Plan Your Diet and Menu For 2013

What would happen to you in 2013 if you never planned to eat? What if you failed to stock the cupboards and the fridge with cereal and milk or oatmeal and fruit (or whatever floats your breakfast boat) and woke up each morning hoping there was something left over from yesterday's last minute run to Dunkin Donuts? What if you arrived at 6pm each night and didn't have a dinner plan? What if you never planned ahead for the grocery store? I know, I know. In our microwave, fast-food, easy-access grocery store and restaurant world, you can get by with very little culinary planning. Not many bachelors die of starvation. The point is that we don't eat well if we don't plan for it.

How well did you "eat" in 2012? If you could look in a special mirror and your soul became a visible body, what kind of shape would it be in? Would it look anemic and weak? Would it look strong and healthy?

Matthew 4:4

[Jesus] answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Do you have a plan yet for 2013? Here is a great list of some really helpful options. This is not a box-checking, belt-notching issue. This is a soul health and strength issue. This is a "Will I live a barren, chaff-like existence or fruitful tree-like existence in 2013?" issue.

If you're not a big reader, there are plenty of audio options available. Beth prefers to listen to the Bible (and sometimes also to follow along) in the morning. She usually uses biblegateway.com. If audio works better for you, you can even subscribe to your daily Bible reading in podcast form (see again this link to learn how to do it). You can really leverage the audio option if you've got any kind of commute above 5 minutes. Believe it or not, it only takes 75 hours to listen to the entire Bible! In other words, if your commute is 15 minutes one way, you could listen to the entire Bible...in a year...listening on only the inbound or outbound leg of the journey! Or, how long does it take for you to make the coffee and eat breakfast? 15 minutes? One year. The whole Bible. Over breakfast. The news can wait.

May I draw attention to the obvious? One of our main excuses for not reading the Bible is "I don't have time." This is a really lame excuse. It's simply not true. It just feels like it's true. But that's because we don't plan to "eat."

And...underneath the planning and discipline issues are the desire issues. We're simply not hungry enough. Or, we're hungry for the wrong things (Does anyone need to bug you to try to find 15 minutes a day to keep up on Facebook or keep up with the sports page or your favorite news feed?). If it's important enough, you'll find a way. Necessity is the mother of invention.

"Ah, the guilt trip! Excellent! Is your next post going to chide me for eating too many sweets over the holidays?"

Guilt tripping isn't going to carry you very far into 2013. That's certainly not my intention. My intention is to encourage you to be intentional about feeding your soul in 2013. My intention is to encourage you to pray for hunger and fight for your faith. The point is not to wag an accusing finger in your face. The point is to point you to The Fountain and The Food your soul needs.

Isaiah 55:1-3:

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live...

You may need to fast from some other things that tend to stuff your soul. You may need to drag yourself to the Word so that your appetite gets whetted for what is good. But whatever you do, pray for hunger and plan to eat.