The Food of God

In the past month, I've taken part of a little wellness challenge through a lovely group called Revelation Wellness. (I believe I've mentioned that before.) I am so impressed with the mindset, the way of thinking about the whole person in regards to health and wellness.
They posted a Bible verse on Facebook the other day, which put my mind to work again.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matthew 5:6, ESV)

I find it interesting that Jesus took a base need of humanity to use while showing us the true depth of the need.
We can't go without food and water. Survival depends on them.
Yet, more often than not, we try to meet that need with unhealthy fillers. False satisfiers.
From what we eat, to how we indulge our minds, we get caught in the traps of the enemy too easily. And once we're trapped, it is so difficult to break free.

Several times, the Word of God refers to food and drink. Here are a few other examples:

~ Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35, NLT)

~ "But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." (John 4:14, NLT)

~ "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." (John 6:27, NIV)

~ "For God is the One who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat." (2 Corinthians 9:10, NLT)

~ "... people do not live by bread alone; rather we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." (Deuteronomy 8:3, NLT)

~ "Kind words are like honey ... sweet to the soul, and healthy for the body." (Prov. 16:24, NLT)

~ "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness ..." (Galatians 5:22, ESV)

We understand hunger.
We understand thirst.
We know what it feels like to get weak or dehydrated.
God knows.
So He gives us a real picture of how crucial is the message of Christ. Of how we need to satiate our bodies and our minds with things that nourish, things that edify. How we need to fill up on things that lead us to deep wells that spring up, bubbling and fresh. How we just need to open our hearts and minds to Him in order to be filled.
Spirit survival depends on Him.

Without food, we die.
With healthy food, we flourish.
It's not rocket science.

What we put into our bodies and what we allow into our spirits has great impact.
Choose wisely.
The world needs a mindset change. Only one way can truly satisfy our needs. The other ways are just distorted reflections and cheap fillers that we should avoid. Learning this lesson is tough when there are so many things that mimic truth.
My grandma used to have a bowl of plastic fruit as a decoration on the dining room table. I remember touching the grapes, giving them a little squeeze.
Fake. Impersonators.
But the real thing ... ah, so good. Sweet, tender, juicy ...

Honey, fruit, bread, water ... fill up your plates, and top up your glasses with ~
Love.
Joy.
Hope.
Peace.
Patience.
Goodness.
Kindness.
Gentleness.
The Word of God.
Life.
Jesus.

Let the food of heaven permeate your spirit.
And part of the beauty of this meal is that there is always enough to share.
Pass around the bread basket.
The fruit basket too.
Hunger and thirst for righteousness. Hunger and thirst for God. He fills. He satisfies.
And to use an old stand-by, that's food for thought.