This week we’ve been talking about your soul and about spiritual appetites.

A man goes to a fast food restaurant. He has twenty five dollars in his pocket and nowhere to be. He orders his favourite combo and supersizes it.

He stuffs himself to the brim, refills his coke, and goes back for a vanilla cone.

He heads out into the parking lot, and sees a street hot dog vendor. Well, he’s already eaten, but he goes for some street meat anyway.

As he heads back to his Honda, he sees a good friend he hasn’t seen since high school. They played on the same rugby team. He’s been away in Nova Scotia but is back for the weekend. He invites his friend to dinner where his mom has prepared a huge feast.

When he gets there the spread on the table is unbelievable. There is steak, and the mashed potatoes are made just like his grandmother used to make them with the cheese mixed in. There are options upon options, the table is lit with candles, there are juices and wine, and on a side buffet there are about 10 different desserts.

The man goes to sit down but realizes he can’t do it. He’s already full. He’s beyond full. In fact, he can’t even sit in the next room and listen to the conversation because his stomach has started to churn and he needs to go lie down.

We live in a world that invites us to gorge with delight on innumerable pleasurable things. They’re not all bad; in fact, some of them are very nice.

But then a friend needs help, or we receive an offer to join a Bible study or mission group, or we get a chance to volunteer at something that will really bless someone… and we realize that our lives have become so jammed packed with lesser things that we have rendered ourselves unserviceable. 

Perhaps your stomach isn’t churning like it was for the man in today’s story, but what about your mind?

In Colossians 3:2 Paul writes: “Set your minds on things above…”

As you organize your life, make room for the things that matter most.

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Notes:

–The Up Devotional is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and returns on June 27, 2022.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.