Food is essential to life. And there are different kinds of food. Some food provide nourishment while some others please the eye. Others appeal to our taste. Most people toil for the food they eat. But some live to eat food. Such people have made food their object of worship.
Even though God provided the Israelites with manna for forty years during their desert wanderings, God told them that “man does not live on bread alone” (Deuteronomy 8:3). Even though we have heard of this truth many times before, especially as Jesus used this verse to defeat the devil during His temptation (Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4); we have not given much thought to it; have we?
Through the truth, “Man does not live on bread alone,” God was trying to tell people that they are not just physical beings alone. He was trying to tell them that the stomach is not their god. Have we realized that yet? The satisfaction of physical needs alone won’t give us the quality of life that God designed for us. Such a life can be sustained only on “every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3). That calls for a listening attitude to the Bible.
As bread is eaten so also are the words in the Bible to be chewed and digested in the mind. The Psalmist called it hiding God’s word in his heart (Psalm 119:11). The purpose of it was to prevent himself from sinning against God and keeping his way pure. It is like healthy food giving good health to the body so that it can have immunity against diseases. Job during his sufferings said, “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread” (Job 23:12b NIV). Is it any wonder that this man was able to survive the storms that came into his life unexpectedly? And as good food gives delight to a man, so also the words of God did to Jeremiah. He said, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jeremiah 15:16).
So let us come to the point. My dear Christian friend, isn’t it foolishness for you to think that you can live a good Christian life without eating the words of God daily? Do you usually go without food every day? Is it possible? Or do you think you can survive on a few Bible verses or favourite Psalms for all your years? That is foolishness. It is like trying to survive on carrots and chocolates for ever. No. You cannot live like that. Because you need a balanced diet for growth and health. Likewise if you don’t eat from all that the Bible has to offer, you are going to be a sickly child of God.
What perhaps is the greatest thing that prevents you from reading and meditating on God’s word? Is it not your plan to start reading the Bible tomorrow. Such tomorrows never come. So start now. Switch off your computer now and start reading the Bible. And pray that this food will bring health to your soul.