Watch Your Diet

Read: Philippians 4:8-9

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Philippians 4:8

IN WORD What would we expect of someone who feeds only on fast food and unhealthy snacks filled with sugar and fats? A healthy body? Long life? No, we would expect physical health to be largely the product of physical intake. Is it any different in the spirit?

Modern culture is saturated with unhealthy spiritual food—from the lusts of the flesh and the eyes, to the human pride of the self-life, to elaborate and deceptive worldviews and philosophies. Hundreds of television channels, dozens of newspapers and magazines, unlimited cyberspace images, and a number of other media compete for our attention. We let many of them actually win our attention. And much of what we feed on is unhealthy. In our pursuit of wisdom, our minds often hunger for genuine nutrition.

It is unreasonable to think that hours of digesting unhealthy material will result in healthy minds and spirits. “You are what you eat” applies not only in the physical world, but also in the spiritual. Consuming all the wrong things will have all the wrong results. It’s a natural law. There’s no way to take in junk without becoming junky.

IN DEED God calls us to watch our diets. It pleases Him when we care for His temple, our bodies. But it pleases Him much more when we care for our minds. Our thought life is where His Spirit most prefers to work, shaping uncluttered hearts and imparting wisdom to uncluttered minds. Even so, we do not make a smooth highway for Him into our souls. Through our entertainment, we let ourselves be bombarded by an incessant PR campaign for the ways of the world. Find a balance. Watch what goes into your mind. Without hindrance, let His thoughts nourish you.

No one would allow garbage at his table, but many allow it served into their minds.

—FULTON JOHN SHEEN