To us, it seems, applies the saying of Diogenes: “The people of Megara feast as though they were going to die on the morrow; they build as though they were never to die!” – Tertullian, from Apology.
A long time ago, the Megara people feasted in such a way that it caused Tertullian to write these words in regards to the Christians. The Christians lost their witness by the way they were treating the Agape meal, a feast for Christians that was a part of the Lord’s Supper where they cared for the poor.
For Tertullian, he believed that Christians were actually supposed to love one another, and he believed that they were supposed to eat in a way that reflected that they loved God. Instead, he reflected that some appeared to be in love with the food.
I share this with you because I’ve spent the better part of my life devoted to love and the satisfaction that it brings. The recent weight loss that many of you have noticed is a result of a conviction that as a Christian I should be in love with my Savior not the sweets!
Deuteronomy is one of those books that whenever I go back to it I learn something new. It happened again just the other day! I was reading in chapter 11, it’s about God tells sending the Israelites into the Promised Land. Something I never thought of before was how the Promised Land (where they were going) was irrigated and how Egypt (the land they were leaving) was irrigated. Egypt, as you might remember from your geography class has the Nile River running through it. Because of very little precipitation in that region of the world, the main source of irrigation is to dig and create canals that lead the river into fields so that it seeps into the ground and surrounding area. As you might imagine, this takes a lot of work.
The Promised Land, the place God is delivering the Israelites to, is a land that is watered, not through the man-made irrigation systems, but through water “from the heaven.”
Why does this matter? Well, because this was just another way God’s people would be blessed to be in the Promised Land. There, they would receive God’s blessing, and not have to work for it the way they did before. There, in the Promised Land, their daily needs would be met through God’s gracious provision. They would learn that God cares for them and meets their daily needs.
Being a Christian, I have a the same hope, that today, I’m in God’s favor, and life is not about constantly digging the ground and trying to find satisfaction through my effort. I can find deep and meaningful satisfaction in God.
People dig an awful lot to try and find satisfaction in this world. They dig deep into their wallets hoping that the latest gadget will bring them joy. People dig deep into sexual sin trying to find a satisfying relationship. People dig deep into gossip that they might have something to say that will give them friends. Yet all of these are actually enemies of satisfaction. The gossiper won’t make friends because they won’t be trusted. Those in deep sexual sins have wounded themselves in a way that makes friendship and companionship even more difficult. And those searching for the next best thing will still be looking.
What the Bible teaches us is that our deep satisfaction may be found in God alone. It’s the Christian that can trust that each day they are cared for and have their needs met in Jesus Christ. Jesus is what will ultimately satisfy our soul.
In so many ways, my actions didn’t reflect that Jesus Christ was the center of my life and my true satisfaction. I thought I would find satisfaction in the food I ate. The way I ate was very much like the people of Megara; “like there was no tomorrow.” Every day I’m learning more and more what it means to trust in God. May the way we eat, may the way we conduct our lives reflect that Jesus Christ is the center of our life, the satisfaction of our souls.
Jordan Ickes, Minister at EGCC