Junk Food WORD PICTURE: JUNK FOOD
Scriptural References:
John 6:35
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 6:55
“For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.”
1. Have someone(s) read both scriptures.
2. Describe a man looking into a well-stocked refrigerator. He assembles a plate full of stuff he’s not really interested in eating, but he proceeds to snack from that plate all night. Show some JUNK FOOD (the real thing or a photo) to illustrate that by the end of the night, the man is full but not satisfied in the least -- just full of junk food.
3. Explain that God places a yearning for Him in every heart (Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? ; John 12:32 But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."; 1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.) Explain that C.S. Lewis talked about this yearning as “the God-shaped vacuum” which nothing else can fill except God.
4. My sharing, offered to spark sharing by others.
What I Shared
At one time in my life, I was not happy with the professional work that was coming my way. It was boring. It helped with the bills -- a little bit -- but not enough to justify all the angst the work (and the deadline schedule) created in my home.
Then, one day, I went to help at a church service at a local nursing home, where the worship was so sweet we didn’t even WANT to end. Another time, I went to the local women’s prison to help lead a support group meeting. In addition, I was leading a weekly Al-Anon Newcomers Meeting.
A family member needed some of my time, and he pointed out that, in his opinion, that shouldn’t be a problem, since (nursing home, prison, Al-Anon overlooked) I don’t do anything at all.
So I took a day to actually DO NOTHING AT ALL. Usually I clean the entire house and do all the laundry, but not for that one day. I do confess that I did not have a very good attitude, and I did repent, but not until I was done feeling angry!
The problem is, my family member and I will probably continue to disagree. There is no paycheck and no way to measure the value of the truly priceless work I volunteer to do. For me, this is the real food! I love doing Kingdom work -- the stuff that satisfies and really truly lasts. In addition to formal volunteer service, being there to help friends on a one-to-one basis and pray with them seems to have lasting, eternal consequences.
So the question is -- what are you into? This stuff (hold up the junk food)?!? What might be the junk food in your life -- the stuff that’s getting you through, but barely. What would really fill you and nourish you and keep you going?
All Scripture references from the New International Version of the Bible (NIV).
Copyright by Whitney McKendree Moore, June 2007