The Right Diet
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward. – Psalm 19:7-11 NKJV.
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” – Matthew 4:4 NKJV.
In Rock Hill, South Carolina, a woman knew her car had a problem, because it would just stop running, and it was unpredictable as to when it would happen. She finally took her car to a mechanic to have it checked out. Did it need new spark plugs? Was the fuel filter clogged? Was there a problem with the fuel injectors? The mechanic finally located the problem in the gas tank which was causing problems for all of the car’s fuel system. The problem was indigestion, caused by a cheeseburger complete with a pickle. Apparently, it was a special order, because there was no sign of any lettuce, tomato, or onions. Or, maybe the engine had been able to digest the veggies? After $1,000 in repairs the woman has her car back, and so far it has not had any more indigestion problems. If it will just stay on its gasoline only diet it will be fine!
Most mechanical systems are designed to operate on one type of fuel, although it is beginning to be more common to see cars with a hybrid capability. Most of the time when I was growing up, my Dad’s pickups always had a propane tank in the back which he ran it on, but it could be switched back to gasoline. Electronic systems by definition operate on electrical power of some type. Animals have a couple of different types of fuel. Some animals operate completely on a meat fuel system while others like cattle are designed to be completely dependent on plants for their fuel.
Human beings are somewhat more complex in that our operating system can function on meat or plant types of fuel. Where we differ from all other species is that we also have a spiritual nature that requires the right type of fuel to operate effectively. Jesus quoting the Old Testament in Matthew 4:4 rebukes the devil and at the same time makes it clear what the spiritual fuel is that we need. Our spiritual nature lives and thrives best on a diet of the Words of God. Now you can feed your spiritual nature junk food from the world, and it will start to spit and sputter like the woman’s car did in South Carolina. Feed your spiritual nature a diet of R-rated television, porn, fellowship with only those without a regenerated saved nature, and you are asking for a major breakdown in the system.
As the Psalmist says in Psalm 19, “The law of the LORD is perfect.” It is “pure” and it is “right.” There is no other spiritual fuel that will work. It is, therefore, recommended that just as with food like bread for your physical system that you also fill up daily with a good portion of the Word of God. Just stay on the right diet and everything will keep running fine.
(If we feed our spiritual nature junk food we will find our spiritual life experiencing an increasing amount of difficulty.)