Eat At Home
1 Corinthians 11:34 (NLT)
If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together.
DEVOTIONAL
Paul was chastising Christians for their behavior toward each other, particularly at the Lord’s Supper. The rich and able were being insensitive and unkind to the poor and less fortunate.
People were coming together to have love-feasts along with supper, but some jumped ahead of others to get their share. The rich took care of themselves and ate well while the poor were either left with the remains or had nothing at all. There was a carelessness and disregard in the rich people’s actions and Paul advised that it would have been better if they had eaten at home before they arrived.
It’s really an issue of the heart. We want what we want when we want it. But Jesus thinks differently. He places the least of them ahead of the greatest (Matthew 20:16). He blesses people who recognize their need for Him, those who are gentle and humble, have pure hearts, and do all they can to bring peace to those around them (Matthew 5:3-9). Christ focuses on what motivates us and sees the way our desires rule our actions.
We don’t exist for our own pleasures. We were created to honor God. We honor God when we “eat at home”. What does that mean?
We can:
* Reflect on our thoughts, words, and actions and confess and ask for forgiveness for any area(s) that don’t please Him
*Be clear with God about what we need, and where we feel weak, and ask Him to help us
*Engage in regular acts of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving that keeps us close to Him and aware of His actions around us
*Take good care of our family members so that we can be free and available to help others when needed
*Ask God to help us notice the needs of other people and to tell us when and how to act
We are called to be in tune with the will of the Holy Spirit. When we do that we can address our own needs appropriately and be available to be of use to others. We can choose to “eat at home” so that others have the opportunity to feast on Christ.
Prayer
Lord, Thank you for reminding us that this life is not all about us. We get to enjoy many benefits but we should never forget why we’re here. Teach us how to honor you, keep our slates clean and regard the people you place around us.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Live well,
Michele
Also Read, “Good Deeds”
What a beautiful message and so well timed during this Thanksgiving week. God bless you.🙏
Thank you so much, Sherry!
Thank you ever so for you blog post. Much thanks again. Brittani Teddy Nanji