Endless Buffet

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never 

go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty."

For as many times as I have read those words, I never quite grasped exactly what He was offering.

When Jesus broke the bread and the fish to give to the crowd to eat, it says they were given as much as they wanted. Not limited portions, not a measured cup, but whatever they wanted. And when they were done eating, when they decided they'd had enough, the remains were gathered up so that nothing would be wasted.

So here's the thing: When we have our sweet time with Jesus every day, He is offering us an unlimited supply of Himself. He knows ahead of time exactly what we'll be facing and He does not intend for us to go hungry. However, if we cut our time short because we are focused on moving on to the next thing on our list, what He intended to give us, is saved for another time. He's not taking it back; He's putting it in reserve.

So the question then becomes, how do we know when we've gotten enough?

We live in a world that is currently preaching mimimalist theories with a diet mentality so that our excess isn't spilling out over the tops of our pants or on anyone that comes within range. But when it comes to Jesus, is it possible to get too much? And if you did end up with an overflowing cup, isn't that a benefit to the world?

Surely we can't live in a gated community doing nothing but reading our Bible and constantly in the position of a holy huddle. But I also think we need to take a look at exactly where we are investing our time because with the amount of anxiety, stress, worry, and fear I see around me, and in me, clearly there are a lot of us taking what amounts to an appetizer of Jesus instead of an outright meal. If He's offering Himself in unlimited supply, I know I need as much as I can get. #LittleBitOfCoffee #WholeLotOfJesus

The good thing is that Jesus isn't going anywhere, His offer of endless food won't expire, and nothing He wants to give us is going to go bad. But my hope is that we'll take more time to slowly eat what He is giving instead of downing it as fast as we can. Maybe then we'll be able to recognize when we are full and can avoid the sugar crash that leaves us hungrier than we started.

Jesus, I didn't write this for anyone but myself! You know the areas in which You are working in my life and the things I go through systematically way more than I go through them intentionally. I do more checking off than anything these days. I pray that for anyone else that feels this way, that You would slow us down to not only digest what You are giving us, but to help us to understand what it feels like to be fully satisfied in You. We love You. Amen.