You Are What You Eat

“He said to me, O mortal, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.  So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.  He said to me, Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.”

– Ezekiel 3:1-3

Greetings, fellow disciples of Jesus,

You’ve heard the saying before, “You are what you eat.” The food and drink we consume impacts our whole self. This is why parents tend to teach their children to eat sweets in moderation. A steady diet of junk food will bear results in how you feel and look. Healthy eating contributes to a healthier body and mind. We are generally mindful of what we consume when it comes to eating and drinking (even if we choose not to exercise much self-control).

Are we as intentional in other things we consume? We’re feeding our minds and our spirit continually with the books we read, the videos we watch, the people to whom we’re listening. These voices speak truth or lies into our ears. Do we pause to engage these voices critically, to ask ourselves, “What message is being communicated through this movie?” “What motive does this speaker have for saying what he does?” “What assumptions are being made about the world or life through the lyrics of this song?”

If you’re like me, asking such questions seems a tedious exercise. Sometimes you just want to “veg out”—not engage the mind any more than to follow the plot and be entertained. Sometimes you just want to rock out to your favorite radio station while driving home and not think about the message the song is sending. I get it. I’m right there with you. But let’s not forget that even in those moments we are being fed. How are such messages shaping us?

Thankfully, in a world with a multitude of messages, there is one trustworthy message given to us to consume which nourishes us in our spirit, one voice which consistently speaks truth to our hearts and minds—the Word of God. God speaks His Word into us that we might live by that same Word. When our consciences are shaped by God’s Word we are able to see the truth—and recognize those false messages that would pass themselves off as truth.

Our consciences are trained to properly recognize truth and falsehood when we receive a steady diet of God’s Word. Through daily Bible reading and regularly meeting with fellow Christians in Bible study and worship, we are nourished by the promises God makes and grow in faith. We start to develop a discerning palette, hungering for the good things that God delights to give us.

Let us pray.

Blessed Lord God, you have caused the Holy Scriptures to be written for the nourishment of your people. Grant that we may hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that, comforted by your promises, we may embrace and forever hold fast to the hope of eternal life, which you have given us in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

– Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p.72

The Lord be with you.

Pastor Mike