Feed Your Spirit and Starve Your Flesh

Let’s take a moment and think of people we honor, those that we esteem.

Let’s name names.

I was born and raised and live in the greater Rochester, N.Y. area

So we honor those who have done great things for the city or region or maybe those who went onto bigger and better things but started out right here in Rochester.

We could name, for instance, Nathaniel Rochester, Frederick Douglas, and Susan B. Anthony, George Eastman or Henry Lomb or the Strong family.

They are all notable for their deeds and are long remembered for their contributions to this community.

We erect statues and name bridges, buildings and institutions after them.

Why?

Because they are highly regarded, they are respected, they are admired.

In a word they are esteemed.

But let’s not forget that they are only human too.

Each of them is flesh and blood just like you and me.

How much greater then is the eternal Word of God to be esteemed?

In our personal lives the Word of God is to be esteemed.

Job 23:12 tells us:

 “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips;

I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”

Could it be that Job was sorta, kinda, maybe encouraging fasting from food for his body in favor of food for his spirit?

God’s Word, one might say, is our spiritual food.

There is an old saying “Feed a cold, starve a fever.”

But let’s create our own saying – Feed your spirit and starve your flesh.

 (and by ‘flesh’ I’m talking about the carnal nature)

Let’s be a whole lot better at fasting natural food than our spiritual food!