Are you hungry? What are you hungry for? One of my favorite aspects of life on this earth is food! I love eating the tasty morsels prepared by those talented in the kitchen, and I am not a picky eater. I am able to enjoy at least a portion of what most chefs have to offer. Though there are occasions when some food doesn’t impress me as much as I expected, I don’t think I set the bar too high for chefs to attain. The truth is, even the most tasteless of those preparations still fills my belly, still gives me energy to go about my day! Junk food doesn’t really fall into that category, though. Usually loaded in fat or sugar, those foods only give us false energy. They can fill your belly and make you think you have enough energy to proceed, but soon after starting, a crash occurs.
God reminds us that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord,” in Deuteronomy 8:3, and that verse also is quoted in Matthew 4:4. The Gospel of John begins by telling us that Jesus is in title, the Word of God. He is God and existed always. He is the Word and gave us the Word, and He walked on this earth as a man. Sometimes, we lose sight of how important the Bible is to our daily survival and walk with the Lord. Which food will supply your needs better…a meal prepared by a top chef or reading a chapter of God’s Holy Bible? Since we exist in the flesh, we have the tendency to fill the needs of the flesh.
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Galatians 5:16
Bob Dylan wrote a song in 1979 called, “Gotta Serve Somebody.” The truth is, we are all looking for an answer to the question of who to serve. In a way, that answer is blowing in the wind, for the Holy Spirit in Greek is “pneuma,” the same word for wind! We are either serving the God who made us, or we are serving the god of this world, Satan, who was given dominion over this earth for the time being. Satan is a talented liar, who understands that the best lies contain at least a morsel of truth. That is the same formula for rat poison, which is 97% food and 3% poison. The truth will lure you, but the lie will kill you! Many messages lead people down the wrong path, with that bastardized formula of truth mixed with lies. Sadly, some of these lies come from pulpits. Look at the controversy in the Episcopal church and the split that is occurring over the open sexuality of clergy and you will get a taste of this. Yet it is much more pervasive than one issue.
God desires to feed you; He desires to nurture you. Through His Word, we draw nearer to Him. If your walk is not leading you closer to the Lord, check your food. If it says, “Hostess Twinkies” on the package, you might want to shop somewhere else! That false energy only can make you trip and fall. But remember, God doesn’t need a pastor, preacher, teacher or friend to share His Word with you. If you open His Book, the Holy Spirit will teach you all things, and will fill you with the food that will help you to soar like an eagle!
No comments:
Post a Comment