Feed The Mind, Feed The Body, Feed The Spirit
Luke 10:27 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
I Corinthians 6:19&20 Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but to God; he bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God’s glory.
Hebrews 5: 13&14 Anyone who has to drink milk is still a child, without any experience in the matter of right and wrong. Solid food, on the other hand, is for adults, who through practice are able to distinguish between good and evil.
Most of us hate those instruction books that come with new appliances and equipment. We often leave them in the box they came in, forget where we filed them, and on the rare occasion we refer to them when we have a problem. I don’t know anyone (including myself) who reads through an instruction book before using something new. It is our nature to believe we can figure things out without help.
The Bible is God’s instruction book for our lives. It’s been said that BIBLE refers to Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Unfortunately we treat the Bible like many other instruction manuals and open only in case of dire need. Sadly some people would be hard pressed to locate a Bible in their home. Once again it is our nature to believe we can figure things out without help.
The passage above from Luke is repeated in Matthew 22: 35-40, Mark 12:28-34, Deuteronomy 6:5, and Leviticus 19:18. It is known as the Great Commandment and provides God’s basic instruction to us. Yet being able to recite an instruction is not the same as comprehending it and acting on it. I have found that I need to “feed the mind, feed the body and feed the spirit” to carry out this command.
To feed the mind I need to study God’s word. I have belonged to an interdenominational Bible study group and I can’t tell you how helpful that group has been in shaping my beliefs and my understanding of what God wants of me. I have jokingly referred to it as my “therapy group”. The United Methodist Women and various study groups in our church and have helped me off a diet of milk and onto a diet of solid food (spiritually speaking). Regular church attendance and ongoing secular learning are also vital.
To feed the body is much more than what we eat. It is also how we treat the body. Do we keep ourselves in good physical condition? Do we take care of our body like a temple of the Holy Spirit? Although I’m no athlete, I find that a regular fitness program not only makes me feel better physically, it also improves my spirits and relieves me of stresses that I have a tendency to hold on to. I believe God has called us to be wise stewards of our physical body.
To feed the spirit we must go beyond study to meditation and then to action. When we earnestly go to God in prayer and meditation he will speak to our heart and give us opportunity to serve. He will also send “angels in disguise” that encourage, inspire and uplift us.
I often reflect on the purpose of United Methodist Women which is “to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ”. To work on wholeness I must feed the mind, feed the body and feed the spirit. Thank God for the gift of an instruction book to help me on the way.
Pat Deck
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