Feeding the hungry
Luke 12:22-23 (NIV)
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
Good morning!
When I was younger, I loved to go out and eat dinner at a restaurant. My family only went out to eat twice a year, and that was it. After church on Easter Sunday, my parents would drive to a Chinese restaurant in South Louis just to eat a bowl of chop suey. My mother’s birthday is in late March, so this dinner doubled as her birthday celebration. My father, sister, and I were all born in December. We celebrated aboard Noah’s Ark every year, a restaurant that has been closed for some time now. I looked forward to seeing the large-mouth hippopotamus greet me at the door of the ark with a loud and scary bellow. I collected the orange long-necked giraffe stirrers that came with our glasses of iced tea. Because we did not eat out often, this was a very special treat.
Food is served in such large portions today. I find it difficult to clean my plate. I don’t know about you, but when we’ve dropped a chunk of change on a meal, we hate to waste the food by not eating it. My mother did a really good job of making me feel totally guilty when I was growing up at home. She reminded me of all the starving children around the world who were dying because they did not have food on their table today. Every time I looked at the plate of food sitting in front of me, I would think about those sweet little babies who were starving overseas. How I wish I could just box up my leftovers and wire them across the ocean. Better yet, I could have saved the money I was spending on that large meal and sent it to feed a family who had nothing to eat today.
Jeff and I spent a romantic evening last night, walking along the Pacific Ocean and picking up seashells on the beach at Coronado Bay. This small island is situated at the southern-most tip of San Diego. We walked by the Old Coronado hotel, strolling underneath the street lamps and perusing the many tempting shops and restaurants. We decided to eat at a quaint little steak house across the street from the hotel. The food was fabulous, but it was way too much. We had no place to store the leftovers, so we did our best to clean our plates. Neither of us was totally successful. I was thinking about all those starving children on the ride home, as my belly screamed at me. I could have fed a small army with that plate of food. Good grief! Have you ever been simply miserable after over indulging at a restaurant?
We spend a lot of our life worrying about trivial matters. Where we are going to eat today and whatever shall we wear seem to consume our thoughts much more than they should. Many of our brothers and sisters have no change of clothes to pick from. Some people do not know where they will eat today, but wonder whether they will be able to eat anything at all. As the body of Christ, we are called to feed each other, not just with food that fills the belly, but food that fills the soul. We are to place our faith in Christ, looking to Him for our every need. Jesus fed the hungry ones with food that filled their bellies and everlasting food that filled their souls. We can feed a starving and confused generation by offering them our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who will you feed today? There are lots of hungry people out there. Will you set aside your personal need to help them? The next time your stomach grumbles from hunger, think about the child who has had nothing to eat today and find a way to do something about it. People are starving to death all around us. Offer them hope. Give them something substantial to eat. Share Jesus Christ today, in your actions, your words, and with your life. You can make a lasting difference by finding ways to meet the physical and spiritual needs of your neighbor today.
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
www.songofdeborah.com
Pray for: courage to step out in faith through the saving power of Jesus Christ. It is time to stop worrying about yourself and start thinking about the needs of those around you. You can offer someone hope today by sharing the love of Christ with them. Whom will you choose to feed this morning?
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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
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