NOURISHMENT
John Ortberg says this…
“Anytime you see life flourishing it’s because it’s receiving nourishment from outside of itself.”
It is a simple question to ponder today! What do you do for nourishment? Nourishment as you know is simply something that provides the necessary food for life, growth and good health!
What do you use to nourish yourself so that you can flourish?
I’ve been thinking about nourishment a lot recently as I have been eating a little differently as I work towards a holiday. Sadly I have been trying rather desperately to fit into last year's T shirts! What you put in and how that affects the body is at the heart of healthy eating. However, it's started a larger conversation of having a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle for our lives, as both Valda and I get used to our new living arrangements as empty nesters (more able to eat what we want as we want) and the work we both find ourselves doing by the grace of God!
Jesus is simply the best example of living a healthy way. I don’t necessarily mean him walking everywhere or his omega 3 heavy fish diet, although that probably could help. I mean how he would use silence & solitude to bring nourishment to his spirit!
Throughout the New testament Jesus withdrew to receive nourishment from the Father in a secret/quiet place. Just one example is in the book of Mark Chapter 1 verse 35
“It was very early in the morning and still dark. Jesus got up and left the house. He went to a place where he could be alone. There he prayed”.
No matter where Jesus was he always managed to find a place to withdraw to receive the necessary nourishment to continue his ministry. It seems pretty clear that Jesus would withdraw regularly; that it was part of his routine.
The amazing thing for us as we live in a very public world is the scriptures that talk about Jesus withdrawing to a quiet place; never tell us any details. It doesn’t tell us exactly where he withdrew to, if there was type? It doesn’t tell us the program for the hours he did, in fact there are no specifics at all! There are really no details of what happened when he did that we can grab hold of to guide us. The limited information we have is that Jesus would Pray and spend time with his Father. Today we live in a world of 24hr news, where everything is very public now, every detail is laid bare, every newsworthy story comes with speculation and then lets be honest there is a good dose of opinions attached too. I find it strangely encouraging and refreshing that when Jesus withdrew, the Bible only reveals two things: he was often alone and he prayed. I think that this is exactly what God intends for us.
When I think about the quote by John Ortberg and then read how Jesus would withdraw, I can clearly see that Jesus received nourishment from the silence and solitude of the physical. He tapped into the presence of the Father through union in prayer. I love that prayer for us today is that pathway to nourishment outside of ourselves. It is how we flourish!
I love that as I simply spend time out of my day to be with God, I become more alive and more energised as I simply seek his presence! It hardly seems fair that in my own inactivity of not doing anything but just being with the Father, I can be nourished like a plant soaking up the sun!! I can soak up His presence through the Holy Spirit as I simply speak a simple invitation “Come Holy Spirit have your way!” All I need to do is simply give Him my undivided attention by doing nothing apart from having a willing spirit, a quiet mind and a still body which results in me flourishing
Try to make some time today for silence and solitude.
Let prayer bring the nourishment that you need!
Flourish outside of yourself today!
By Simon Rushton 28th June 2023
