We Are What We Eat

How sweet are Thy words to my taste, 

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Psalm 119:103

We all know, but we may not all appreciate, that we are what we eat. In other words, if we eat a lot of junk food, then we’re going to eventually bear the consequences of that consumption—and it has also been scientifically shown to affect our thinking and attitudes. If we choose to eat a balanced diet, including those veggies (even broccoli?), the benefits of eating better will also be manifested physically, intellectually, and emotionally.

This applies spiritually—we are what we eat. If we consume spiritually-light foods (what I call spiritual cotton candy) then we’re not going to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3:18).

We need to get desperate for God’s food—as Jesus said it, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). God’s grace freely offers us this spiritually rich feast—in the prophet Isaiah’s words: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food” (Isaiah 55:1-2).

Or, as David put it: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5).

The idea that we are what we eat can also be shown by what the apostle Peter wrote, when he encouraged us to be like newborns longing “for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation — if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2-3).

One of the problems is that many don’t eat as they should, encouraging personal and thus congregational growth; and if we’re not growing, we’re dying (Ephesians 4:11-16; Revelation 3:1-6). This is an unchanging principle of life.

The writer of Hebrews rebuked his audience for not growing as they should—as would be expected of anyone who follows Christ—because of what they were limiting themselves in consuming and what they were possibly refusing to consuming—“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).

The word of God is for our spiritual benefit—it’s not merely information for us to know things (mere knowledge), but it goes far beyond that in providing us life here and now (true wisdom is using what we know), but most especially into the eternity (John 1:1-5, 14-18; 3:16; 12:44-50). In Jesus’ own words: “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal” (John 6:27).

Take special notice of the wonderful words of King David given to him by the Holy Spirit (Psalm 19:9-11)—

The rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

And when David was in the wilderness of Judah, he wrote: “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips” (Psalm 63:3-5).

Again, we are what we eat—and so we need to be careful, deliberate and focused in feeding our souls with the best God has given. God generously provides us the best as He has prepared a table before us where we can feast sumptuously (James 1:5-8; Psalm 23:5). Have we eaten today?