Confessions of a Stinky Sponge & Childlike Feaster

I started one Bible study three weeks ago on the book of John and another one I started tonight. I just want to share with you the exciting things God has been teaching me!

1) I am a stinky sponge and I need to be wrung out! Weird, huh? Keep reading and I will explain. In John 4, Jesus confronts the woman at the well. If you aren't familiar with the story, go get your Bible and read it! After the woman is confronted with believing that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, she runs back to her town to tell everyone. Our teacher gave a great analogy. Have you ever used a sponge to clean something and then forgot to wring it out? The longer it sits there full of water, the more bacteria grows in it and it stinks! We can totally relate in our household because George is constantly complaining about how our dish sponge stinks. Anyway, we (I) as Christians, like to fill ourselves with Bible study after Bible study. We fill ourselves with the knowledge of God, but forget to wring ourselves out into the world. What good will I be if I just sit and soak up all of this knowledge and never go out and tell a dying world who Jesus is? God has been working on this conviction in my life for a while now. Lord, wring me out!

2) I have been eating at the kid's table. Jesus is the Bread of Life. John 6:35 says, "Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." He is the new testament manna from heaven. Think about a Thanksgiving feast. Growing up in my family, you have the kid's table and the adult table. The kid's table plates have minimal portions of food and they rush through eating as if it is a duty. They eat the food so they can get back to what they were doing before dinner. At the adult table, there is some major feasting going on. Plates are piled high with food and the eating is enjoyed. I know that being a mother with young children is difficult and tiring, but I don't want to view my time with God as a duty. I want to feast at His table with the Bread of Life. I want to walk away from His table, feeling satisfyingly stuffed. For it is only when I am stuffed with Him, that I can then overflow into others' lives.

God is doing good stuff! Exciting stuff for His glory! I feel the Lord wanting to wring more of me out into expanding our NICU ministry. I am ready to be used by Him. I'll have more Bible study goodies for you next week!