"Feasting on the Word"
"But Jesus answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
— Matthew 4:4
I read a book many years ago called “Fit for Life.” It is one of many books that I have read over the years concerning diet and nutrition. Our bodies are wonderfully made and if cared for in harmony with their creation, we should and can expect reasonably good health. I often wish I were better at following through on what I have read and studied. I might be physically better fit for life if I just followed very simple and well understood diet and nutrition principles. It has been said that physically, we are what we eat.
If we are what we eat in the physical sense is there a spiritual parallel? Jesus makes the connection between the two when he says, “I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35) Our spiritual life’s fitness also depends on what we spiritually consume. God’s word is our best spiritual nourishment. Jesus is the word made flesh. “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” (John 6:56)
So, for good spiritual health, we must partake of the Lord Jesus. We know that missing a single meal or a full day without food makes us weak and often irritable. Our spiritual strength is also dependent on daily consumption. Jesus did not say he who has eaten my flesh but “eateth” or “he who eats.” This speaks of our continual daily need to partake of Him. He is the true Manna from Heaven. Just as Israel had to gather fresh manna each day because it would spoil if stored, so we too must seek Him afresh every day. We cannot be sustained on day old revelation. We cannot set aside one day (or one hour) to be spiritually fed and expect to abide in Him the rest of the week. He must be new to us every morning.
Unless we are fasting for spiritual reasons, none of us would consider confronting the rigors of each day without properly fueling our bodies. Most eagerly break their overnight fast with a morning meal. Spiritually, it is even more important that we have the right nourishment each day to confront the continued battle for our soul. That nourishment is “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) because we cannot expect to survive on bread alone.
Fellowship and food go together well. Sharing a meal together brings us together. Within the life of the church, we have our potlucks and social events with food and snacks and spiritually, we have koinonia through worship and ordinance. Koinonia is Greek for communion. But our occasional times together do not happen daily. Is there something we can do together every day?
One of our members offered a suggestion that we are introducing in this newsletter. You will see on each day of the included calendar a scripture reference. Just a single verse. A small morsel of God’s word. But something we can consume together each day. Start your day with this verse. Read it. Ponder it. Pray about it. Write it down. Put it in your pocket. Think about it throughout the day. Commit it to memory. See where it leads you. And know that we are doing it together.
Additionally, if you are on our mailing list, you will receive an email each morning containing the daily scripture. This presents a great opportunity to share with a friend, neighbor, family member, co-worker or acquaintance. Forward the email to them. Share your testimony of the joy and blessing of God’s word in your life. Invite them to join us in our daily scripture reading. If someone wants to participate with us, let Bob or I know the email address and we will include them in the daily mailings.
Jesus is coming and the richness of our fellowship can be deeper and stronger. So let us each and together, “press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end.” (2 Nephi 13:30)