Spiritual Wellness and Wholeness

Jack Sprat could eat no fat,

His wife could eat no lean,

And so between them both, you see,

They licked the platter clean.

Some of us, if we are honest with ourselves and with God, ought to be repenting, totally seeking forgiveness, for we are guilty of the attitude and ways of Mr. and Mrs. Sprat. Each welcomes the platter and each eats in peace and comfort – no fighting, no bickering, no grudging, no complaining and no animosity – as they eat together from the same platter.

If we would see the Sprats as a family unit, then we must see ourselves also as a family unit called the Church, or Body of Believers.  When Jesus, the Living Bread, is put before us as a platter, we have no problems with the one with whom we live for, we feed according to our tastes, desires, likes and inclinations. Here are a couple of examples.

We have been served a service platter, which we welcome with open arms. Then we begin the process of taking off what suits us. Some of us like ‘fat’ service, which I refer to as forefront service, where we are seen on the frontlines and known by many. We grab for those and feed on them, not touching anything else. On the other hand, some of us like ‘lean’ service, which I refer to as background service, where we are seldom, if ever seen from the background, so that we are not known by any. We grab for those and feed on them, not touching anything else.

There is no bickering nor complaining from either the frontline or the background workers about others stealing their thunder, stepping on their corns or any such thing. Each is serving, undisturbed, in his or her self-building field. The service is done, but never by you.

God grant us hearing ears, penitent hearts and transformed minds. Amen!

We have been served an invitation platter, which delights us. We feel very honoured to be invited to share in these paths of Jesus. However, we go through the list and choose the paths which we know we can accept. Invitations which are not for now, will be accepted, all others will have to be rejected. If the invitation of our Lord clashes with another invitation, an apology or excuse is respectfully given. On the other hand, many accept because they are bored, with nothing to do and accept every invitation given. No clashes take place here either, for no one is in the way of another.

I’m forced to think of the disciples whom Jesus invited to follow Him. Take James and John for example. They were not idle men, for they were working when Jesus called. They had things to do and places to go.  Yet they chose to give up all, all of self, if you ask me, to accept Jesus’ invitation.

When Jesus told the parable of the Banquet, to which many were invited, He spoke of those who had to reject the invitations because of personal matters. Here is another stinger. Jesus never said that the invited guests were not interested, nor that they did not really want to accept. He said that they all had reasons, truthful, personal reasons for choosing themselves, over Jesus. In other words, they were not like the rich young ruler, who blatantly refused Jesus’ invitation, without even speaking another word. No! These invitees spoke about self-building in different ways. One had just bought a field and had to go to see it – all for self-gain. Another had bought five yoke of oxen and had to go and try them out – all for self-gain. And still another said that he had just got married. Yes, they all made excuses for not accepting the invitation. If you are interested, you can read this in Luke 14: 16 – 20.

We have been looking at many different ways in which we reject God’s life-building Food, by placing self, first. Whether we care to admit it or not, as the rhyme indicates, we all eat at the Lord’s Platter or Table, but we choose what is desirous to us. We accept and reject according to us and so we are spiritually anorexic or its opposite, spiritually bigorexic. Never lose sight of the image of Mr. Sprat, who only ate lean – anorexic image and Mrs. Sprat who only ate fat – bigorexic image.  

These are certainly not an image of Jesus in any form or fashion, because He refused to deny Himself and be all whom God the Father called Him to be. Thus Peter tells us that as you and I come, we ought to be people who have denied ourselves and have followed Jesus. We come where all self-will, self-seeking, self-haughtiness, self-pride and all of self, which our heavenly Father abhors, have been denied. We will then be able to choose all of Jesus and feed on all of Him, by faith with thanksgiving. We will be like living stones, after the One Living Stone, where we will feed and be built into our Lord’s spiritual house.

In His house, fed, nourished and kept by Him and in Him, we will be His family, offering Spiritual sacrifices acceptable to our Father in heaven, through our Living Food, our Living Foundation Jesus Christ.