Down Mulberry Lane

Feeding lambs...

This was something I posted a couple years ago on another list... thought I would share it here...

...Well, Because I went home to feed the lambs, I started thinking about how
we "feed" our souls... is it similar? You bet it is...
If a person eats a healthy diet, you usually think of a full course meal 2-3 times a day, right? Well, Do we "feed" ourselves that often with God's word? Oh, my, that made my mind brighten... and I believe God's eyes may have twinkled as I pondered that thought! Why? Well, a full course meal to me is a meal that nourishes, that satisfies, that fills me up for the
next 5 hours. Does my Bible time do that? Does yours?
"For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."
Revelation 7:17

Snacks... really aren't good for us. Studies have been done that prove that snacking causes stomach and intestinal troubles because those organs have no time to rest. Yet, how many of us can't resist that urge to snack... I'll admit I had trouble with this one. HOW does this relate to feeding our soul? Well, As I thought about it... most of the time we snack on food that is not good for us... How often do we feed ourselves with "snacks" of life and we indulge and tell ourselves... it's only a little thing... I like this music, I like this TV program, I like these clothes... I like this romance book, I like this scary mystery... Just little things that steal our time from our Lord, and yet they pull us away from our Lord... and that can be damaging, just as the unhealthy snacks are unhealthy for us.
"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
Romans 12:21
OK, but what about healthy snacks? Does our lifestyle include healthy snacking? Healthy snacks can fill us with nutrients we miss during our mealtimes. Can we have healthy snacks in feeding our soul... Sure, I like to listen to music and sometimes the radio has little quick tidbits that focus my eyes on my Lord again. My dd likes "Creation Moment" on the radio and hushes us all when it comes on. But you know what ladies? We can't depend on healthy snacks to nourish our soul. If all we did was snack...we'd get no meat. We wouldn't get the pleasure of doing a deep study in God's word and feel that light come on of understanding as the Holy Spirit leads us into new understanding. Don't fill your day with "healthy snacks"
and forget to get your meal in.
"... feed me with food convenient for me:"
Prov. 30: 8b
Too many snacks can ruin our appetite for a meal, too. Even healthy snacks. Pretty soon you search for those little snacks and find they don't quite satisfy like a good meal. I find that unhealthy snacks can ruin our appetite for that which is good and we tend to walk away from meals and we aren't satisfied with the good anymore and we desire the dessert, the junky
food. I think this happens in our spiritual life as well. Too much of those things that tear you away, the busy life, the many chores, the television, the newspaper, etc... can end up switching our priorities around and soon we forget to feed ourselves.
"He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?"
Isaiah 44:20
Then I thought of force feeding. We have lambs and one I've been nursing for 3 days now and I literally had to force feed him. Was that good for him? Yes, indeed. He now has a healthy appetite. But for a day and a half I had to force food down 1/2 ounce at a time. It was alot of work, but eventually he gained strength and now he can down 8-12 oz at a time!  Sometimes we need some force feeding. When we've lost our strength, we need something to perk us up. Sometimes going to a set of meetings can help you, or a seminar, a weekend retreat... Sometimes setting a goal of completing a Bible study within a period of time. Sometimes listening to a friend as you pour your tears and they share God's word with you. Force
feeding can bring a weak soul in tune with their Lord once again and as you gain strength from that, you can once again eat your healthy meals and feel satisfied once again.
"Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever."
Ps. 28:9
"Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
Isaiah 58:
"Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; If he thirst, give him drink:"
Romans 12:20a.
What about force feeding when you are full? Well, the point I was thinking of was that you ate a full meal, and yet you "keep eating" because someone tells you... "finish it". (We as parents may do this to our kids at the table). Pretty soon your belly aches and you wish you hadn't eaten at all.  You don't want anymore and your heart is crying out "stop". Do we as
parents force our kids to sit and listen to long lectures so that they can soak God's word up? Do we try to tell our friends that their way is wrong and try to prove them wrong? Do we slap down a zealous new believer with "The Bible doesn't say that...". Or see someone thrilled with a new found truth and then tell them... that's great but you really should study this... Oh that we don't force feed our friends... may God guide us to the times that it is right to speak up and share His word and may we encourage in our actions and prayer those who may need more light, yet do not see that it is dark outside.
"...or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?"
1 Cor. 9:7b
What about overeating? Do we eat too much? Do we keep eating more and more because it's soooo good? You can't get too much of the Lord can you?  I would bet that most of us are busy enough that this is not a problem. And is it a problem? I mean Elijah couldn't get enough of the Lord, could he? And the Bible tells us that his love and devotion caused God to bring him up to heaven to be with Him... So, how can it be a bad thing? You know, sometimes we can keep filling our minds with food from the Lord, yet we never take time to ponder it. Never take time to think about what we read. Never take time to pray and ask God how this can help "ME" in my life. To us it is knowledge and we want to be smarter and smarter, so we keep filling our minds with facts, yet we don't get to know our Lord and we
no longer know when we are satisfied or when we are just pumping information in. I've known Christians who take pride in knowing the ten commandments, the Lord's Prayer, Psalms 23, How many books in the Bible, the Middle verse in the Bible, How many verses in the OT and how many in the NT, etc. While all these things are interesting and good... is our
focus turning to the "facts" or are we forgetting our Lord in all this knowledge?
"Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, "Who is the Lord?" "
Proverbs 30:9a.
And lastly, it is our duty to feed our children is it not? We can't forget to feed our children. They get hungry, too. Do we take time to feed them food that is good, food that will satisfy them? Or do we give them just any thing that happens to be on the counter? Do we answer their questions and lead them to their Lord? I think we all want our children to grow in
strength, so to feed them well is important... we watch what they eat. We should watch what gets put into our children's hearts. And if we don't know the answers to their questions, we should find a way to help, just like if any of us had a child that had some type of disease that was affected by diet, we would surely go find that which is good for our child to eat to keep him/her strong and healthy.
"If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherd's tents."
Song of Solomon 1:8
My prayer is that we all eat healthy. With Food and with God's Word! May we put our relationship with Christ first so that our time with Him can be soooo satisfying! May we be nourished so that we are strong and healthy.
May God bless you as you take time to Feed Your Soul...
Warmly, ~Melissa

Untitled Comment

9:26 PM, December 27, 2006 .. Posted by Andrea

How beautiful, Melissa!! Thank you so much for sharing this. It has truly blessed me.

Love and blessings~ Andrea