Ever experience a buffet? You know the kind it seems to go on forever, food of all types and who knows how long has it been there or whose hands have touched it. While your friends jump into the line up you can make the wiser choice and choose something off the menu, it may not have the money value of the buffet line, but you almost guaranteed it will be hot and fresh. While your friends are enjoying the buffet of life are you joining in or are you dining from the menu God is offering in the bible?
“A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.”
Proverbs 15:14 NLT
If you have heard the term garbage in garbage out, then this verse might make some sense. But why do we keep eating trash when we have been invited to a table full of good food? It is the same reason we are drawn to candy, no nutritional value yet it satisfies certain aspects of our pallet. It gives us that comfort.
Let me make this clear, sometimes good food doesn’t always taste good right away, but it doesn’t mean that it should be tossed after the first bite. And there is good looking food that has been spoiled by bad and incorrect teaching, looks good on the outside but full of worms on the inside.
So how do we decide which stuff we are putting into our bodies is good or trash? Well, we have been given two resources that can help us in this quest;
1 – we have the bible. If you take the time to read it, it can guide you in which things that we consume will help and which will hinder us.
2 – the Holy Spirit is with us as believers and can be a valid food critic. He isn’t going to stand idly by and let you binge on junk when he is right there ready to offer a wholesome meal. But you need to listen to him. He is patient and not a rude person, ignore him enough he won’t leave but will wait patiently until you are ready to listen. Unfortunately, we don’t listen until we are all bloated from eating the wrong things and need help for relief.
Trust that God has good things for you. If he deems that what you are doing is harmful even if everyone around is doing it, don’t do it. If we can learn to push aside the trash off our plates and consume more of the Word we will be more healthy Christians, and healthy is attractive to those around us. Everyone desires to be healthy.
Stop looking at what your friends are devouring on the buffet, they will reap those benefits in an hour or so. For us to nourish our all in relationship with God we need to eat good food. What are you eating today?
Father, give us the knowledge to push aside the trash in our lives. When given the choice of trash and good food let us make the seemingly easy yet hard choice. Help us to even if the world thinks it’s okay to consume, we take a stand and say no it isn’t right. Holy Spirit guide us in your word for a clear understanding of what is good for us to consume. Amen
50 Days of Pray 