Articles
Junk Doesn't Satisfy
I bit the bullet and bought a NutriBullet. Think blender on steroids. Frozen fruits and vegetables don’t stand a chance against this vortex of blades. I’ve always known I need to eat more fruits and vegetables. The problem is, they taste terrible! With my NutriBullet I can blend it up into a nutrient-packed smoothie, I get everything I need in one big cup, and it tastes pretty good! In one shake I mix broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, kale, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, mango, banana, flax seed, chia seed, and almond milk. You may be disgusted at this point, but that’s okay because I don’t work for NutriBullet and I’m not trying to convince you to buy one. I simply want to share an amazing discovery I’ve made. After a couple weeks of one shake a day, I don’t crave junk food. In the past, when the weekend rolled around, I intensely craved pizza, burgers, cake, donuts, donuts, and cake. Not anymore! But why?
Now that my body knows what real nutrition feels like, it can see through the empty promises made by fried, greasy, and processed sugary foods. My body knows what real satisfaction feels like, and it doesn’t want the pseudo satisfaction of junk food. Though it’s certainly not a sin to eat junk food, there’s a spiritual principle here. Think of all the times God’s Word is likened to food. “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” (Job 23:12b). Lady wisdom, says, “Come, eat of my food and drink of the wine I have mixed.” (Prov. 9:5). Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied.” (Matt. 5:6), and, “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” (John 6:51a). When we taste true spiritual satisfaction in Christ, the spiritual junk food Satan offers isn’t as enticing. Yes, there’s still some allure because it looks good to the eye, but we’ll know it’s just momentary pleasure that provides no lasting benefit.
When you’re exhilarated with your wife’s love (Prov. 5:15-19), the confused and desperate girl with the low-cut shirt at the mall isn’t as enticing. When we fill our minds with things that are honorable, pure, lovely, and of good repute (Phil. 4:8) the trashy movies and TV shows don’t pull on us so much. When our hearts have God’s Word dwelling within (Col. 3:16), impure words and thoughts are unwelcome. The more we cling to good, the more we abhor evil (Rom. 13:14). Sermons? Bible reading? Prayer? Worship services? Singings? Movies with good morals and messages? Deep, meaningful conversations with our brethren about spiritual things? A blend of all those things? Yes please! Now that’s satisfying and delicious! Fornication? Malice? Violence? Adultery? Porn? Gossip? Yuck, no thanks! How gross and unsatisfying! I’ll stick to the Bread of life. How about you?
