Are you getting enough spiritual food?

This morning, as I type of these thoughts, I am eating food. I am at one of my favorite restaurants, enjoying a fine breakfast (chicken and waffles to be precise) and sipping on some hot coffee. The food is good and different in some respects from what I normally prepare for myself on a normal morning. I realize without even thinking about it, that a few hours from now I will be hungry again, and will need to eat. That’s obviously not a problem, for I like to eat, and will look forward to enjoying another meal and various snacks throughout the day. This is a happy normal.

So it is for my spiritual man; the spiritual me. I need spiritual food to aid in my growth; to nourish me, give me energy for the day and to satisfy my spiritual craving. Every true Christian has a great appetite for righteousness; specifically for the righteousness of Christ. It is the truest defining point of our faith. Like our normal desire for food, this spiritual appetite is a craving that is fulfilled, only to be sought and easily found again and again. The food for such a spiritual appetite is called the gospel, and it is the daily source of nourishing strength our spiritual man needs every day.

The problem is that we often neglect those meals until we find ourselves desperately weak and in need of nourishment. Indeed, some Christians partake of the gospel once a week during a church service, and given their spiritual condition, only nibble at the portions offered. What a terrible way to live when such a feast awaits us in the living words of God!

All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, reproving, correcting and training you in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete and equipped for every good work.   (II Timothy 3:16-17)

We must partake of the gospel every day, and throughout the day. We should preach the gospel to ourselves often. The gospel brings us into the daily discovery of grace, which is the revealing of God’s unfailing favor for you. The word itself means “good news.” I would rather describe it as the best news one could possibly ever come to understand.

Notice the words of Jesus in John 4:32-34 - “But he said to them,‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought him something to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.’” It is not enough to read the Word, but rather to set our hearts to discover the purpose of the Word in our lives to see how it is the best news possible for today. Go and be fulfilled and satisfied with the Words given to you by God until the next spiritual meal.