09.10.14 

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” - Matthew 4:4 NKJV.  

Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness. Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. - Ezekiel 3:1-4 NKJV. 

Veterinarians have entered the “They Ate WHAT?!” contest since 2006 which Veterinary Practice News says is “to showcase the humorous situations veterinarians and pet owners can face as well as the clinical advances available through digital radiography.” Apparently, all kinds of animals eat all kinds of things and now with radiography veterinarians can identify and remove what those animals should not have eaten. The first place winner was a frog which had eaten more than 30 ornamental rocks. The rocks were successfully removed. The second place winner was a German shorthaired pointer. The dog had eaten a shish kabob skewer and the vet was able to remove it successfully. The third place winner was a three-year-old Great Dane that had eaten 43½ socks! The socks were successfully removed and we have solved the age old question of what happens to the socks that disappear. 4^th place was a bearded dragon that had eaten a toy banana about the size of a nickel from a Barbie‘s Dream House. Other winners had eaten a fishing hook, a toy alien figure, a light bulb, five rubber duckies, nine sewing needles, 104 pennies, closed pocket knife, and Norris, the rat terrier, ate 14 inches of a bra and bra strap. Norris has been banned from the laundry room. (Veterinary Practice News 08.27.14; Orange News 09.08.14) 

Of course, we humans have been known to eat weird stuff too. For example, the woman who confessed to having a habit of eating her own hair after a ten pound hairball was removed from her stomach. Then there was a woman in China who after a quarrel with her boyfriend did what anyone would do, she gobbled down 20 cobblestones! Then there are the inmates in North Carolina who have been known to swallow batteries and bedsprings to gain a brief freedom from prison by going to the hospital.  

In these days, most of us know how important a good diet can be. This is also true of spiritual nourishment. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 4:4 that we need God’s Word just as much as we need any physical food to live a meaningful life. God tells Ezekiel to eat the “scroll” which contained the words of God and Ezekiel said, “So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.” Ezekiel was then empowered to be the prophet of God delivering God’s message to God’s people. 

Spiritually we have a problem with eating the wrong kinds of things. We read books we know have very little redeeming qualities. We watch movies, and TV shows, we know are offensive to God, but we watch them anyway. When we watch things like that, the spiritual strength we have is diminished. To increase our spiritual strength, we must have a regular diet of God’s Word, spend time in prayer, and be with God’s people. So, if you have been eating the wrong things spiritually…stop it!