As Christians in America, we have a set schedule for consuming Jesus. We consume through corporate worship and in smaller groups a few hours each week. When we are really on our game, we spend time reading His word and praying each day of the week. These are all great things! These are things we need and have to be intentional about. Having said that, we need to determine if we are only consuming Jesus, or if we desire consuming Jesus? Wait, what? Isn’t that the same thing? No.

If we are only consuming Jesus, we sit down at the table, eat, and go about our way. We check the box or “get my Jesus on” and then we are on to Monday. That is better than nothing, but it’s not what a relationship with Jesus is about. When we desire consuming Jesus, we are desperate to be consumed by Him. What does it look like to be consumed by something? I’m sure we can all relate to being consumed. Whether it was a health issue, your job, the loss of a loved one, a broken relationship, school, an approaching hurricane, a potential promotion, or starting a new career, we have all been consumed by something.

I think it’s safe to say, the world has been consumed by this new Coronavirus. We have consumed information, reports, and updates. It has changed our consumption of hand sanitizer, water, and toilet paper. It has consumed our thoughts and conversations to some level. Schools and businesses have even been swept up in it’s wake. How long have we known about this virus? Most of us probably hadn’t heard of it three weeks ago. Look at the difference in this country in the matter of weeks. That is what consumption looks like. It has literally affected every part of our lives.

What if our relationship with Jesus did that? Are we going to church, small groups, and having quiet time because we desire transformation or just to check a box? What does our time outside of those things look like? What do our conversations at work sound like? What do our thoughts consist of? What do our conversations at home sound like? Are we teaching our kids to get a little Jesus here and a little there to make it through the week or are we planting and watering the seed and praying for growth?

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 says, “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

This passage is instruction for the children of Israel after getting the Ten Commandments. Their lives were to be consumed by them. Fortunately for us, we are under grace and not the law. We shouldn’t be consumed with keeping the law anymore, but we should be consumed with glorifying Jesus. Are we? If not, why not?

I think we find our answer a couple chapters later. Chapter 8:11-18 says, “'But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.'”‭

In our plenty, we have become comfortable and complacent. Those two things are a result of being consumed by something other than Jesus. There may be happiness in that, but there is no joy. There may be temporary satisfaction, but there is no lasting fulfillment. There may be less worry, but there is no true peace. Let’s stop consuming Jesus on a regimented schedule and ask Him to consume our lives.