The Meal (part 6 of 7)

The Meal (part 6 of 7)

Eating

“As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.”

‭‭John‬ ‭6:57-58‬

We have covered five of the seven parts of the Meal series. In this devotion we will cover eating. Eating is one of the best parts of the meal. No matter how much I like to cook, I love to eat. And I have one caveat, I like to eat hot food when it’s hot and cold food when it’s cold. Other than that, we’re good. 

A lot of people are very picky when it comes to food. For me, I can’t think of anything I don’t like to eat.  If I’m not careful that can be a huge problem for me. 

When we are talking about living a Christ-centered life and walking with God, it’s important to scrutinize what you feed your relationship. 

I remember some of my very first meals with my wife. A turkey sandwich she made me at home, Bonefish Grill for her grandmothers birthday and cooking an Italian dish at home for her. 

Your relationship will determine what you remember from it, good and bad. 

Feeding yourself the word of God and praying is where it starts. These two parts are the most important in your walk with God. The more you consume the word of God, the more you will know and love about our God who you’ve given your life to glorify. 

Prayer is just as important as reading His word. Prayer is THE relationship with God. It’s your communication with Him that establishes your relationship. You won’t be able to have a relationship with God without prayer. Every relationship is dependent on good communication. 

If you think about a table that is set up with food and ready to eat. The main course is your Bible. The sides are prayer, relationships with other Christians and church. The dessert is the Holy Spirit that is inside of you. 

Once you feed yourself all these other things the Holy Spirit will get louder and louder inside of you, pushing you to learn and grow more. The Holy Spirit is a gift from God when you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Saviour. The Holy Spirit will dwell inside of you from this moment on. 

Unfortunately, like me, I spent a long time away from good food. I was eating the things the world provided, lust, greed, materialism, addiction and pride. These things are so unhealthy and can create bad eating habits. It’s truly amazing that those things didn’t have worse results. Don’t get me wrong, the results are long lasting and I’m reminded daily of how bad I was eating. 

The great thing is that you can always eat what God provides. He will always feed His children. 

You just have to be really careful of the other things out there that could mislead you. 

There are so many watered-down worldly churches out there that place an emphasis on attendance, financial gain and man.  Or the church is more concerned about inclusion and music and a worldly experience that it takes its eyes off of what the Bible outlines and teaches. A great church will focus on the Bible and a relationship with God. It will focus on discipleship and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Then there is God’s word. You have to be careful here as well. There are many translations that veer of course here. There are some that do a great job providing a literal translation and some that don’t. There are a few like the KJV and NASB that stay on track. You have to do your research and stay diligent.  There are definitely some Bibles that should never be consumed. 

You have to be careful with the other foods your feeding your relationship. Watching sermons, listening to podcasts and reading other material can have subtle, but lasting, influence on your relationship. 

And lastly, your friends and family. They can influence your walk with God more than you want to believe. This close network should be eating a healthy meal as well. And if they aren’t, if they watch what food you’re eating, it won’t be long before they change what they are eating.  People will want that relationship you have with God if they can see it in your life. 

It’s vitally important to scrutinize what you’re putting in your body, how often and when. Just like you have to eat real food every day, you should be feeding yourself these things several times a day. It will encourage growth and stimulate a healthy soul. If you skip meals and go days without eating - your relationship is going to feel the impact. 

We all have bad eating days, and even bad eating weeks. It happens. The key is to develop good eating habits so that you can get back on track easily. 

I’ve said this for awhile now, put the things of God into your life and you will see great changes. You can tell the people that continue to eat the garbage of this world and those that choose to eat better. 

Try to encourage others to eat better. It will make their life better and they will live longer (get it?).

Thanks for continuing to read these devotions. Have a great day. 

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

‭‭John‬ ‭6:51‬

“but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

‭‭John‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭KJV‬‬