We spend time and energy and do painful things to our bodies to keep physically fit. Surely, we are willing to work just as hard to keep ourselves spiritually fit. We can ‘fatten up our souls’ even let our souls ‘delight (themselves) in fatness’ (Isaiah 55:2 KJV).
Doesn’t that sound good? Some of us are careful about the amount of food we put into our bodies but there is no such restriction on the intake of nourishment for our souls.
Set a Spiritual Goal
When you go on a diet, you might say, ‘I must lose weight so I’ll be thinner.’ That doesn’t say much, does it? How much weight? How thin?
It is important to be specific. ‘I’m aiming to lose 25 pounds.’ Then, as you measure your movement toward that goal, there is a sense of accomplishment.
It is the same with a spiritual goal. We can make a commitment that says, ‘Lord, I will give you the time and effort I need to really connect with you, to put my hand in the hand that feeds and keeps my soul.’
That sounds worthy, but rather vague. Let’s look at more specific goals to fatten up our souls.
What do you want to accomplish spiritually in your time with God? There are many answers, but surely they would all point toward a goal found in Ephesians 4:13 NIV, to ‘become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.’
Is that our goal, to be filled with Christ? That sounds good, but how do we know if and when we are full? Perhaps when we no longer have to question what we are doing. Maybe it’s rather like learning German. The day comes when we are so full of the other language we no longer have to translate each word consciously. We simply think in German.
Does that mean that when we no longer have to stop and ask ourselves, ‘is that Christ-like?’, we are filled with Christ. There are no doubts, no hesitations, and no squirming of conscience. We proceed with confidence.
If we know that our goal is to be filled full with Christ, to have the fattest soul possible, then we can decide as we are going along if what we are doing is taking us closer to that goal or holding us back.
Motivation to Reach That Goal
We really have to be motivated to achieve our spiritual goal.
A summary of what drives us can be found in I Peter 2:2, 3 NIV, ‘Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.’ There are various words used in different translations of the Bible for ‘crave’. ‘Desire’(KJV), and ‘long for’(NAS) are used in two other translations of the Bible.
These are all words that speak to the seeking and striving to fill ourselves with Jesus. Just as a baby cries when it is hungry, an empty soul cries in despair and longing.
One of the true tragedies in the world today is the longing of so many souls for fulfillment, for nourishment and not knowing where to turn.
Diet for Spiritual Nourishment
What is our diet if we are going to fatten up our souls and reach our spiritual goal? Isaiah 55:2 NIV says ‘…eat what is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare’.
How do we know what is good? We have two essential sources of spiritual food: the Bible and prayer. God has given us commands about this. In the Old Testament we read, ‘seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.' (Isaiah 55:6 NIV) In the New Testament we are told, ‘But seek first his kingdom, and his righteousness and all these things shall be given to you.' (Matthew 6:33 NIV)
God tells us to seek, to search for our spiritual food. He expects us to put some effort into nourishing ourselves with this spiritual food. There is no room here for fast food, for just dipping in and out of the Bible and prayer time.
In I Corinthians 3:1-3 NIV, Paul has something to say about feeding on God’s Word. ‘I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.’ If we really are young in Christ, then a glass of scriptural milk, just a little bit of God’s Word will be sufficient for the time being. Our system could not handle anything heavier.
As we grow in Christ, the need for solid spiritual nourishment comes quickly. Listen to Paul chastising in Hebrews 5:13-14 NIV: ‘Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.’
This means it is time for us to really dig into God’s Word and internalize it so its teachings are part of everything we do and say.
Paul also spoke about praying in Ephesians 6:18 NIV. ‘And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and request, with this in mind; be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.’ In other words, pray all the time.
Praying can be as natural an ongoing process as breathing. ‘Help me through this work, Lord.’ ‘Please help me say the right thing Lord.’ ‘In thy will, Lord.’
Bible study and prayer are the solid nourishment of our daily spiritual diet. Let’s not cheat ourselves of the amount we need to lead a fulfilling Christian life. Consider all the spiritual energy it will take and all the spiritual food necessary to sustain and fatten our souls.
Sources
- The Holy Bible, New International Version. Colorado Springs, CO, International Bible Society (now Biblica) 1984.
- Online New International Version 1984 references at Bible.gateway.com accessed January 22, 2012.
Constance Woloschuk - 30 years experience in management and organizational development; extensive volunteer work with faith-based organizations.
