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Why You Need Spiritual Nourishment

Posted on January 29, 2018
What’s dinnertime like at your house? Is it relaxed and enjoyable or hurried and unpredictable? My pastor recently shared about how his children often complain when pizza, hot dogs, or macaroni and cheese aren’t on the menu for the evening. Despite his well-meaning, health-conscious efforts, his children rarely receive the well-rounded meals with gratitude.




My pastor related his experience to Psalm 34:8, which says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!" He observed that as children of God, we often resist the choicest foods, which may even include loss, pain, and sorrow, and grasp for the ease and comfort of a cotton candy faith.

As I continue to walk with the Lord, I am beginning to realize that the sweetest and most convenient pleasures rarely nourish or strengthen my relationship with Christ. Though they may give me a temporary fix, a quick high, or an escape from the present, they leave me feeling emptier than I did before.



Sarah Mae, author of Longing for Paris, writes, “The key to really living . . . is to trust God, walking forward in faith, knowing that He delights in us as we delight in Him and the good things He gives us." Jesus reminds us of the same truth in Matthew 7:11, saying, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Just as my pastor longs to nourish his children with healthy food, the Lord longs to nourish us with his presence. Psalm 16:5 describes the Lord as our portion. When we choose to replace Christ with circumstances, relationships, or achievements, our spiritual bodies begin to waste away. Our spiritual health, therefore, is directly determined by the spiritual food we consume.


What kind of food are you craving? Is it the kind that tastes good for a moment but only temporarily satisfies? Or is it the hearty, life-giving portion of Jesus Christ himself? As you contemplate your spiritual health, I pray that you would taste and see that the Lord is as good as he says he is.


Written by Joy Reschke, Digital Marketing Specialist at Tyndale House Publishers.