June 1, 2009 - Eat Right!

As I spend time in ministry to others and also in looking at my own life, I am convinced that we are not “eating right” and not staying properly “hydrated.” In the game of life we are “malnourished.”

As players prep for games I encourage them to eat properly in order to have the energy they need. I also encourage them throughout the game to keep drinking fluids to stay hydrated. (I never tell them before the start of the game to drink all they think they will need for the game. That is why there is a water cooler at the end of the bench.)

In day-to-day living we see many diets that encourage good eating habits. One theory is that we do better on multiple small meals than on three big meals – ala Adam and Eve eating freely in the garden as they needed. Whatever the dietary philosophy, I never see them encouraging just one meal a day. Our bodies need to stay “fueled.”

Yet in our Christian lives we often fall victim to the legalistic diet of quiet times. Maybe we devote a certain amount of time each morning for Bible and prayer. (Or maybe we just “eat” once a week on Sundays – and then we are spoon-fed by the pastor.)

Don’t get me wrong. I think the discipline of a quiet time is a great thing; yet not in and of itself is it all we need. Throughout the day we need to be partaking of God’s Word. Throughout the day we need to be in an attitude of prayer where we have regular dialogue with God.

In Psalm 119 King David talks of “hiding God’s Word” in our hearts so we can meditate on it throughout the day; so it will be a light unto our paths; etc. We tend to read it and then spend the rest of the day ignoring it. It is like we shine the light onto the path and then turn it off and try to walk on our own. We have a time of prayer, only to ignore talking with or acknowledging God’s presence the rest of the day. What if we only allowed for a few minutes each day with our spouses or friends? Relationship is a daily, ongoing thing.

Psalm 119

32 I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart.

97 Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.

103 How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

133 Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.

We need to allow God’s Word to have more impact in our lives. It is not just history and trivia. It is what we need in order to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. (See Romans 12:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17) We need to “Eat Right!”