Let me begin by saying this is not an article about food or a healthy diet. The truth is that most of us are physically very well fed – perhaps even over fed! There is almost no preaching on gluttony today and the practice of fasting has become almost non existent. On the other hand, there is no end to diet plans and nutritional gurus trying to help us get our food intake under control.
Isn’t it sad that in our culture we give more attention to the feeding of our bodies than we do to the feeding of our souls?
In the same passage where Paul reproves legalizers who tried to put dietary restrictions on believers, he wrote, “It is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine…exercise thyself unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is go come” (1 Timothy 4:5-8).
He was not saying that Christians should not give attention to the diet and exercise of the body, but there is something greater! Your body will not last forever; your soul will. It is not wrong for you to feed your body today, but it is vital that you feed your inner man.
Let’s be honest. We don’t go very long without a meal or a snack. How long has it been since your soul was fed?
There is a reason the Word of God is compared to bread, milk, meat, water, and honey. As we feed on the Word we find nourishment for our souls. If you are going to be sustained spiritually you are going to have to find your sustenance in the Scriptures.
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, was sustained by joy that only comes from the Word. He said, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart…” (Jeremiah 15:16) Jesus, the Son of God, articulated the divine priority best when He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
Well fed Christians must do three things.
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- Well fed Christians let others feed them. God calls shepherds to “feed the flock” (1 Peter 5:2). The public teaching and preaching of the Word of God is not optional for healthy growth; it is mandatory. When believers neglect the assembly of the local church they are not just missing social interaction, they are missing spiritual food. A pastor cannot preach to people who aren’t listening! The Lord also designed the church so that we minister grace and truth to each other (Ephesians 4). We need one another. Fellow believers help to strengthen us, and Christians cannot be islands unto themselves. Humility before God and hunger for truth always go together. All of us need to be under the consistent ministry of the Word. Even mature believers and ministers need the reproof, instruction, and correction, and encouragement of Bible preaching and teaching.
- Well fed Christians learn to feed themselves. If the only spiritual food you receive is from the pulpit of your local church you will never become the strong Christian that God saved you to become. This is why we have been given the Word of God. Every day we have the privilege to go straight to Heaven’s pantry and find fresh provision for our faith. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). If you want to grow you must learn to have a steady intake and personal application of the Scriptures on a regular basis. Come to the table and you will find exactly what you need.
- Well fed Christians labor to feed others. The Lord’s way is that we both receive and relay His Word. Truth must never dead end. As we are fed through the ministry of the Word and our own meditation in it, we then have the privilege and responsibility to pass it on. You may not be a public speaker or office holder in the church, but you can share with someone what God is teaching you from the Scriptures. In my own experience, I have found that God very often shows me something, not just for my own spiritual blessing, but because there is someone with whom He wants me to share it. God’s Word is both “seed to the sower and bread to the eater” (Isaiah 55:10-11). Feed on it and then allow it to feed many others. If you need the truth, someone else does as well.
Don’t starve your soul, and don’t keep it to yourself. Healthy homes and churches are made up of healthy Christians, and healthy Christians are always well fed on the Word of God. There is quite a table spread for you today on the pages of Holy Scripture. “Come and dine.”
When you begin to be well fed, your testimony will be the words of Psalm 119:103, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
How true! We allow the world to distract us with physical food and an obsession with our bodies, and yet the only true and lasting source of joy and nourishment comes through the nourishment of our souls through God’s Holy Word. Thank you for this important reminder!
An old preacher said: we can kill a ministry with a fork.
We hear about not to drink or smoke, but not about overeating. Is our belly stopping us to speak about that sin that grieve the Holy Spirit of God ?
Love this. Needed it. Thank you for posting all these great truths!