Are You Ready To Eat Meat?

In Numbers chapter 11 we find Moses complaining to God because the people have been complaining to him about not having anything except manna to eat. Instead of being grateful for God freeing them from slavery, parting the Red Sea for them to walk across, and providing daily manna – the people took God for granted and started complaining to Moses. Moses complains to God and God responds to Moses with the response that He will provide meat (Quail) for the people to eat.
       In Number 11:18a we find a very interesting verse. God is speaking to Moses when He says, “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat….” God is saying to the people for them to prepare themselves, cleanse themselves, sanctify themselves in order for them to be able to receive the meat that He will send them.
       He is saying to them that with that selfish, complaining spirit they are not ready to receive the blessing in the form of meat that He wants to give them. They must prepare themselves in order to fully receive and appreciate it.
       When I think about this, I think of the verse in I Corinthians 3:2-3 where Paul tells the church at Corinth: I have had to feed you with milk and not with solid food (meat) because you couldn’t digest anything stronger. And even now you still have to be fed on milk. 3 For you are still only baby Christians, controlled by your own desires, not God’s. When you are jealous of one another and divide up into quarreling groups, doesn’t that prove you are still babies, wanting your own way? In fact, you are acting like people who don’t belong to the Lord at all”  
       I believe that on any given Sunday in any church there are people who come to church services who need to sanctify, prepare, consecrate themselves in order to receive the meat of the Word when they come. Many people come into a worship service distracted, disgruntled, even depressed with their mind and spirit anywhere else in the world except coming into the presence of God. They didn’t consecrate themselves before they came in and thus, they will only be able to get the milk of the Word if even that.  
       These same people will leave the worship service and say that they, “Didn’t get anything out of being at church that day” Of course they didn’t get anything from it and are leaving spiritually hungry because they couldn’t stomach the meat of the Word. They made no preparation to receive the blessing that God had for them. They are, according to these scriptures, acting like baby Christians. You only get out of it what you put into it.
       This Saturday, start preparing yourself for worship services on Sunday. Remove any distractions. Come hungry to feed upon the meat of the Word. Come expecting to meet with God through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Remember that the worship of God is all about HIM – not you. So do everything that you can to prepare your heart, mind, and spirit to meet with God. You will leave different than you came.
​– In love with Jesus – Gary Mimbs