The Fiber of God

God serves up good, nutritious whole food for us containing all the nutrients we need in balanced proportions. Like all children (and many adults) who have not experienced long-term hunger, pickiness can surface and cause us to be selective about what we want to eat.

2 Timothy 2:3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

Just as the food industry in the western world has gradually altered the quality of processed food over the years in order to make it more likely to be bought, often individuals rise to popularity by "refining" the Word of God to make it more palatable to more people.

2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they, too, may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

By removing the "fiber" and the "bran" and only selecting the "sweetest" and "ripest" of the spiritual food from the Word, people often end up as malnourished Christians with no energy to run the race God sets before us. Much of the "nutritional" benefit comes from the parts that are hard to chew and difficult to swallow, needing time to digest. Those are the parts that stick to our ribs and give us energy and strength to get through the hard part of the day.

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

The blessings of joy and comfort in the Scriptures are real, but they cannot be fully felt and appreciated by those who have only known joy and comfort. The depth and strength of the living Word can only be valued by those whose walk has carried them beyond their own resources.

2 Timothey 2:19 ...Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.

Children cannot easily digest anything but the simplest, most basic food, but as they grow, their appetite for stronger, tougher, more complex food will increase. As we engage in more and more difficult tasks in our lives, our hunger increases beyond what children's food can supply.

2 Timothy 2
v.20 ...some vessels are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.
v.21 If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

Let God nourish you with His whole Word. Allow the less tasty passages to open up in the Spirit and reveal new aspects of the Lord that will strengthen our walk with the Father. He has what we need for today; let Him serve you His best for what you will need to serve Him to the fullest as a mature son and daughter of the Most High.

Psalm 92
v.12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon.
v.14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green
v.15 proclaiming, "The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him."

Father, thank You for being the complete Nutritionist. You are our creator -- You know best what we need, You have it available for us, and You delight in sharing of Yourself with us, for it is You, Lord, the living Word, that we partake of when scripture is made real to us and strengthens our hands to work and our wills to stand firm in times of struggle and battle. We bless You today Lord with our lips, our hands, our hearts, and our minds as we focus on the unseen in the Spirit in preference over the visible in the world.

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