Bible Verse: Jesus answered, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:9-16; Psalm 119:105; 2Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12-13
Years ago, I was on a ministry trip to Zambia in southern Africa. I met a pastor there who had recently travelled to North America. He was one of the few I met there who had ever left Africa, and as I asked him what struck him most about my side of the world, he instantly answered with a smile:
“The buffets!”
As he shared his experience, others began to gather around, amazed at what they heard. Delicious fare! Endless varieties of options! And, of course, limitless trips to the feast, where one could pile up their plate with as much of whatever they wished, as many times as they wanted.
It was a true fantasy for an impoverished country like Zambia, and I felt sincerely guilty about the discrepancies between our two lands.
“But,” the pastor added, “I got quite sick afterwards – too much food that was good, but not good for me!”
As I have reached middle age, I notice my body protests a lot more than it used to based on what I eat. Where I used to happily snack on whatever I wanted before bedtime, now my body tells me, “You can have those chips, or you can have a good night’s sleep – but you can’t have both.”
What we eat matters. It always has, even if we get away with more when we’re younger. To be at our strongest, sharpest, and most energetic, we need to eat for health, and not just for pleasure.
Likewise, our spiritual life can only be as healthy as what we feast on, and like a deep-fried buffet, there are endless varieties of tempting things out there that we can feast on with our minds and hearts. They may taste good – but they are not good for us.
For health, for growth, we feast on the pure food of God’s Word. It feeds our soul, sustains our spiritual strength, builds us up into godliness, corrects us when we’re off track, and most of all, reveals who our God is so that we might know and understand Him more (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
To kickstart your spiritual life, carve out a place to meet God in His Word, either through reading, listening, or discussing it with others. It is simple but crucial: we must feast on the Word. There is no way to spiritually grow without it.
Prayer: Father, may Your Word come alive to me as I read it and listen to it! Make my Bible time a place of rich encounter with You.
Reflection: Where does time in God’s Word fit into your life? If you needed to create one intentional step today to go further, what would it be, and why don’t you try it?
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