Soul Food .......... Parables 699

January 9, 2001
My daughter tells me she is often so busy at work that she does not have time to eat. To me, that is almost incomprehensible. No matter how much work I have to do, if my stomach is growling, food moves to the top of the list.

At least it did. After this year’s Christmas turkey and holiday parties, a day or two without food almost seemed like a good idea. Then an ugly cold virus closely followed by an uglier flu virus put my appetite totally out of commission. I might never say I am too busy to eat but I can now say, “Food? Ugh!”

The delights of eating sometimes lead to the rigors of dealing with the consequences of eating too much. Still, as boring as exercise is, exercise is a far more appealing way to deal with overeating than is fasting. Besides, everyone needs to eat. Our mothers told us so.

Some cultures talk about soul food as another necessity for life. The Bible says eating is important but spiritual food is vital. In fact, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” God’s Word is a Christian’s daily bread.

Before I became a Christian, I copied my mother’s example. Every morning right after breakfast, she read and studied her Bible before she did the dishes. When I was thirteen years old, I decided that being a woman meant doing the same thing so began the same daily practice. Although I did not understand what I was reading then, this started a habit that has continued for several decades.

The Word of God has all sorts of benefits. For one thing, it produces faith. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Reading the Bible is how we hear God speak. His voice awakens faith in our hearts as He uses the Bible to “make us wise concerning salvation.”

The Bible is also able to purify our lives; Jesus cleanses us “by the washing with water through the Word” (Ephesians 5:26). This is not magic. As we read and hear God speak, we begin to think and act differently. Instead of being motivated by sinful impulses, we begin to obey God.

Paul wrote this to Timothy: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” As good food enables us to be strong workers, spiritual food nourishes us to godly living.

The Bible is also a well-known comfort. Psalm Twenty-three is often read at funerals or at the bedside of ill people. It and other portions bolster our spiritual and emotional well-being as the words give us encouragement and hope, lifting our thoughts above life’s problems.

Psalm Nineteen says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statues of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

Yet despite all these benefits, a person can read the Bible every day and still be spiritually starving. Jesus told religious people, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These Scriptures testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”

The key to getting spiritual food is not simply reading Scripture (I did that for sixteen years before I was “fed”) but hearing God speak through the words. The Bible presents Jesus, the Living Word who said, “I am the Bread of Life.” He promised that anyone who comes to Him will never hunger or thirst again.

Lord, even now I sometimes read Your Word carelessly, almost by rote. I’m only looking at it, not tasting, chewing or digesting what I read. The words are powerful but unless my ears are open to hear You, I miss my meal. Please deepen my hunger for You and my appetite for Your Word. I know I would starve unless You feed me the truths that I need to hear and apply to my life. Amen.