Food for Strength: Nourishing Our Spiritual Lives

In our culture not enough of us appreciate the Word of God to the extent it deserves. Think of how often you think about food, now think about how often the Word of God is compared to food. This comparison naturally brings the question, how often do we consider the spiritual food that nourishes our souls? Just as newborns crave milk, we too should hunger for spiritual sustenance that helps us grow in faith and character.

What makes the Word of God so vital for our spiritual health? It's not just a collection of ancient texts or moral guidelines. The Scriptures are alive, pulsing with divine energy. As Jesus said, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). When we engage with the Bible, we're not just reading – we're connecting with the very essence of God, allowing His life-giving power to flow into our spirits.

At the heart of our spiritual nourishment lies the Word of God. Unlike earthly food that perishes, God's Word is eternal and unchanging. It's a timeless banquet that never spoils, always fresh and relevant to our lives. This imperishable nature reflects the character of God Himself – constant, reliable, and everlasting.

There is a spiritual battle where our flesh fights ingesting God’s word, and the devil fights against us ingesting the word of God. This struggle in our members is caused by the opposing goals of the enemy, the flesh and the Savior. The devil wants you to be defeated, the flesh wants you to be stagnant, but God wants you to be victorious. And when you are nourished by the word you walk in power.

Just as our physical diets require variety, our spiritual nourishment comes in different forms. The Word of God is described in Scripture using various food metaphors, each highlighting a unique aspect of its nourishing power:

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?" (1 Corinthians 3:1-4)

Paul wanted to give the Corinthians strong meat, more complex doctrine in other words but they couldn’t handle it, he could only give them milk which led to trouble between them and other Christians.

Milk for the newborn: 
For those new to faith, the Word provides basic sustenance, easy to digest and essential for growth. This is equivalent to a preacher or a teacher or even a brother or sister in the faith showing you something, they got something from the word and they’re sharing it with you.

Meat for the mature: 
As we grow in faith, we can digest deeper, more challenging spiritual truths that strengthen our understanding and conviction. Now you’re in the Word of God and something is revealed to you that you can apply to your life and share with someone else.

Bread for daily strength: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). God's Word is our daily bread, providing the strength we need to face life's challenges.

Honey for sweetness: 
"How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103). There's a joy and delight in savoring God's truth that satisfies our deepest longings. "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). Let's savor the feast God has prepared for us and invite others to join in this life-giving banquet. How great is it when you’re craving something that tastes good and is good for you, like a steak and the satisfaction you feel when you eat it.

Reading the Bible isn't meant to be a passive activity. To truly benefit from this spiritual food, we need to learn the art of meditation. This doesn't mean emptying our minds, but rather filling them with God's truth. We're encouraged to chew on Scripture, to pause and reflect on its meaning and application in our lives.

The Psalmist describes the blessed person as one who delights in God's law, meditating on it day and night (Psalm 1:2). This constant rumination on God's Word shapes our thoughts, influences our decisions, and transforms our character. It's through this process that we truly internalize the nourishment God provides.

Interestingly, Jesus spoke of another type of spiritual food – one that doesn't come from reading or study, but from active service. After His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus told His disciples, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work" (John 4:34).

This profound statement reveals that there's nourishment to be found in aligning our lives with God's purpose. When we serve others, share the good news, or work towards justice and compassion, we're not just expending energy – we're being spiritually fed. It's a beautiful cycle: the more we're nourished by God's Word, the more we're empowered to serve, which in turn further nourishes our souls.

Just as a healthy diet requires avoiding harmful foods, our spiritual lives need protection from toxic influences. The apostle Peter urges believers to "lay aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings" (1 Peter 2:1).

These negative traits are like spiritual junk food – they might seem satisfying in the moment, but they ultimately poison our relationships and stunt our growth:

1. Malice: A deep-seated ill will towards others that corrupts our hearts.
2. Guile: Deceptive cunningness that erodes trust and authenticity.
3. Hypocrisy: The gap between what we profess and how we live, which damages our integrity and witness.
4. Envy: A resentful longing for what others have, robbing us of contentment and gratitude.
5. Evil speaking: Words that wound, slander, or tear down others, polluting our speech and relationships.

These toxic elements not only harm us individually but can also spread through a community, creating division and strife. As believers, we're called to be peacemakers, not troublemakers – promoters of unity rather than discord.

Our speech deserves special attention in this spiritual diet. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21). The words we speak have incredible power to build up or tear down, to heal or to harm. Evil speaking isn't limited to outright slander; it includes gossip, backbiting, and unjust criticism.

James warns us strongly against this, saying, "Speak not evil one of another, brethren" (James 4:11). When we engage in negative speech about others, we're not just hurting them – we're violating the spirit of God's law of love and placing ourselves in the position of judge rather than humble servant.

Let's commit to cultivating a healthy spiritual appetite, regularly feasting on the rich banquet of God's Word, and allowing its transformative power to shape our character and fuel our service. As we do, we'll find ourselves growing stronger in faith, more resilient in trials, and more effective in our witness to the world around us.