Jesus Filled Our Plate

What Did Jesus Do?

When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory...
Christ is all, and in all.
Colossians 3.4, 11b

Back in the antediluvian days when I was in grade school most of my classmates and I carted a brown bag, or perhaps a tin lunch box, in which we would habitually find PB&J (Peanut Butter and Jelly), or maybe a bologna sandwich. On state occasions, such as your birthday, there could possibly be some Fritos or Cheese Doodles, or, if you hit the jackpot, a cookie! But that was pretty much what lunch consisted of. Oh, you also could get a half-pint of milk (white, never chocolate) for a dime. If your family was well to do, they might send you with a dime and a nickel and you could buy ice cream in a paper cone with a foil cap on it. None of us looked particularly malnourished on what today might be considered a spartan diet. Certainly we all had enough energy to run around at recess like a heard of wildebeests. Somehow, our parents just seemed to know what the right portion was for a kid's lunch.

Nowadays schoolkids are burdened by what has come to be called “portion distortion.” When I substitute teach at one of the local elementary schools I am always troubled by how much food some kids eat, and even more disturbed by how much of the food prepared by the school cafeteria goes in the garbage can. It appears to me that plates too full, or laden with the wrong food, are not doing school children any good.

And it isn't just children who suffer from the problem of plates that are simply too full. I won't even start to go into what “super-sizing” breakfast, lunch, and dinner is doing to many Americans. Let me simply comment that we all should be far more careful about what we put on our plate. And I'm not just speaking about food for our bodies.

You see, the Father sent the Son in order that he, and he alone, should be food and drink to nourish our soul and our spirit now and forever (see John 6.53-58). Truly, Jesus is supposed to be our portion. I'd even guess that in the last month there is a good chance you may have even sung on a Sunday morning about Christ being your portion. But we all have to be on the lookout for “portion distortion.” You see, when we have Jesus he fills our plate, and we only do harm to ourselves if we try to add or take away anything.

Let me say something first about the problem of taking away from Christ, our portion. A lot of people today are at least somewhat more health conscious than a few years back. The multi-billion dollar diet and fitness industry is testament to this. Many people today are always looking for “lite” menus, cutting out those nasty carbs and saturated fats. But it is definitely not a good idea to try some kind of “Jesus-lite” portion. “Jesus-lite” is an adulterated, watered down, something less than, Lord and Savior of the Bible. People who choose “Jesus-lite” discard those things about Jesus that they don't like for one reason or another. “Jesus-lite” is popular with folks who want to excuse their addictions, adulteries, and attitudes. But anything less than all of him isn't really him at all.

Then we have the people who like Jesus well-enough, but somehow think they need something more, so they pile a little something extra on their plate to go with the Lord. These are “Jesus and ______” folks, who perhaps throw in a dash of New Age, or a pinch of Eastern religions, or humanist philosophy to go along with Christ. Also popular with the “Jesus and _____” crowd are such things as their work, and their possessions. Many “Jesus and _______” people are in fact “Jesus and me” people, in that they still believe they contribute something to the equation of their salvation and security. But, if Jesus is your portion, it is 100% him, and zero% anything else, especially self.

Finally, when we claim Jesus as our portion, we are telling the Father that his Son is all we need. And this means that we should hold on loosely to everything else. If Christ is our all, then our job isn't, our home isn't. Our favorite teams and movies and foods are all expendable, Jesus is not. Next week the season of Lent begins. Many Christians traditionally give up something for Lent. If I may suggest, we all might think of how we might complete this sentence, “But I just can't live without _________.”

I am going public here with one of my Lenten “sacrifices.” In the past “I just couldn't live without the NCAA basketball tournament.” This year I am going to steer clear of everything that has to do with the “March Madness.” No ACC Championship. No Big East Tournament. No Big Dance. Don't expect to see my bracket, because for the first time in 20 or so years I will not be filling one out. It may seem like a little thing to some of you, but if you've ever been infected with the “Madness” you know how powerfully attractive it is. But not this year for me. I usually pile on heaping servings of college hoops this time of year, and, honestly, it has competed with the Lord for my devotion. But this year I want Jesus to fill my plate, and nothing else. You see it's really true,

Christ IS All!

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4