FOOD

The Thanksgiving holiday is supposed to be about remembering how blessed we are by our Almighty Father in heaven. If gratitude is the point, food is the reminder. In truth, a hearty feast is a wonderful custom for celebrating our blessings. Not a Thanksgiving goes by for me that I don’t think back to traveling to Newburgh, NY with my roommate and best friend, Dave Mead. We would totally stuff ourselves at his grandmother’s house—eating was a competitive sport for two young cadets.

Today my folks and sisters with their families gathered at our house for our annual festive dinner. My wife made the most delicious turkey I can ever remember eating. Usually, consuming turkey conks me out but tonight I’m not in a sleepy mood. I’m intrigued by the meditation verse below found in Hebrews.

Meditation

Hebrews 5:13,14—Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Without food we could not survive. But it’s not just eating that is important; it is what kind of food we eat that determines our health. If all we ever drank was milk our bodies would be nutrient-deficient and we would fall increasingly susceptible to germs and disease. You say, “Well duh!” But, increasingly I am finding miserable Christians (which should be an oxymoron). The common denominator is that they are all content to drink milk. They will occasionally attend church, infrequently talk to God and that pretty well sums up their spiritual diet. The consequences of this anemic habit are poor decision-making, nonexistent spiritual fruit, a propensity to sin, a high-guilt load and a weak relationship (friendship) with God.

Spiritual maturity is a direct byproduct of disciplined eating! If we want to know God we must chew on His Word. Those who consistently require teaching on the “elementary truths” of God’s Word (vs. 12) will not progress to teaching about living righteously. Show me a dust covered Bible and you’ll find a crust defiled believer. Show me a well thumbed Bible and you’ll find a fortified saint.

God never intended for us to sit down to a banquet of milk. Praise Him! He gives us an assortment of fruit, vegetables, meat and grains we are to digest for His glory and our gain! If you want to know the difference between good and evil look at what you’re eating!

Inspiration

Food is not health, and truth is not holiness. Food has to be assimilated before the result is health, and truth must be assimilated by the child of God before it can be manifested as holiness.—Oswald Chambers in Grow Up Into Him