• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Prayer
    • Examen
    • Fasting
    • Sacred Reading
    • Self-denial
    • Silence & Solitude
    • The Sacred Everyday
  • Bible Studies
    • To Do-ers List
    • 1 Thessalonians: A Life of Faith
    • Scripture Art Journaling
    • Walking WIth God: A Bible Study on the Book of Ruth
    • Short & Sweet
    • Daily Bible Studies
    • Take 5!
    • Bible Journal-graphics
    • Scripturegraphics
    • Guides
  • Podcasts
    • Reflections
    • ihear
    • i pray
    • Walking in Truth
    • Topical podcasts
  • Salvation
  • Healthy Living
    • Aromatherapy
    • Children
    • Exercise
      • Faith & Fit
      • Free One-Week Workout!
    • Gardening
    • Herbs
    • Natural Beauty
    • Recipes
    • Stress
  • Shop
  • Nav Widget Area

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

Only By Prayer

Where the sacred and everyday meet

You are here: Home / Bible Studies / To Do-ers List / Back to School / Back to School: Pack a Lunch

Back to School: Pack a Lunch

To Do-ers List: Back to School, Pack a Lunch

When my sisters and I were little girls, my mom taught us how to pack our lunch for school. With four daughters, a husband, and a full-time job, she needed to take a few tasks off of her to-do list! So every day I had to pack a lunch.  A honey-loaf sandwich, fruit, and a cookie went into my lunch box. Monday through Friday, the same thing. When lunch time would roll around, I’d look wistfully at the Fritos and Twinkies the other kids were snacking on and try to “trade up,” but I didn’t have much ammo to trade with!

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” Isaiah 55:1

Spiritual Nibbles or a Fortified Feast

As I was thinking about my uninspired lunch, it reminded me of the spiritual food I used to exist on. For years, I nourished myself with honey-loaf bites of the word of God. Day in and day out, I quickly nibbled on a verse or two as I rushed out the door for work. I dutifully drank my spiritual baby milk while God waited for me to “trade up” my milky sustenance for a meatier, stick-to-your ribs meal.

The wonderful thing about God is that I don’t have to beg Him for a treat. I don’t have to buy it. It is there for my taking. What I do have to do is decide that I am going to put in the time that it takes for me to eat a richer meal. Actually, God calls it a feast.

For all those years, I subsisted on meager rations when God had a feast waiting for me.
Tweet This
No wonder I was stuck in sin patterns in my life. I didn’t give God the time that the Holy Spirit needed to take my life and transform it into something beautiful. I was stuck in fear, in doubt, basically in a rut, living off leftovers. When I got serious about wanting to change, He began to move in my life. He didn’t force me. The Holy Spirit never does. It’s up to us to follow through.

For Today:

Resolve that you are ready to expand your spiritual diet. If you are a new Jesus-follower, then by all means, start at the beginning and get grounded in the basics of the faith. But if you have been a believer for a while and are still subsisting on baby food, move up to solid food.

What will that look like for you?

It may mean you sign up for a Bible study. Perhaps you’ve thought about taking a Bible class for credit  or personal study through a ministry or university (see the resource section below — several free classes!). God has His eye on someone whom He wants to start teaching a class. Perhaps you should be mentored or are ready to mentor someone else. Maybe studying a book about developing your prayer life is on your to do-ers list.

With unlimited possibilities before you, pray about it and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what your next step is. Write this down on your app or in your notes and tell someone else what you’re thinking. Accountability never hurts! If you’d like to, feel free to share in the comment section what your spiritual feast might look like. And post on Twitter if you’d like about what you’re doing using the hashtag #ToDoers.

Resources:

To help you organize your daily study and record your experiences, please download and print the following PDF, or download the journal app to your favorite Apple device.

  • To Do-ers List Study Guide PDF
  • Days Lite: My Wonderful Life App free app from App Store.
  • Online Bible Classes
  • Biblical Training – many free classes
  • Gordon Conwell free classes, called Dimensions of the Faith

Don’t forget to comment on your experience in the comment section below! Choose your verse/s for today and be a Do-er of the Word.

School is in session. Remember to pack your lunch!

Previous Sessions of To Do-ers List, Back to School:

Day 1: New Clothes

Day 2: The Book

image_pdfimage_print

September 2, 2015 5:00 am Jane VanOsdol 9 Comments Filed Under: Back to School

Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. 1

    MaryK says

    September 2, 2015 at 5:46 am

    I am struck by the concept of time. Feasts are never quick events. Lavish gourmet meals take hours to prepare and consume. I need to think how I prepare my heart for the feast. Am I filling up on fritos and french fries and wondering why i have no appetite for filet and pate? Feasting requires truth and time and it results in freedom from sin and great fruitfulness! Great post!

