Spiritual Food in Bite-Sized Pieces

“I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:16-19, MSG).

Yesterday we talked about how God comes to our level when we reach out to Him. He meets us exactly where we are at. Today, I want to share with you one more related thought. It’s this: this same principle applies when it comes to growing in the knowledge of His love. When we want to deepen our understanding of how much He loves us, He comes to our level then too.

Over the last year, I have been regularly asking Him, “Please, Abba, expand my capacity to receive Your love.” I have found that in answering this prayer, He comes to where I am at. I used to think I couldn’t even begin to comprehend the immensity of His love. It felt too overwhelming to try. But since then, I’ve discovered that He comes down to where I am. He spoon feeds me the amount that I can take.

You see, He doesn’t intend for the process to be overwhelming. Think of it this way. His love is like the immensity of the ocean. Imagine mighty waves tossing an immense boat around as if it were a tiny toy. We shudder and think to ourselves that the water is to be revered and respected.

God’s love is immense like that. As a result, it might seem like simply too much to even begin to take in. How can our fragile beings process infinite depths of passion, glory, and fire?

However, He doesn’t intend for us to try to imbibe the ocean. Instead, when we are thirsty, He means to serve us up a refreshing glass of living water. He wants to bestow on you and me something “us-sized.” That’s what He means when He says, “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite’”  (Is. 57:15, ESV, bold emphasis mine).

Yes, He is infinite in immensity and inhabits eternity. He is high and lifted up above all things. AND He is also God at our level, God of the lowly, Emmanuel, coming into our world, speaking our language. He puts Himself in bite-sized pieces for us, inviting us to feed on Him.

Think, too, of a parent with a six-month old baby. No loving mom or dad is going to set a steak dinner before their wee one. Instead, they feed the child the most elemental, broken-down presentation of food possible. Their little one can then learn to eat, at his or her age-appropriate level. And how the parents rejoice over each learning step!

The same is true for you and me, as we learn to feed on Jesus. He tailors what He gives us, to where we are on our growth journey. Do you want to know His love deeper? Simply ask. “Father, please expand my capacity to receive Your love for me.” Soon, you will realize that He is doing exactly that. One day at a time, He will feed you just the right amount appropriate for you. Every step of the way, He will be rejoicing in your progress.

He is the most amazing Parent!

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Have you been the mom or dad of a baby learning to eat? If so, remember the pureed carrots all over the highchair, the floor, the baby, and maybe even the ceiling fan? Many times it seemed like a much higher percentage of food got all over everything than actually in baby’s stomach, as I recall. What do you think, is this an apt picture of how we learn to eat the bread from heaven?