Hello Reading Squad! I hope you had a wonderful week and are doing something fun this weekend! Any cookouts or dinners on the agenda for the weekend?
Let’s dive right into our questions this week. I don’t know about you but I am craving figs and warm soft bread!
Chapter 3: A Plate of Sweet and Succulent Figs (Taste and See God’s Satisfaction)
*Do you consider yourself a frugivore? What is your favorite fruit?
*“Just as the figs ripen slowly on the tree, so Scripture ripens with new discoveries as we study. The more one observes, the more one discovers” (pg. 59). What discoveries are you learning about God and His Word through this book?
*”We become so laser-focused on one desired outcome, we become blind to the many ways God is working all around us” (pg.63). Have you noticed any areas of your life where you might have become change-blind? How can you be more attentive to what God is doing in your life?
*Fig trees must be pruned to produce a more abundant harvest. Where do you feel God is pruning you? Have you felt His pruning in the past? Did it lead to more fruitfulness in your life?
Chapter 4: A Loaf of Bread Just Out of the Oven (Taste and See God’s Community)
*If Jesus is the Bread of Life, what kind of bread do you think He is (i.e. a warm yeast roll, a multigrain loaf, etc.)? Why did you pick that type of bread?
*“…the same leaven that’s in them is already in you. Our real enemy isn’t what we see in others but what rises within us” (pg. 78). Do you see this to be true in your own life? Where might you find the leaven rising in your life?
*Margaret discussed the social component associated with eating bread. How can you be more intentional about sharing bread and meal times with others?
*In Matthew 6:11, the Bible tells us to pray “Give us today, our daily bread.” This is a prayer that should come from our hearts. It is a call to trust God daily for His provision. Are there areas in your life where you struggle to trust God for your daily bread?
Scripture of the Week
Matthew 7:17-20
Galatians 5:22-23
Matthew 16:5-12
Prayer of the Week
Father God, thank You for the reminders of Your provision. We so often get bogged down by the trials of this life that we miss what You are doing. Help us to focus on You and not our own expectations or perspectives. We can’t even imagine all the ways You are working in our lives! Help us to be attentive to You and the ways You are cultivating fruitfulness in our lives. Help us to be aware of the judgement and critical eye we may have towards others and help us to reach out to others to gather around our tables in community. We love You and thank You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
For Next Week
*Read Chapters 5 and 6
I had no idea how often fruit appears in the Bible! This book has helped me become aware of God’s creative nature: displaying fruit images on the temple, providing metaphors through fruit in Scripture, and connecting physical hunger to spiritual hunger.
This statement hit me: “…our deepest hungers find their ultimate satisfaction when abiding in Christ” (Page 65). It’s so easy to chase after other things to receive satisfaction. Deep down, I believe we know we won’t be ultimately satisfied – and yet we keep returning, trying to fulfill our desires for the last time.
But that’s the whole point, right? These dead ends and empty promises all expose the truth: our search for satisfaction cannot be quenched by anything this world has to offer.
In Romans 7:7 it says, “I would not have known what sin was except through the law.” The law was given to reveal sin. We aren’t perfect and can’t uphold the law…we aren’t meant to. If we keep trying to keep the law, we’re only going to be disappointed because we cannot be – are not – enough.
So it is today: if we keep trying to fill ourselves with what this life promotes, we’re always going to be left wanting more. And yet it is so difficult to shift our minds and hearts and not become change-blind to what we want and think we need!
I can quickly become fixated on a desired outcome and get lost in it to the point where I have tunnel vision. The crazy thing is it can even be good outcomes!? The issue though is I become the focus and try to make things happen rather than focusing on God. I may have a role to play in the situation, but I need to ask God if He wants me to be used and trust Him to do His will…with or without me.
Lately I’ve been writing down my struggles. There’s something about seeing them on paper that stops my mind from worrying (for a moment 😉) and allows me to face my fears. It forces me to take a good, hard look at what I’m dealing with and turn my anxiety over to God. I usually have to surrender it to Him multiple times, but the focus shifts from struggle to Savior, fear to Father.
In addition to writing down my struggles, I am going to start writing down where I’ve seen God move in my life. I think this will definitely help me be more attentive to what God’s doing in my life because I’ll see where He’s moved previously.
God is taking me through a pruning season that so far has lasted a little over a year. “The real enemy is what rises in us” (paraphrased from Page 78) is a most stinging truth! He’s showing me how awful I really am and helping me truly understand His grace.
Jesus helps us with our leaven (sin) – He paid for it and now we’re under His grace. He is the Bread of Life – I just thought about how bread rises and how He rose from the dead! 🤗 He is the exception: He had no sin, and yet He rose!
We can trust Him. He has literally poured Himself out for us, and we can be sure He will provide for our daily needs, physically and more importantly, spiritually.
I love that Jesus used bread as a metaphor for Himself. The fact that He wants to be the center of everything (our tables, our lives, etc) is encouraging and reminds me that He can be.
I’ve been thinking a lot about who I want to be. It’s like God has awakened this question in me and I think I was so focused on what I am (mom, office manager, etc) that I forgot that underneath it all it’s about how He can sanctify me through these situations. Focusing on the situations themselves, like you said, makes us lost. The outcomes might be what we desire but if we are becoming who He wants us to be (and who we want to be because we desire to be like Him) then it’s good. It will be okay because we can have the longview of things and know that ultimately we’ll be more like the One we love and be with Him for eternity.
Thanks for your comments – I always love reading them! 🙂