Every Thursday I feature a “throwback” post from my blog archive. The goal is to look back and discover new lessons or opportunities to grow. This week, we’ll look at “How Big is Your Jar” You can view the original post here. For today, here’s a quick recap and a few more thoughts about having big faith.
This post was a fun one. I always love it when my love for food can inspire a love for Jesus in a deeper way. For me, the original post was an encouragement to me and a reminder that we serve a limitless God who loves to give good gifts to His children. During this time in my life, I was hungry often. I mean that both physically and spiritually. I was seeking God and regularly looking for new ways to connect deeply with Him. But how do we respond when that hunger seems to subside?
I recently started taking a new medication in the morning. That medication affects my appetite and I am nowhere near as hungry as I used to be. Now, instead of searching for a giant bowl, a full box of cereal, and a ladle, I typically opt for a cup of coffee and call it good. This new situation has come with two obvious results. First, my scale and I get along much better these days. Second, I have to pay closer attention to make sure I am eating enough food throughout the day. There have been times when I get home from work and realize I haven’t eaten anything all day. Suddenly, I realize just how much I need that nourishment to survive. In those times, hungry or not, I have to eat.
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The same is going to be true for our lives with Jesus in certain seasons. There will be times when we aren’t as hungry as we once were. Our needs are met, we’re comfortable, life seems smooth, and the need for a relationship with Jesus doesn’t seem as tangible or urgent as it once was. In these times, I want to encourage you to continue to eat. Continue to spend time with him. Continue to connect with others in community, to serve those around you, to give generously, and point others toward Him. Even when we’re not hungry, we need the nourishment that comes from a deep and abiding relationship with the Giver of Life. Jesus is clear about this need in John 15. He says, “
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.
John 15:1-6 (NIV)
Let me encourage you today, when you are hungry for Him, reach for the big bowl of His abundant grace, love, and presence. And when your appetite seems to wane, continue to come to Him, to sit with Him, and to be connected to Him. Our lives will have spiritual highs and lows. But our faith and our relationship with Jesus is not about our temporary feelings. It is about staying connected to Him in every season. We have to stay nourished even in the seasons when we aren’t hungry. Keep eating!
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