bible binging

"let your moderation be known to all men"

philippians 4:5

this is that verse that has given rise to the "moderation in all things" phrase that we toss around these days. in all things, moderation. eat. drink. dessert. cheese. health food. coffee. alcohol. exercise. alone time. party time. enjoyment. relaxation. work. play. we follow up our things of life with a "but, moderation". and while it is prudent to exhibit self-control and to be moderate, balanced, sober-minded - there is one area of life that requires no moderation. one thing in which we are encouraged to binge. more and more and more and more. never enough. over the top. consume in copious amounts. obsession level. wild and uninhibited. and that is in our consumption of the word of God. our time spent with Christ. our time spent at the banquet table feasting on the words and truths of God. taking in the person of Christ. being sustained by manna from above.

the Lord has invited me to pull up a seat to His banquet table where He has prepared a feast for me to savor. and we never need to consider moderation in this place. we need not show restrain or self-control at the table of His bounteous goodness. it is the ultimate all-you-can-eat situation. there is always a chair at the table and you can stay for as long as you'd like. you can feast until you bust. i need to open my eyes to His splendor and generosity. He has invited me to enjoy Him.

so often i leave the table too soon. that nagging thought of moderation kicks in and i slow down. i foolishly think that i have had enough. that's too much. i don't want to be spoiled. i don't want to be selfish. but that is not how this feast works. you can never be spoiled by heavenly food. it is beautiful to binge. it is honoring and pleasing to the Lord.

other times, i leave the table and wander into the back alley of the world. i consume the scraps. i accept the fodder that this world tosses to me. food that is empty. food that does not sustain. food that lacks taste. food that destroys. why do i accept the blasé menu of this life when my Creator has made me with a palate for the heavenly? anything less than His manna should be unpalatable. i am not to fill up on the waste of this world when He has provided me with cuisine of the divine.

God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. if we are going to glorify God as we ought, the pursuit of joy is not optional—it is essential. and we should pursue our ultimate pleasure. and in our pursuit of God, we find our ultimate pleasure. we can feast. we should feast. more and more and more. gaining a stronger appetite for Him until everything else loses all flavor. reveling in the fact that we can pull up a chair and feast for eternity. eat, drink, and be merry - no moderation required.