Thursday, October 30, 2014

Enjoy Spiritual Company


Symbol: Eating a meal alone

Lesson: Much more enjoyable eating with others. This is also true spiritually.

Illustration: There was a time while working for an international communications firm that I traveled throughout northern California (Chico to Bakersfield). I was given a per diem of $30/day for meals. I would eat frugally for both breakfast and lunch so that when dinner came I could “eat like a king.” To me, that would be having a shellfish dinner, either lobster or crab or shrimp. If I had to throw in a little extra from my own pocket, it was still no big deal.

After a while, I began to realize that while I did enjoy the meal, I noticed those around me enjoying their family or business companions. I however, because I was a lone-tech, always ate alone. That got boring and emotionally unrewarding after a while. I noticed I enjoyed eating a simple meal at home (when I was in town) with my family more than the luxurious meals I had on the road by myself.

By extension, this is also true of any activity. At Hebrews 10:24,25 Paul tells us that truly spiritually mature Christians appreciate the value of meeting together. Additionally, Jude spoke of Christian gatherings as love feasts. These were not merely physical meals and jovial gatherings. They were spiritual banquets as evidenced by the context that the effect of some attendees was subversive. Indeed, just as eating alone can nourish but not encourage, reading and studying alone will do the same. It is much more encouraging to gather with like-minded Christians.

Notes: n/a


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