By By Ronald Stringer
Guest writer
The last part of the year is the time when the holiday season is upon us. Many people use the holidays as an opportunity to get together with family. People use this time of year to give gifts to others and to show other people affection and love. But, the holidays are also a time for families to get together and eat…a lot! Many people spend days cooking and preparing meals for those that they love. Golden brown turkey, succulent ham, mouth-watering dressing, corn, peas, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, homemade rolls, and homemade pies and cakes (are you hungry yet?) are just a few of the fine foods that we stuff ourselves with until we can hardly move. Of course, a few hours after we are so "aptly filled," we are hungry for more.
It does not matter how much we eat or drink at a given time because we will need to eat and drink again. That is the way we are, since we have flesh-and-blood bodies. We could not survive without taking in food and drink that is meant to sustain our bodies. However, there is an example in the Bible where Jesus told a woman that she would never thirst again if she drank the kind of water that He offered (John 4:14). How is this possible? All she had to do was drink of "living water" (John 4:10).
In this story, Jesus was not talking about a drink that would physically sustain her for the rest of her life. He was talking about the gospel that would teach her the truth. These words would "quench her spiritual thirst" and give her the opportunity to make her life right with God, so she could have eternal life (John 4:14).
We are also offered the "food" and the "drink" of the gospel. We can also be filled with the gospel, which will lead us to salvation through Christ Jesus. The words of Christ can dwell in our hearts and cause us to understand His love for us (Ephesians 3:17-19). It is this kind of nourishment that will fill us completely and will sustain our spiritual lives.
It was Paul's desire for the Colossians to be "filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding…" (Colossians 1:9b). We should strive to have that same knowledge as well. We should be willing to study the word of God and keep it close to our hearts so we can understand God's will. If we do so and obey what we read, we can also have eternal life.
Many of us enjoy eating, especially during the holiday season. I will continue to gorge myself during this time, and I suspect that others will, too. However, we must also fill ourselves with God's word, which is able to save our souls (James 1:21). It is this nourishment that is most important.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).