This thought may occur right after a sumptuous B&B breakfast: “I won’t need to eat again today.” Or it may occur (with a slight groan) after an unusually copious restaurant lunch. It is somewhat embarrassing then, when in late afternoon, the search begins to find a place for dinner because, again embarrassingly, hunger pangs have begun sending out ‘the call.’ And everyone knows hunger pangs will not be ignored!
The body is such an amazing machine – more like an industrial processing plant! It takes advantage of all the nourishment it is given, breaks it down and distributes the various vitamins and minerals and proteins and carbohydrates and fibers (etc.) where they are needed most. With mind-blowing accuracy, it knows how to regulate itself for optimal functioning. When specific, vital components are missing it even sends warning signals which we interpret as ‘cravings.’ (Disclaimer: the foregoing is a PD illustration only and is not intended to be taken as a medically precise description of the digestive system.)
Our spiritual body is like that, too. It requires regular God-nourishment for proper functioning and for healthy growth. The Apostle Peter writes: “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.” (1:3). Some elements of the ‘everything’ we’ve been given are: jaw-dropping, ongoing, forever renewable, forgiveness, assurance of our eternal, Love-inspired, Love-saturated, Salvation, the readily-available Word of God, fear-free access to the throne room of the Father through prayer, the ‘iron sharpens iron’ body of Christ which is now our real family, the Holy Spirit who lives in each of us to teach, exhort, encourage, correct, warn, and provide refills when we get depleted. As a bonus, he distributes his gifts on an as-needed basis (and, Praise God, not on a merit basis!). This is in no way an exhaustive list of the provisions for our journey to the Father’s heart, but it’s a not-too-shabby, Tuesday morning, start, in my humble opinion. PD
