“When your words turned up, I feasted on them; and they became my joy, the delight of my heart, because I belong to you, Lord God of heavenly forces.” (Jeremiah 15:16 Common English Bible)
Living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for three months in the early 1980’s, when the weekend came, one of our favorite restaurants that we would go to was run by Amish owners. After you were seated at a large table, resembling a large picnic table, we were served “Amish Style.” Various dishes were sat on our table, a great variety of foods. As one dish was emptied, the server would replace it with another. Picture multiple serving dishes, each with food that was delightful. We got our money’s worth for sure! Dish after dish they kept coming, and we kept eating. We ate it all! This was the kind of restaurant where you wore clothes a size larger than usual or pants with an expandable waistband. You knew you were going to be filled!
About ten years later, after moving back to Indiana, our family took a rare, planned vacation to the Smokey Mountains. In the area was a restaurant, as I recall, named Jim’s Catfish. Like the Amish restaurant in Pennsylvania, it was all you can eat, and the “Amish Style” was the way we were served catfish, fries, buttered biscuits, fried apples, and more. Sound like a lot of calories now, but nobody was counting or complaining as the server kept bringing new serving dishes of food as soon as one of the dishes was emptied. We ate it all! As a side note, I am amazed that there was not some type of national warning about our family or a poster on the entry way bulletin board warning others about how much food we could consume. However, note that not one person at the restaurant complained, and we ate until we were filled!
Now here we are, 30 years or later. We avoid buffets as much as possible and eat a little lighter. I have heard the words, “Are you going to eat that or not.” One member of the family (not naming any names or surrendering my 5th Amendment rights); one member had been influenced from one or both of the experiences above. At one of the few visits to a popular buffet, the family member wanted to be filled, they ate until they were willed! Eat why you can, right?
It’s Friday and usually that’s the day everybody goes out to eat somewhere special, even if taking the children to the pizza place where they keep replenishing the pizza until those at your table are filled. Let’s do something different or at least additional this Friday. Let’s not only focus on eating food when dinner time comes, but even now, let us focus on feasting on the word of God! Look at today and Saturday as appetizers or specialty dishes for the main dish that will be served on Sunday when God sends a specific word to you by a specific messenger for a specific purpose. Make Friday a spiritual feast day, getting all you can get out of God’s word. Change your routine tonight and eat everything that the Lord serves you for your joy and delight. Afterwards you can take your evening “nap.” But if you look on the dishes on the table, or better said, when you look into the word of God, you will find that more food; spiritual food filled with wisdom and understanding, direction, comfort, and assurance will be served! Eat it all my friend! Have a wonderful start to your weekend! Be filled! Be blessed!
“How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103 NASB)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King