Food is vital for sustaining life.
Without proper nourishment,
the human body becomes weak
and cannot function properly.
People must take care of their bodies through eating right and
consuming key nutrients,
so they not only live but thrive in healthiness.
The same principle applies to
one’s spiritual life.
A proper diet of spiritual food is needed so Christians do not become weak and weary, but rather
thrive spiritually
in their
relationship with God.
Regular nourishment for the soul
is vital for the Christian life,
just as physical food is for the body.
Jesus emphasized the importance of spiritual food when
He was tempted by Satan:
"Man does not live by
bread alone,
but by every word
that comes from the
mouth of God”
(Matthew 4:4, NET).
Man
is both
physical and spiritual,
which is why spiritual food is just as important as physical nourishment.
This spiritual food is “every word that comes from the mouth of God” God has spoken to us in His Word, the Bible. His Word imparts life (John 6:63).
The Bible often speaks of the spiritual food we need:
God’s Word provides milk
(1 Peter 2:2);
it is meat
(1 Corinthians 3:2)
and bread
(Deuteronomy 8:3; Job 23:12);
and it is sweeter than honey (Psalm 119:103).
The prophet Jeremiah wrote,
“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty”
(Jeremiah 15:16). Scripture’s use of food metaphors demonstrates the importance of ingesting God’s Word, of making it a part of us. Scripture is not something merely to study or read but to be “eaten” by God’s people. We read the Word, but we then pause to “chew on it” a while, meditating and reflecting on the meaning and application of what we’ve read (see Psalm 1:1–3).
On a couple occasions,
Jesus spoke of another type of spiritual food.
After Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well,
the disciples brought Him some food from town.
But He did not partake,
saying,
“I have food to eat
that you know nothing about”
(John 4:32).
This puzzled the disciples, whose minds were stuck
on physical food, and Jesus explained:
“My food is to do
the will of him
who sent me and to accomplish
his work”
(verse 34, ESV).
Later, after feeding the 5,000,
Jesus referred to faith, salvation,
and His sacrifice using a food metaphor:
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my
blood has eternal life, and
I will raise them up
at the last day.
For my flesh
is real food and my blood is real drink”
(John 6:54–55).
We need spiritual food--
that is to say we need
the
Word of God,
we need to do the
will of God,
and we need
Jesus Himself.
Food is vital for sustaining life.
Without proper nourishment,
the human body becomes weak
and cannot function properly.
People must take care of their bodies through eating right and
consuming key nutrients,
so they not only live but thrive in healthiness.
The same principle applies to
one’s spiritual life.
A proper diet of spiritual food is needed so Christians do not become weak and weary, but rather
thrive spiritually
in their
relationship with God.
Regular nourishment for the soul
is vital for the Christian life,
just as physical food is for the body.
Jesus emphasized the importance of spiritual food when
He was tempted by Satan:
"Man does not live by
bread alone,
but by every word
that comes from the
mouth of God”
(Matthew 4:4, NET).
Man
is both
physical and spiritual,
which is why spiritual food is just as important as physical nourishment.
This spiritual food is “every word that comes from the mouth of God” God has spoken to us in His Word, the Bible. His Word imparts life (John 6:63).
The Bible often speaks of the spiritual food we need:
God’s Word provides milk
(1 Peter 2:2);
it is meat
(1 Corinthians 3:2)
and bread
(Deuteronomy 8:3; Job 23:12);
and it is sweeter than honey (Psalm 119:103).
The prophet Jeremiah wrote,
“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty”
(Jeremiah 15:16). Scripture’s use of food metaphors demonstrates the importance of ingesting God’s Word, of making it a part of us. Scripture is not something merely to study or read but to be “eaten” by God’s people. We read the Word, but we then pause to “chew on it” a while, meditating and reflecting on the meaning and application of what we’ve read (see Psalm 1:1–3).
On a couple occasions,
Jesus spoke of another type of spiritual food.
After Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well,
the disciples brought Him some food from town.
But He did not partake,
saying,
“I have food to eat
that you know nothing about”
(John 4:32).
This puzzled the disciples, whose minds were stuck
on physical food, and Jesus explained:
“My food is to do
the will of him
who sent me and to accomplish
his work”
(verse 34, ESV).
Later, after feeding the 5,000,
Jesus referred to faith, salvation,
and His sacrifice using a food metaphor:
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my
blood has eternal life, and
I will raise them up
at the last day.
For my flesh
is real food and my blood is real drink”
(John 6:54–55).
We need spiritual food--
that is to say we need
the
Word of God,
we need to do the
will of God,
and we need
Jesus Himself.
RSS Feed
