Knowing God Ministries: Mangia, Bella, mangia!

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JOIN US: Friday's theme is "How to Know God's Will" with main speaker, Fayeson Tilley and workshop speaker, Cindy Finley

Then they went out of the city and came to Him. In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

John 4:30-34 New King James Version (NKJV)

"Mangia, Bella, mangia!"

Wow, do I love all things Italian! The country, food and language of Italy – I love all of it. Even without knowing the language, most of us know that the above phrase means, “Eat, Beautiful one, eat!” and is a joyful call to celebratory, guilt-free gustatory abandon. (I enjoy picturing the disciples in the above passage saying, “Mangia, Rabbi, mangia!”)

I’m going to use that phrase to allow me to pull back the curtain on the workings behind Knowing God Ministries for a bit, because I have been mulling over what it means to eat – more, what is the purpose of FOOD? – because of how God is leading here at KGM.

You see, Tara is hard – HARD! – at work to complete faithfully the second Bible study the Lord has given her to write. (INTIMACY WITH GOD, being the first.) It is why you have not seen many posts from her lately: she’s focused on the finish line of this writing project with near-by deadlines – stay tuned!

I will leave the “unveiling” of the study to her for another time, but instead will focus on HOW she is walking out “intimacy with God” in transparency before those of us on her team:

In praying about the time-line for completing the study, the Lord illuminated to Tara the above passage, highlighting the last verse, John 4:34. When she quoted it to us at a team meeting (ultimately saying she was clearing her calendar of everything but family life and writing, allowing “doing God’s will” to be her “food”), the word “food” grabbed me and hasn’t let go.

What, precisely, did Jesus mean when He said “my FOOD is to do the will of Him who sent me”?

It seems to me that one’s true understanding of FOOD is at the heart of understanding His intent. What IS food in our lives and in our days?

As I have prayed over this perplexing (at least to me) phrase, I have distilled the following understandings:

First of all, food is simply and obviously OUR SUSTENANCE.

Secondly, food is our FOCUS. Our days and schedules are, if we are honest with ourselves, planned around our meals.

Thirdly, food is our SOCIAL HEARTBEAT. Most of us prefer to eat with other people whenever possible, and will go to great lengths to avoid eating alone. In other words, we don’t keep it to ourselves. Eating food is an activity meant to be shared with others, culturally and universally.

Therefore, and finally, food is ENJOYABLE!

So, substituting “doing His will” in place of “food”, Jesus teaches us:

Doing God’s will should be our SUSTENANCE,

Doing God’s will should be our FOCUS,

Doing God’s will should be our SOCIAL HEART BEAT, and

Doing God’s will should be ENJOYABLE!

Precious sister, may you discover this amazingly powerful truth: Doing God’s will IS EQUALLY to your life what food is to your life.

Mangia, Bella, Mangia!

“Taste and see that the Lord is good!”

Psalm 34:8

{P.S. - Will you please join me in using food as a “prayer trigger”? Devote some of your food-centered prayers to praising God that His Will is being done through Tara, Knowing God Ministries, and this soon-to-be-unveiled Bible study.}