Gobble Gobble

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

                                                                                                                      Psalm 34:1

Thanksgiving. The no-frills holiday with all the basic necessities of life. Family. Friends. Fellowship. Football. Food. Oh, the food!

My sisters and I have our Thanksgiving Day meal down! We don’t even have to plan ahead. We know who is preparing what. And it will be the best meal. Ever.

As I sit at my computer, I can almost smell the turkey roasting in the oven. I can taste the dressing and luscious creamy gravy. I could stop right there and my plate would be filled to the overflow. But there must be room for the broccoli rice casserole, along with the yummy pumpkin and pecan pies.

I will gorge myself. Never do I eat such a large quantity of food. And I am already anticipating the day. Already salivating at the thought. I can’t wait!

Yes, I can’t wait to over-indulge on a plate of Thanksgiving bounty. I will probably cut back on my caloric intake a few days before so I can gobble up the goodies and feel justified. But the other day our pastor talked about “nibbling and gobbling, ” giving me a new perspective.

We were a few sermons into Hebrews, finishing up Chapter 5 and beginning Chapter 6. Discussing mature Christians partaking of solid food and baby Christians still requiring milk. More specifically, Pastor Brad had identified five possible characteristics of the immature Christ follower. His fourth example referenced the person “who has tasted the word, but just sits in church and nibbles, but doesn’t ever gobble them up.”

If the immature Christian is one who just nibbles, what might be some qualities of one who is mature?

I would venture to say she doesn’t sit in church on Sunday morning, “nibbling” on a few morsels of God’s word while fasting the rest of the week. She’s gobbling up every tasty morsel on the table, knowing she can have a second helping at any time. Tucking the golden nuggets she has devoured into the crevices of her heart, ready to share them with the hungry and hurting she encounters in the mission field. Nourishing her body by feasting on God’s Word all week long.

She can’t wait to spend time with her Lord!

The God breathed scriptures—her very own breath of life.
Oh, I want to be her! The taste of His word, continually in my mouth. The words from the pages of His Book satiating my hunger. The Holy Spirit leading me to actively “do” what I have digested.
Then reality hits. My tendency to fill up on “myself” instead of God. Thankfully, there is Jesus. Offering His forgiveness. Cleansing my tainted flesh when I indulge in the forbidden fruit.

When I heard my pastor use the word “gobble” my mind wandered to roasted turkey, gravy, and dressing. My favorite once-a-year meal. What a divine blessing that all of us have the opportunity to gobble up our Father’s word every single day!

Desiring to know more specifics, I Googled “Thanksgiving Day,” which can be traced back to the Pilgrim’s harvest celebration at Plymouth in 1621. The Holy spirit led me to President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863. During the Civil War, he proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficient Father who dwelleth in the Heaven,” to be celebrated on the last Thursday of November.
Written by Secretary of State William Seward and delivered by Lincoln, both men hoped the words would help heal the wounds of the nation.
Interesting. Aren’t we still trying to heal the wounds of our nation?

Only God can heal the hurting, but what if everyone in our land had an insatiable hunger and thirst for His Word? Everyday being an opportunity to gobble up His goodness. Seek His face. Repent. Share praises and thanks for our Father in heaven.

The Lord himself told us exactly what He would do:

“if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

                                                                                                  2 Chronicle 7:14

The word of our God stands forever. Gobble up the goodness.

Tags: 2 Chronicles 7:14, , Feast, fellowship, gobble, , President Lincoln Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863, Spiritual maturity, , , Word of God

3 responses to “Gobble Gobble

  1. hmmmmm, if that were the case my dear friend, what a different country this would be. Most see the things of God as silliness, but oh if they could taste the goodness and gorge upon it! And 0 calories to boot!! Ha!

    LikeLiked by 1 person

  2. One day…every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

    LikeLike

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