disciples to eat His flesh and drink His blood.  This caused a great many to walk away from Him. (John 6:51-69)  Jesus is asking us today to partake of Him as well.  It may be offensive, but as Peter stated only Jesus has the Words of Life.  We partake regularly of the bread (His body) and the wine (His blood).  As we do we are remembering His death and ultimately His resurrection.  We are partaking of Him who is life.  In Jesus is life.  The life is in the blood.  Jesus is the bread of life.  Partaking of Jesus consistently will have a glorious result in that day when we stand before Him. 

So I ask, What are you eating?