“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” — Proverbs 3:7-8
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Most NFL teams have at least one nutritionist or registered dietician on staff. They recommend the best foods for players, consult with food preparation, and help players take the best supplements for high performance. In such a competitive league, every advantage is sought to try to get ahead of opponents, and good nutrition in turn gives players a better overall quality of life.
If we think about it, wise food choices are important for everyone. We need to know what foods are helpful, and which ones will hurt or even poison us. Take, for instance, mushrooms. Some are nourishing and can be found in all kinds of dishes: others can be poison to our bodies. We need to know the difference.
In a similar way, we need wisdom about the kind of ideas that come into our minds. Though we are free to think whatever pleases us, some teachings are wholesome and beneficial, and other concepts put excessive guilt-trips on people or try to manipulate people into giving beyond their abilities.
In Scripture, we see the words of the Bible compared to milk, meat and bread. It’s a way of emphasizing the spiritual nourishment which comes from reading the Bible, learning it and seeking to live according to God’s instructions. When Satan sought to convince Jesus that food for the body was more important than spiritual food, Jesus corrected him. “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”‘” (Matthew 4:4). As we go through our daily lives, we need wisdom from God’s Word to make the best choices.
If we want to be spiritually healthy and live a life pleasing to God, we need to seek God’s wisdom for our spiritual nourishment. When people get tricked into believing stories rooted in false narrative, trouble is on the way. But Scripture is a completely reliable guide. “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).
Knowing how to live a full, healthy spiritual life is no secret when we are spending time in the Word. We are reminded of this truth in Proverbs 3:7-8: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”
Where are you looking for your nourishment?
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia
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