100 Diet Books
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).
For the past several months, there has generally been at least one or more diet books on the Top Ten, hardcover, non-fiction list (it just seems like 100). On June 2, 2013, the #8 ranking belonged to The 100 by Jorge Cruise. It concerns diet and fitness, according to the paper, and advises on how to count calories. At least a certain portion of the country at any given time is concerned with healthy eating. Therefore, we discuss gluten, genetically-altered wheat, calories, carbs, and whatever will prove to be the next area of concern.
One wonders how many people share an equal concern about their spiritual diets. Hmm. What kind of diets are people actually following in connection with their souls? Consider the following types; everyone fits in somewhere. The main criteria for a successful spiritual diet is that growth should result.
The No-Meat Diet. The writer of the book of Hebrews laments that many had not progressed beyond the milk stage as Christians (5:12). They should, by a certain time, have been enjoying the meat of the Word, but they had not exercised themselves sufficiently to grow as they ought. Many people have such a sporadic relationship with the Bible, and they never advance beyond the milk stage—in fact, some may not make it that far. All people first need to study the Bible in a systematic way to learn some of the fundamentals of the Scriptures; then they can eventually advance to the meat of the Word.
The Junk Food Diet. People who are generally bored with reading the Scriptures seem to gravitate toward “Christian” Bookstores where they can find the latest sugar-filled delights by the popular writers of the day. This diet consists of material that is often as fluffy and sweet as cotton candy—and just about as nourishing. Many of these offerings are filled with pop—pop psychology, that is. Like chocolate, they are designed to make a person feel good.
They will probably not hurt a person too much if his regular diet is filled with the meat of the Word, but eaten in the absence of a healthy diet, they will make a person spiritually obese. They should contain warning labels—only to be consumed after a nourishing meal. Authors of these books generally like to tell stories and personal experiences which may or may not legitimately relate to a passage of Scripture. In fact, much of the time these dieticians quote from paraphrases that sound interesting but do not accurately represent what God was communicating to us.
The Genetically-Altered Food Diet. This problem begins with choosing a translation of the Bible that makes no attempt to be literal. Literal translations include the King James and the New King James Versions, the American Standard and the New American Standard Versions, and the English Standard Version. These five attempt to provide an accurate rendering of the Hebrew and Greek words into the English. However, the New International and Today’s New International Versions, the New Living Translation, the Contemporary English Version, and the Good News Bible all alter the Word as given to us by God. These are hazardous to a person’s spiritual well-being.
The Healthy Diet. The Bible contains all the food groups that a person needs to be well-balanced. God included with the pages of His Holy Book crucial facts, which provide a good foundation upon which a nutritious diet can be built. There are some starchy truths, which we need in our diet in order to stand firm. The salvation given to us provides all the sweetness we need. Love and hope give whatever we are eating a flavor that keeps us looking forward to the next meal.
In short, God provided everything we need to be spiritually nourished, but it is up to us to be present at mealtime—whether daily at home or on the Lord’s day with the church. Bon appetit.