“Can you make me some yummy food?”

This is the request that my college aged son has asked almost daily since he has been home.

My selections of foods to make as his appointed short order cook are limited to his favorites.

If anything new or green touches the plate, the eye rolls appear.

And when I am not home to prepare yummy food?

Pop Tarts, cereal and potato chips are the quick and easy ways to fill his empty stomach.

Sometimes I shake my head at this request for “yummy” food, but this morning I woke up with a new perspective that God placed on my heart.

There is always a lesson if you are listening.

As a woman of faith, don’t I try to fill myself up with the same yummy food?

I like the verses that I know and comforting stories that make me feel good.

I heard Steven Furtick say in one of his messages (Become the Bridge) that at times we make our Jesus like a talking doll with the string on the back.

Remember those dolls?

You pulled the string and the doll said a few favorite phrases.

Sometimes I want God to feed me my favorites.

But anything that touches my plate that challenges me or that I haven’t tried before, don’t I give God an eye roll like my son?

Somedays I choose something familiar instead of trying something new.

But that only leaves me feeling satisfied for a moment.

I cannot toss down a verse like a bag of chips and expect to be nourished.

That is when I need to expand my selection.

Friends, there is so much in God’s word that He has to say to us.

But sometimes, just like our diet, we keep with what is familiar and comforting to us.

I wonder what my son would do if I was not there to make his yummy food?

He could not live on junk food forever.

Eventually, he would have to learn to be responsible for what he puts into his body.

It is tempting to want to fill ourselves with what is immediate..

But when Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, He said this:

“”…the Scriptures say, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 NLT

I cannot only rely on the words my pastor feeds me on a Sunday morning.

I need to be fed daily.

But I am pretty sure that even if I asked, my pastor could not come to my home each day with a word from God.

It is my responsibility.

God is not a short order cook.

Just like a balanced daily diet, we need a balanced daily portion of His word.

Our heavenly Father is not going to feed us the food we have selected on our preferred menu.

We may want a portion of love, joy and peace, but God may serve up a helping of forgiveness, self-control and humility instead.

He is going to nourish our souls with what we need.

Our heavenly Father will change the menu selection to grow us.

And the more we grow, the more we will hunger for His word.

“When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear Your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.” Jeremiah 15:16 NLT