Fast Food FaithChikamu
So far this week we’ve taken a look at the Israelites complaining about not having water to drink or food to eat, which led to the Lord providing them with water and a meal that would satisfy them and keep them full while on the journey in the wilderness. The truth is God wants to provide for us a way to be satisfied through Him, we see this in the example through the Israelites. They were depending on their leaders, mere men (the world) to provide food for them to eat and water to drink, to the point where they were saying “let’s all go back to Egypt because at least we had food there.” Y’all. This is what happens when we are being “satisfied” by the world. The Israelites had just witnessed and lived through God parting the Red Sea for them not even two months before this and they were ready to turn back to slavery in a land that was not their own for ONE meal. The truth is, this is how a lot of us live our lives. We don’t get what we want in our own timing and we don’t want to depend on God’s timing so we turn back to how we used to be because at least it was in our own control; when in reality, we forget how miserable we were and the hurt that led to choosing to satisfy our hunger and thirst by the world instead of God’s Word and His ways.
The fulfillment and example of where to go when we want to be full is what we read about on day 2, Jesus calls Himself the Bread of Life and tells Jewish leaders that they were looking for Him not because they wanted to see His miracles or signs that prove He is the Messiah but because He satisfied their physical hunger to the full. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for forty days, he quotes Deuteronomy 8 (which we read on day 1) to Satan when being tempted. Jesus Himself sets the table (yes, a food pun) on what it means to be satisfied in God. We are to read His Word like our lives depend on it so that we can build a relationship with the Father but to also use it as a weapon when the enemy tries to tempt us to be satisfied in what the world has to offer.
The theme for this week (eat mor chikin) means consume more of the spiritual meal that God has to offer for you. As we finish out the rest of this week, the focus is going to be on “eating more chicken” with those around you. A community that is reading God’s Word with you and seeking to be spiritually healthy is essential because that community is probably on a similar path or season in life that you are in, or have already been where you are. With a community or group, there is accountability and also opportunities to ask questions about something you may not understand in the Bible or where to find answers in God’s Word about a certain situation in your life. We are not meant to “eat mor chikin” alone so as we continue this week, we will be looking at why it is important to have a community that studies the Bible with you.
Rugwaro
Zvinechekuita neHurongwa uhu
Why does America like fast food? Because it’s quick, convenient, and tastes amazing. But when we view our faith through that lens, we become spiritually out of shape consumers who end up living a faith dependent on speed, convenience, and hyper-palatability. But God’s desire for us in life is to slow down and live lives of intentional discipleship; to develop lasting faith in a fast culture.
More