by Lindsay Mast
Synopsis: Serious athletes recognize the need for a balanced, healthy, and proper diet. Similar principles apply in the spiritual realm. Is your soul feasting on the word of God, or are you binging on junk food?
“I’m so tired,” my friend, Becky, said over the phone. “I miss running, but nowadays, I just don’t feel like it. I’m not sick, but I’m having trouble getting through workouts, and I’m beat for the rest of the day.” She described her intense workout regime of daily running or cardio mixed with an hour of weightlifting every other day.
Then she outlined her eating habits: one piece of fruit before her morning workout, some turkey and one slice of bread for lunch, and a salad for dinner. She was consuming very little protein and far fewer calories (or energy) for what she was asking of her body. “Friend,” I said. “You need better fuel. You’re training like an athlete, but you’re eating like you’re on a diet.”
Physical food is a vital part of our journey on this earth. Without it, we cannot survive. If you’re an American reading this, you’ve likely enjoyed a lifetime of abundant food of all varieties. However, if you’ve lived much longer than childhood, you’ve probably realized some foods sustain your daily activities better than others.
As He often does, God uses our physical needs to illustrate our deeper, more urgent spiritual ones. While breakfast, lunch, and dinner are essential, the spiritual food that fuels our journey to heaven matters far more.
All recognize that if we eat too much junk food, we gain weight and feel sluggish—not good. Eat too little, and we risk running low on energy and tiring out. Spiritually, the same things happen when we don’t fuel well.
As Christians, there is too much at stake when it comes to what we feed our spirits. We need quality fuel and lots of it. Can you get by with a Sunday sermon or a daily Bible verse? Maybe, but you won’t thrive. What happens when you’re spiritually challenged? Without proper spiritual nutrition, you’re set up to be tempted, without preparing yourself to withstand it.
Just as a runner needs plenty of high-quality food to make it through their workouts, day in and day out, we must make sure we are feeding our souls with the words of God—the words of eternal life (John 6:50-71). There is no shortcut. It requires us to set aside time to sit down and dig into the feast of the Bible.
The blessings of consistently feasting on God’s words cannot be overstated. They are so rich with wisdom when we are foolish, comfort when we are sad, and motivation when we are weak. They remind us over and over of His love, grace, and mercy. They give us strength and energy, the perfect fuel for this divine race.
It can be as simple as opening up a Psalm, as industrious as a yearly reading plan, as targeted as a topical study. However you approach it—do it! Your spiritual muscles will thank you and grow like you wouldn’t believe!
