Food That’s Good and Good for You
“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103)
Do you remember being a kid at the dinner table and mom putting broccoli, turnips, liver, or something else you couldn’t stand in front of you? You would ask, “Why do I have to eat this?” She would answer, “Because it’s good for you.” Now the fact that it was good for you didn’t help the taste. If you have kids, you’ve probably said the same thing to them when they complained about having to eat some food that they didn’t like.
Exchanges like this have probably gone on between parents and kids at dinner tables since ancient times. Of course, kids wouldn’t ask why they had to eat vegetables if vegetables tasted good; not that all vegetables taste bad, but—let’s face it— some don’t taste as good as others. That’s why kids–and adults, sometimes–need to fight past the taste and eat food that’s “good for you” to benefit from it.
You need good food daily for strength, stamina, and body function. You also need spiritual food daily from God’s Word. That’s why Jesus said, “…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
God’s Word is good for us, and in a spiritual sense, it tastes good. The verse does not speak of the spiritual benefit of God’s Word, but the taste. It doesn’t say, “How healthy are thy words unto my life! yea, healthier than broccoli to me!” No, it says, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103) Food that’s good for you may not always be enjoyable, but God’s Word is good for you and enjoyable.
Don’t look at Bible reading as some dreary religious duty. If it helps, read slowly. Think of it as a chance to hear from God: the one true God who made heaven and earth, who loved you and gave His only-begotten Son to die for your sins, be buried and rise again; the God who cared enough to give you this precious book.
If you know Jesus as Saviour and need guidance, it’s there. If you need comfort, it’s there. If you need correction–which we all do at times–it’s there. Do you need assurance of God’s love? It’s there. If you need instruction, it’s there. If you aren’t sure what you need, but you know you need to hear from God, open His Word.
Most importantly, if you want to know how to have eternal life, God tells you how in His Word: “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John 20:31).
To see more about how to have eternal life, please go to [https://www.clevelandbaptist.org,]https://www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller
Cleveland Baptist Church
4431 Tiedeman Road
Brooklyn, Ohio 44144
216/671-2822