Feast on Good Food!

Half a banana two hours prior wasn’t cutting it. I tried to workout, but there simply wasn’t enough calories to provide the fuel I needed. Consequently, my treadmill went slower than normal, I lasted a quarter of the time on a cardio bike, strength training was useless, and eventually, I quit.

In theory, it seems I could push through hunger and lack of energy. But in reality, there’s already enough working against a good workout. Insufficient nourishment only ruins whatever drive I would otherwise have.

As the hunger pains increased, I instantly noticed a spiritual parallel.

Often we go through our day lacking sufficient spiritual nourishment. In theory, we should be able to tackle the day with godliness. But with so much working against us, a poor spiritual diet will only make matters incrementally harder. To not give in to the obstacles that slow down or quench our efforts in godliness, we need to have ample spiritual nutrition. 

A Poor Spiritual Diet

On my lame workout day, I didn’t skip a meal; I had a skimpy meal. That, I fear, is the spiritual reality for most, and it just won’t cut it.

We know physical nutrition involves a balanced diet. We are aware foods packed with nutrients are necessary to fuel us adequately. So it is with our daily spiritual diet. We need to figure out how we can get “full” each day with spiritual nutrients.

Our time in God’s word needs to not feel “skimpy.” We should spend whatever time it takes to let God’s truth linger in our hearts, impact our thoughts, and motivate change in our lives. We should find ourselves with a rich diet that varies between Bible reading, study, memorization, and meditation — and always ends in application.

We also need to have sufficient time in prayer. Desiring to be godly throughout your day without taking the time to rely on God and ask for his help, is like that half a banana. We need more to keep us going strong.

Eat up! 

Thankfully after my half-hearted attempt at exercise, I found some nutritious food in my locker. I ate it (and then wrote this blog post) and had all the energy I needed to go work up a sweat!

But more importantly, this interesting parallel makes me want to wake up tomorrow, feast on God’s word, and go hard for Christ!

Let’s not get on the treadmill of life spiritually hungry. We may be able to keep walking, but it will likely be slower than normal, with less strength, and less resolve to push through the obstacles we encounter. We ought to go into each day well-nourished and ready to work up a spiritual sweat as we seek to do whatever God calls us to do!