2-29-08
What's For Dinner?

Scripture thought for this week: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." Psalm 23:5

Dear Friend,

Recently we were taken to the International Culinary Institute for dinner. Wow is right! We couldn't believe the food. If we ate like that all the time we would be in serious trouble. In heaven we'll eat like that at every meal and we'll have no trouble at all!

Most of our meals are normal. We get up in the morning and before heading off to work we decide what we should eat that night. Based on what our schedule is that day we'll pull out hot dogs or chicken. Sometimes it's a bowl of cereal kind of day.

When our kids were young we made sure we had family meals most nights of the week. I (Clare) was a "work at home" mom and I (Scott) was so happy about that. Meals were what we call "slow food." Yummy, healthy meals. Garlic smells wafting through the house. Those were the days, my friends! They were purposeful, meaningful, nutritional meals. Now that all of our children are adults and feed themselves (we think) and we both work outside the home, there's not so much "slow food" anymore. We still try to make our meals purposeful, meaningful and nutritional but "slow food"...not so much.

Jesus said this about His food in John 4: 31-34, "Meanwhile his disciples urged Him, 'Rabbi, eat something.' But He said to them, 'I have food to eat that you know nothing about.' Then His disciples said to each other, 'Could someone have brought Him food?' 'My food,' said Jesus, 'is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.'"

One meal we never will skip or skimp on is doing the will of our Father. Every day we rise and read God's Word first and then pray our words back to Him. We open ourselves to the will of our Father. This meal is crucial to our spiritual health. No "fast food" for us here. No way! Life is too important. The people Jesus wants us to meet that day desperately need us to have eaten a purposeful, meaningful nutritional meal.

This applies to all of us. In order to eat that meal we have to have a nutritional plan. What's yours? We want to encourage you with a few ideas.

Nutritional Action Plan:

• Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier.
• Read a chapter in the Bible.
• Write or say a prayer to God simply saying, "I am open to your will."
• Get dressed and go - watching for opportunities to share your health with someone else.

It's that simple.

When you see God accomplish His will through you, you will get so jazzed you might start setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier.

To Your Health, Scott & Clare ©2008 Scott & Clare Loughrige