“Do you eat hot dogs everyday?” my grandson asked. I stood by the stove rotating those sizzling logs of beef or chicken…or… whatever…
I turned toward him, slightly appalled by the question. I opened my mouth to protest the very idea of hot dogs every day, but when I saw the innocence on his face, I shrugged and turned back to the pan. I tossed about the corners of my brain how hot dogs every day must look to his young eyes.
Was he awed by the thought? Did it seem like heaven on earth, or dreadful?
During certain seasons, three grandsons are here often enough for a quick lunch of hot dogs prompting the obvious question of whether that’s all we ever eat. It is kind of embarrassing, actually.
A diet of hot dogs couldn’t possibly be good for anyone. Lazy meals tend to make the whole being...lazy.
When my husband and I moved overseas in ministry, I discovered something about spiritual food that I may have known, but never before experienced in such an obvious way. Lazy spiritual disciplines had crept unaware into my American spiritual diet.
There is a veritable smorgasbord of wonderful Christian devotionals, various helps, and studies available in our country and language. Not so everywhere else in the world. In fact, in many areas not only are spiritual materials anemic, they are non-existent, starved for expression.
In a sense, when we landed overseas, God had put me on an isolated island with only my Bible. It became my Best. Thing. Ever.
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:12-14 ESV)
The author of Hebrews, I can say with some assurance, had never eaten a hot dog in his life, yet he understood already processed, chewed-baby-food sort of spiritual nourishment belonged to those “unskilled in the word of righteousness.”
Kinda like eating pre-processed spiritual hot dogs every day.
Our physical bodies thrive on proper nourishment. Our spiritual lives grow with consistent and studied layering of God’s Word.
Paul writes to the believers in Corinth, “I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready.” 1 Corinthians 3:2 (ESV)
Consistency is a teacher. Somedays I feel like the Word is steak. Other days I might wonder what in the world I just read, and I feel underfed. But when the time is ripe, God so often lifts those dry readings and breathes life into them. And I am thankful for the moments spent chewing on solid food.
The book of Timothy instructs, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15. (NKJV)
Jesus, as He prayed for His disciples, asked the Father, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” John 17:17 (NKJV)
Psalms and Proverbs tell us light, wisdom, and understanding come from knowledge of God’s Word.
The pure word of God itself speaks truth into the very corner of our souls. It reveals what is hidden, instructs, brings strength, and helps us through every kind of difficulty.
I hear the excuses and I relate with the obstacles. There are babies that cry, toddlers that pull, life that throbs with jobs, interruptions, obligations and hardships. And yet, God wants us to meet with Him not just in an academic or obligatory sense but with an open mind and humble heart. He longs for us.
Recently I’ve been placed on a strict diet because of a medical condition. I’ve chafed, and whined, and bucked a bit, and seriously have not enjoyed the process. But, I know that the results will be worth the discipline, and so, despite the obvious desires of my flesh, I will do as the doctor prescribed.
A spiritual diet of whatever is easiest will leave us unsatisfied and open to temptation. The world’s lies often nest in that vacuum and are fed by what is quick and painless. Easy does not do it when it comes to the discipline of digesting God’s Word. But the rewards of its nourishment are not just satisfying, they are life giving.
And for those not wanting another item on the to do list, let’s rethink that. God’s Word is the heading to our lists. It gives sustenance to all we do.
Hot dogs in a pan are an easy way to please three grandsons with different likes and dislikes, but I really would like to set the record straight. I do not eat hot dogs every day. I want you to know for the sake of my reputation and personal self-esteem that I rarely eat them on purpose.
Just wanted to make that clear.
There. I feel better.
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