A Lesson in Digestion

Today I took a little morning run, an attempt to work off a kilo (2.2 pounds) or so I must have carried into Australia and an additional one I carried out.  It was a bit warm at the beginning of the run, and by the end I was panting like a dog lying in the sun!  As much as I detest pain caused to my body through running, it is not without many benefits.  I found that not only does it increase energy, burn fat, builds and tones muscle, but to my surprise it aids in my digestion immensely.  No need to go into all the details of how I know, but five servings a day of whole fiber cannot do what a 15 minute run does.

This made me consider how digestion works.  The digestive process begins with a choice and technique.  A key to good digestion is first to choose good food.  The second step is to chew food thoroughly and completely so the body can extract nutrients and benefit from them.  The rest of the digestive process is taken care of according to the health of each person.  If your body is anything like mine, when I exercise regularly the natural process of digestion is improved.

Now let us turn this to an examination of the spiritual.  Jesus is the Living Bread who has come down from heaven, that Living Manna who can sustain us day by day into eternity.  His Word is food indeed and our new spiritual birth comes along with it an appetite for spiritual nourishment which is only found through God.  It begins with a choice:  what will we choose to feed ourselves today?  Will we choose the sugary temptations of worldly things or sensational "doctrines" which are devoid of spiritual value, or will we choose to feed on the Word?  Most Christians are guilty of ignoring the second part of spiritual digestion:  chewing our food properly.  We will blow through chapters at a time hardly without any thought whatsoever, the equivalent of shoving food in un-chewed gulps down our throats.  It is when we begin to live-out what God has spoken in practical exercise that we begin to digest His truth more completely.  Our obedience and devotion will cause His Word to impact us in ways we never imagined possible.

My dad and I were having a discussion about the danger of idolizing scripture.  Today many people are ever learning, but never coming to the truth.  We have more commentaries, books, DVDs, and access to sermons and studies than ever before, but people remain without spiritual strength.  The church is bloated with much information about God, but never seem to experience God with the power He has made available to His church.  This is a digestion problem.  God's Word has not lost potency, but God's people have become dull by much hearing.  We think that hearing is as good as doing, agreeing with our minds is the same as obedience in our hearts.  It is only after I look in the mirror and decide that I am fed up with my sloth and extra pounds before I will put on my running shoes and take a jog.  I make a choice to limit myself to one Coke rather than three, and pass on cake even though it looks good.  We must notice that we are putting on the spiritual pounds through much feeding, but growing weak through little doing before anything will change.

The benefits of physical exercise are obvious, and even greater are the spiritual ones.  1 Tim. 4:8 says, "For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come."  Let us therefore choose to observe these simple guidelines:  consider well what we eat, thoughtfully feed upon the pure Word of God, and put this powerful truth into action in our lives.  Only then will we digest spiritual food well, become strong, grow in endurance and faith, and become the soldiers and fighters God drafted us to be for His glory.  Put on those shoes of the preparation of the Gospel of Peace, soldier.  Instead of being happy with just wearing them, how about taking a jog?  Only good will come from it!