Do you like to eat? I am sure that most will immediately agree! But what of spiritual food? Do we like to feed our spirits?
Food is enjoyable when we eat it, but do you enjoy spiritual food? If you do not enjoy eating, perhaps your body is not working well? And if you do not enjoy the “means of grace”, perhaps you should check up on your spiritual health.
What is important is to eat what is good for you and not what is useless or harmful. There are many foods that look attractive, but do little good, and even harm. The same is true of the spirit – are we feeding on what is helpful? Is what we are exposed to spiritually harmful or beneficial? What are we watching and reading? How do we fill our time?
Just as there is a great variety of food available, there are many foods for the spirit, the “means of grace”. It is not only church, but bible study, the communion, prayer, good books, even material on Youtube. Perhaps a bigger mystery is with such opportunity, why do many starve themselves?
Of course, eating requires effort! There is the buying, preparing, even the chewing of food, so we should not be surprised if spiritual feeding requires effort. There is a cost, but for our spiritual life Jesus paid a great price – are we prepared to do our bit?
Why do we eat? Firstly to give energy NOW, secondly to enhance the health of our bodies with vitamins and minerals, and thirdly to provide for the future. We cannot eat all the time! The same is true of the spirit – to get an immediate boost, for our spiritual health, and to sustain us in our daily lives, and then forever. Let His Word dwell in you, it will keep on blessing.
It is most important to realise that most food gives benefit slowly. When we eat, we do not immediately get satisfied, but if we wait, and do not yield to the temptation of continuing to stuff ourselves, we will. If you want to slim, eat only a little and wait! The same is true spiritually. (but I hope that nobody is trying to slim spiritually!) If we have repented and accepted Christ we may immediately feel joy and peace, but more likely those feelings come later. Similarly with healing – it is rare that the results are immediate – it normally is slow improvement, so persist in prayer.
Do you eat to live, or live to eat? In JESUS – BOTH are true!
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