    Reply
    • 2

      Jane VanOsdol says

      September 2, 2015 at 6:26 am

      That is so true, Mary! My eye is always on the clock waiting for the next thing instead of being fully invested in where I am now. God wants our whole hearts.

      Reply
  2. 3

    Michelle says

    September 2, 2015 at 8:33 am

    I feel your heart on the issue of time. There never seems to be enough. I want to focus today on what is before me and enjoy and feast upon those moments. Choosing to trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding.

    Reply
    • 4

      Jane VanOsdol says

      September 2, 2015 at 11:09 am

      I love your insights, Michelle, about “focusing on today on what is before me and enjoy and feast upon those moments.” I heard someone say recently “today is all we are promised.” We do need to plan for tomorrow but not at the expense of missing what God has given us today. Blessings to you!

      Reply
    • 5

      MaryK says

      September 6, 2015 at 8:06 am

      Michelle, Thankfully God is not bound by time. He is the great I AM of the past, present and future!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Listen to Jesus | To Do-ers List Bible Study | Only By Prayer says:
    September 3, 2015 at 7:21 am

    […] Day 3: Pack a Lunch […]

    Reply
  2. To Do-ers List, Back To School, Day 5: Study says:
    September 4, 2015 at 5:49 am

    […] Day 3: Pack a Lunch […]

    Reply
  3. Obey the Rules | To Do-ers List Bible Study | Only By Prayer says:
    September 5, 2015 at 10:17 am

    […] Day 3: Pack a Lunch […]

    Reply
  4. To Do-ers List, Back to School: Test says:
    September 6, 2015 at 7:47 am

    […] Day 3: Pack a Lunch […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

How to Become a Christ Follower

https://youtu.be/K0HALBis50A

New to prayer? Start here:

A prayer is mightier than a wish

Prayer Resources

A Little About Mary

Bible study writer. Teacher. Runner. A fan of all four seasons. Loves Jesus. Follow me @MaryKayKane. Read More…

A Little About Jane

Follow of Jesus. Writer. Beekeeper, herbalist, and aromatherapist. Love looking for the sacred in the everyday. Often find it in the garden. How about you? Read More…

Subscribe to Podcast on iTunes

Please pray as Covid is quickly spreading through many areas of our country and the world. Click on this link to see what One Prayer is all about and for information on the current prayer concern.

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
[fts_facebook type=page id=169366963096917 access_token=EAAP9hArvboQBACjMBkdwSPszTn6T3ENahqBJCltN1U4qLoaEvJ0jmZCpbFkIwdehb4pHtaT4Nrj02teGDyRsfwpCyJXpWMKXedavEAyZAN9R48OZC4BcEra2TXMaY9AcMhkBcktvk9jzCoin6QSJZCk1g4bwoyNkU206LedeqAZDZD posts=1 description=no posts_displayed=page_only images_align=center]

Search by Topic

Advent Advent devotional Bible Bible study Bible study series Christ Christmas devotion Easter faith following Jesus give thanks God God's Word Grace healing heart Holy Spirit hope Jesus Lent life Lord love online Bible study Only By Prayer peace podcast pray prayer prayers praying quick Bible studies quick Bible Study quick devotions Ruth scripture Short & sweet short Bible studies short Bible study short devotions sin Thanksgiving walk by faith women's Bible study

Archives

Privacy Policy

Daily Bible Studies

Psalm 23 Remix

Psalm 23 Remix

July 9, 2020 By MaryK Leave a Comment

Psalm 23 is one of the the most well-known parts of the Bible. People who do not claim to be religious can quote parts of Psalm 23. Christians have become so familiar with this beloved psalm we almost cease to hear it. What we need is a Psalm 23 remix- a fresh look at an […]

Newsletter Subscription

My Favorite Post

be loved, Beloved Bible Study

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 is one of the most well known Bible verses in the world. Perhaps you already know it by heart. I’ve had it memorized for a long time.[Read More…]

Only By Prayer Tweets

[fts_twitter twitter_name=by_prayer tweets_count=2 cover_photo=yes stats_bar=no show_retweets=no show_replies=no]

Footer

Feature Anything

Advent Devotional

Re-Advent Your Life Are the hectic holidays derailing your devo time with God? If so, we’d love to have you join us in our new[Read More…]

Featured Product

Beeswax Candles

A Featured Item

Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. As a child, I remember the solemn mass of Ash Wednesday and being anointed with ashes in[Read More…]

  • About Us
    • About Jane
    • About Mary
  • Contact Jane and Mary

© Copyright 2016 · Pretty Lifestyle WordPress Theme by: PDCD