Food for Thought

I will admit that I am a compulsive nutritional information label reader. Although I'm interested in such things as sodium, fat and calories, the thing that interests me most is the portion size. For instance, the last time I looked, there were 2.5 servings in a small can of tuna! I was quite surprised when I read the label; as I recall, my mother managed to feed our whole family of five with one can! Now I feel like a glutton when I eat the entire contents of that small container! There are interesting guidelines now with regard to portion size in case you can't figure it out from the label or don't feel like measuring. A medium apple should be the size of a tennis ball, a baked potato the size of a computer mouse. Four ounces of meat measures up to a deck of cards, and a cup of broccoli, a baseball. For dessert, half a cup of ice cream is the size of a small fist; however, it is rare that I actually eat that size serving! But now that we have figured out what portion control is all about and created a well-balanced meal, we can sit down at the table.

I'd like to take the time now to prepare our plates with the spiritual food that will nourish and sustain us on the journey of discipleship. It might just be helpful if we looked at the divine nutritional information as we get ready to dish up our well balanced holy meal. We can start with a tennis ball's worth of worship. A computer mouse's worth of prayer. How about if we add a deck of card's worth of Scripture reading? And a baseball's worth of mission? Don't forget a fistful or two of giving! It looks to me like we have a rather full plate. But remember how my mother stretched that can of tuna to feed five people? We, too, can be assured that God will provide just what we need, no more, no less, as he fills our spiritual plates with a well-balanced, nutritious meal.

But no matter how dainty or voracious your appetite is, don't be afraid of being a glutton filled with the desire for Jesus' love, for it will increase your spiritual appetite and satisfy your hunger. Let's fill our plates with faith and sit down at the holy table to partake of the divine food called grace. For that, friends, is one nutritional information label that's worth reading!