“No Sugar September”….REALLY?!?! Who comes up with this stuff? What’s next, “No Oreo Shake October? I mean I understand the importance of regulating sugar in our diets, but to go a whole month without any dessert? That’s ludicrous….but, of course, I did it.
Today I come to an end of 30 days of minimal sugar and gee whiz, it’s been seemingly an eternity from Labor Day to today! During this dessert-free month I’ve discovered a few things about myself, of all my observations, I am most astounded by what we can learn to live without when we really put our mind to it.
If you know me, you know that I sincerely enjoy dessert, so it really took a strong mindset to choose to live without something that I truly enjoy. In some ways to minimize things is often an expression of discipline, such as no desserts for 30 days. For some, it’s an aesthetic preference, some of you may enjoy minimal furniture styles, you know, that big room with the tiny chair and the big empty wall?
There are certainly some areas where being a minimalist is great, and makes perfect sense, but I have to tell you that our walk with God is certainly not a place to minimize anything!
minimize: to treat something as smaller or less important than it is; to make something as small as possible
It’s astounding to me how many people I see that are, essentially, “minimized Christians. Really, it’s too many if you ask me! What does a “minimized Christian” look like? Here are some attributes, to name a few:
“minimized Christians” don’t:
- have big expectations to life.
- take full advantage of all that Christ came to give them.
- accept the promises of God for themselves and often live as if those promises are for others.
The irony in minimizing something, is that when we minimize something, it does not remove the value of the object we are minimizing, we just don’t allow ourselves to enjoy the full benefit. In other words, Jesus paid the ultimate price for us to be able to live the abundant life, but we can live as if that was simply a minimum payment, and we still have to pay off a giant debt. Paul said it this way in his letter to Timothy:
“they have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof…” 2 Timothy 3:5 (NLT)
You see the salvation we have through Jesus Christ is not just for heaven, it is for now! Salvation is the gateway into God’s life for you. It’s the gateway to joy, peace, victory, favor, I could go on and on! Jesus is the savior who gives you MORE than you could dream, or imagine. All of the promises of God in Christ are Yes & Amen! There is nothing minimal about that at all!
At the end of No Sugar September, I recognize another important element, while I minimized my desserts, my craving for them was never minimal. Can I tell you that, even if you minimize Jesus, the soul-craving for His greatness, will not diminish. Listen to what Solomon shares:
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart…” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)
There is something to be said about our desires to see God’s greatness demonstrated in our lives. Our hearts carry eternity! They have a craving for the good things that only God can provide. To minimize them, can never negate the God-sized desires in our hearts. I imagine this is why Jesus said:
“I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly” John 10:10 (NKJV)
As we go the last quarter of this year, choose to live a life that is maximized! Enjoy the proverbial “dessert” that Jesus came for us to have. If you take time to read Ephesians 1, you’ll discover all the GREAT things we have in Him:
- vs 3: we are blessed with every spiritual blessing
- vs 4: we are chosen by Him
- vs 5: we are predestined to be His children
- vs 6: His grace has made us accepted in the Beloved
- vs 7: redemption, forgiveness are the riches of His grace
- vs 8: wisdom and prudence abound on His children
As a child of God, you are given good things to enjoy! There are no consequences for partaking as often as possible of His great goodness. The result is abundant living! Today, refuse to confine yourself to a minimalist relationship with Jesus. Choose to enjoy dessert for your soul! Taste and see that the Lord is good, He does good and He is the giver of good gifts!
Live extraordinarily!
Jared
