"You Are What You Eat" June 17 Readings: 1 Chronicles 20-21, John 18:1–24, Psalm 74:1–9, Proverbs 15:13–14

 

 

Reading the Bible in 2023

Each day this year we will read a selection from the Old Testament, the New Testament, a portion of the Psalms, and part of Proverbs. By the end of the year, you will have read the entire Bible. We read this way to give you a bit of variety. In reading four portions of God's word in a day, one of them is bound to speak to your life!

NOTE: if you get behind, do not give up. Read today's readings and try to catch up when you have a chance. The goal is not to "accomplish a task" but to meet God in his word. Read the word. Also, if you are short on time, READ GOD'S WORD and skip my devotional!

Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 20-21, John 18:1–24, Psalm 74:1–9, Proverbs 15:13–14

    Scriptures linked to Bible Gateway in ESV version 

Daily Devotional:  You Are What You Eat

"You are what you eat."
"Garbage in; garbage out."

These are modern-day proverbs that draw life principles from our observation of everyday life. We see that people who eat well tend to feel good and be healthy, while those who gorge on the wrong foods tend to feel those effects. If the data we feed into a computer is garbage, the results we get from that computation will also be garbage. What we feed our bodies or our computers has consequences.

But what we feed our minds and our hearts is just as consequential. Solomon knew that nearly 3000 years ago and reminded us of the principle in Proverbs 15:14.

The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,

    but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

The discerning mind, the mind focused on knowing God's word, distinguishing right and wrong, and doing the will of God, is going to seek out knowledge - not only general knowledge but specifically the knowledge of God learned through his word.

But the fool, the one who is intent on going his own way, doing his own thing, and living for himself, is going to feed on the foolishness of life. He will listen to the wisdom of the world instead of the truth of God.

These two people will both learn the truth of the principle of this proverb. Garbage in and garbage out. The mind that is fed the world's garbage will produce a harvest of sin and folly. The mind that is focused on Christ and on the word will produce a harvest of righteousness.

I know that I need to watch my diet and choose my food more carefully. But much more importantly, I need to guard my mind and my heart, focus them on the word of God and resist feeding them the refuse of this sinful world.

Father, may my mind and heart be your sanctuary. May I so feed on your word that I truly "become what I eat." 

Consider God's Word:

Did one of these passages speak strongly to you today? Which one? 

Is there sin in your life that needs to be confessed and dealt with that was revealed in one of these passages? 

Is there a struggle in your life that one of these passages spoke to? 

What do you feed your mind and heart?
Do you feast on God's word to build a healthy soul or do you feed on the garbage and junk food of the world?