Eat What’s On Your Plate First
Growing up, my Mom utterly enjoyed eating vegetables. So, you can best believe she expected my brother and I to eat them as well. Any resistance was futile. Unfortunately, I was a bit of a brat and tried to avoid them anyway. As a result, I would attempt to whine about how much I disliked the colorful side dishes in the hopes of trading them for some of her delicious homemade desserts. Her moist chocolate cake and blackberry pie with buttery crust were my absolute favorites. Mama, of course, saw through my ploy and always insisted that I, “Eat What’s On Your Plate First!” That meant starting with the vegetables.
Today, I’m happy to report that my mother’s efforts paid off in a huge way. As a grown woman, I absolutely love veggies, particularly all things green. In fact, I’m the person who can eat a whole bag of fresh sugar snap peas like popcorn. My problem, when it comes to food, lies in all the other unhealthy things that I love to munch on. That, of course, is a topic for another day.
For the past six months, I’ve been praying for a financial breakthrough. Perhaps, you, too, are in need of one as well. Recently, I felt like the Holy Spirit was telling me to, “Eat What’s On Your Plate First.” In other words, I wasn’t getting more until I learned how to appreciate my current less. For instance, although I live alone, I tend to get lazy about cooking. Consequently, I ate out more than I should. See where I am going with this? With that said, I was able to see the foolishness of wasting so much money on fast foods. Here I was whining again about wanting more, when I wasn’t even properly managing what was currently “on my plate.” By simply cutting back on takeout dinners, I was able to receive more by saving a significant amount of money.
Beloved, perhaps you, too, can relate to my example. Maybe you’re struggling to pay for an extracurricular activity that you neither utilize nor can afford (I.e., a pricey gym membership). Perchance, your calendar so far this month has been full of expensive social outings that have stretched your thimble-sized budget. As a result, you are not only robbing Peter to pay Paul, but you have the utility, cell phone and car insurance companies held hostage, too.
Does this sound familiar? If so, please come and join me. I saved you a seat right next to me so we can share a Spiritual Feast of Wisdom prepared by the Holy Spirit.
Here are the ‘Spiritual Foods’ featured on today’s five course menu:
First Dish: Humbleness. We have to pray and ask the Lord to show us the areas where we are living above our means.
Second Dish: Obedience. Once the Holy Spirit reveals them to us, we need to fully acknowledge which ones are selfish wants versus mandatory needs. We must be willing to make the necessary adjustments or cutbacks for the purpose of improving our financial situation. Even more importantly, tithing is the key to all financial breakthroughs. When we tithe, our money is no longer under a “curse,” Malachi 3:7-9 (NIV).
Third Dish: Self-Control. Just because a sign in our favorite retail store says, “All Green tags-20% off, Red tags-30% off, Blue tags-50% off, and additional 10% off with a coupon,” doesn’t mean we have to buy it! If we truly don’t need it, we should save our money.
Fourth Dish: Gratitude. It’s hard to blow money on “the latest” trends when we are content with what we already have. Contentment helps us to see just how rich we really are right now.
Fifth Dish. Generosity. Acts 20:35b (NIV) reminds us that Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Sowing in the lives of others releases access to our future blessings.
Ultimately dear heart, once we’ve eaten from the Spiritual Feast of Wisdom, we can stop wasting money and learn how to eat what’s on our plate first. Thus, making it easier to feel “full” with contentment for what we already have. Then and only then, will our Savior say, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” Matthew 25:23a (NIV)
