Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
Psalm 107:5-6
This week I’m sharing some thoughts from the introduction to Dining with the Master, available in paperback and e-book at Amazon October 15.
What is something that under normal circumstances we deal with multiple times a day and is the backdrop to the majority of social events both great and small? Wherever you look– even in books and movies– it’s there, like an extra in the background, or sometimes a main character, taking center stage for things like holiday celebrations and cooking shows. It becomes a part of the stories we tell because it is central to human life. Jesus often referred to it in his teachings.
Food and drink!
Start watching for it, and on almost every page of Scripture you will find some reference to food or drink with words like:
eat / drink
food / bread / meat / flesh
water / wine / milk
hunger / hungry
thirst / thirsty
feed / fed
full / filled
satisfy / satisfied
Often the reference is to physical food and drink, but the Bible also talks about “spiritual food” and “living water.”
Considering all the nuances of meaning for these terms, how are we to understand Jesus’s offer in Revelation 3:20?
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Notice the similarities between this invitation and that of James 4:8a:
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
God invites us into relationship with Him, and relationship requires movement from both parties, a reciprocal flow of pursuing and accepting.
Our sins have separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2). God has made the first move toward reconciliation by sending his Son to die for us, and now Jesus stands at the door knocking. It’s our turn to move. It’s up to us to open the door.
Hopefully you have already opened the door to salvation by becoming a Christian, but Jesus is inviting us to more than just forgiveness of sins. In fasting, famine, and feasting, we find three unique ways to open the door to deeper fellowship with God.
In this book we will consider food and drink, both physical and spiritual. We will see that fasting from food can be for dietary reasons or spiritual purposes. We will look at Bible accounts of literal famine and physical feasting, but there is a metaphorical and a spiritual side to each of these as well.
What are our attitudes toward these things? Do we understand the purpose of spiritual fasting or does it seem like something too extreme for God to expect of us? Do we question God’s goodness when faced with a season of famine where we have to do without some blessing we once enjoyed? Do we feel like we’re doing something wrong when we feast? I’m afraid most of us tend to feel
• deprived when we fast
• abandoned when we go through “famine”
• guilty when we feast (or rest)
Why is that? Is that God’s intention for any of these things?? And what about the spiritual aspect of each one?
In Dining with the Master we will discuss:
- Reasons to Fast
- Reactions to Famine
- Reluctance to Feast
- The Reality of Fusion (ways all three can and do overlap)
Perhaps you already fast or perhaps you have never even thought about it, but when it comes to feasting and to famine, we all have experience with those, at least in a metaphorical sense. We all know what it is to enjoy celebration, and we’ve all gone through deprivation and suffering. Both suffering and celebration are natural parts of human existence. In this book we will explore how we can draw near to God at both extremes as well as through spiritual fasting.
Whether you decide to fast or not, as Christians our desire and our purpose is to have fellowship with God, to be seated at His table. He invites us to draw near. Jesus offers to come and dine with us. He’s knocking at the door. Will you open it?
by Christie Cole Atkins
Dear God, we thank You for offering forgiveness, but we know that You created us for something beyond that. May Your Holy Spirit guide us and enable us to take advantage of all the ways You have given us to draw near to You. May that intimacy with You be our strength through all the ups and downs of this life until we can rest in Your presence for eternity. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
P.S. I failed to say last week that Dining with the Master will be available in paperback as well as e-book! Only the e-book is available for pre-order, but if you prefer the feel of a book in your hand, never fear. You can order the paperback on October 15. If you’ve already ordered the e-book but prefer a hard copy, I think there is a way to cancel your pre-order. Let me know if you have any problems with that and I will try to help. You can email me at christiecoleatkins@gmail.com I apologize for the lack of clarity! This is, in fact, my first rodeo. Well it’s a bigger rodeo than I’ve been to in the past anyway. Thank you for your patience and support! –Christie
