Fridge Failings

Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.

Jeremiah 15:16

A worker at the AT&T office in San Jose once tried to clean out an old refrigerator. Because of her allergies, she couldn’t smell the stench, but the rotten food was so noxious it prompted someone to call 911, and firefighters evacuated the building. Seven coworkers were taken to the hospital, and it took a hazmat team to clear out the mess.^a

Our lives, like food in a refrigerator, can suffer spoilage if we don’t keep them cleared out and cleaned up. Things can go bad quickly when lukewarm (Revelation 3:16). Make sure the sincere milk of the Word is on a shelf you can reach every day, along with solid food for the soul (1 Peter 2:2; Hebrews 5:12). Treasure the words of His mouth more than your daily bread, and make sure the manna of daily Bible study doesn’t become stale and wormy (Job 23:12; Exodus 16:20). Keep the oil of joy fresh (Psalm 45:7). Throw out anything that doesn’t contribute to your overall spiritual well-being, and beware of anything rotten. Stay plugged in to the current of heaven through prayer, and you’ll be a source of nourishment to others.

We can never give out spiritual nourishment until we have first taken it in ourselves.

KENNETH OSBECK^b