I don’t do well with diets. Not because I can’t be disciplined . . . but because I like food . . . I enjoy eating . . . I like taste. Sugar-free, fat-free, taste-free just doesn’t do it for me. And I like variety. No-meat or only meat . . . no carbs or only carbs . . . just salads . . . only vegetables . . . that won’t work for me either. I like a variety such that even a favorite food can turn into a “I’m done with it” food if I eat it day after day after day. I’ll admit it . . . I like to eat . . . I like food. So that’s why, for me at least, the best way to keep my weight in check, to some degree, is to make sure I eat the right food (and try and get in some regular exercise, but that’s another devotional thought). I think it’s somewhat ironic that I finally find myself living a 5 minute walk away from a Mickey-D’s and it’s no longer on my list of things I want to eat (oh, what I wouldn’t have given for easy and quick access to the golden arches a few years ago).

And what’s got me thinking about food . . . and the right food . . . is a conversation Jesus had with His disciples . . .

“Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought Him something to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.'” (John 4:31-34)

My Lord knew what it was to enjoy food. He augmented the feast at the wedding in Cana of Galilee with some out-of-this-world wine (John 2:1-12). He served up a massive fish fry on a hillside for 5,000+ people from just five barley loaves and two small fish at His disposal (John 6:1-14). One of His last desires before the cross was to make sure He sat down with His closest associates for a final meal (Luke 22:14-20). After His resurrection He served up breakfast for His friends at the seaside (John 21:1-14). And one day, He is going to host a feasting table unlike any every set or imagined when all who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb are invited to dine with Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:5-9). But while Jesus only serves up the finest fare, there is another food on His menu which He delighted to partake of . . . and desires that I do the same . . . the food of doing the will of God.

Doing the will of God . . . accomplishing the work He has prepared in advance for us to undertake (Eph. 2:10) . . . that is food too, according to my Lord. Within obedience there is flavor and nourishment and satisfaction . . . it is the primary source of the recommended daily does of Christian vitality. To do what God wants me to do needs to be a regular part of my diet . . . needs to be served up throughout the day . . . and when His will is partaken of . . . oh, it tastes so good!

I read this morning in Jeremiah of those who refused the food . . . those who pursed their lips . . . who turned away their heads . . . of whom God says, “They have turned to Me the back, and not the face” (Jer. 32:33). They refused the food of His will and in so doing, the Lord says they profaned His name (34:16). For His people to reject His bread is to defile and dishonor Him who loved them from before the foundation of the world. And, from a personal and spiritual perspective, to refuse God’s will is to assume bad eating habits . . . worse than junk food, it will sap a believers spiritual vitality . . . causing a form of malnutrition which results in no satisfaction . . . no peace . . . no joy . . . and no glory.

The Father places a premium on obedience. The Son models for me the priority it should have in my life. My food too should be to do the will of Him who called me. It’s part of a well-balanced spiritual nutritional plan. By God’s grace I desire to follow and be faithful to the Jesus diet . . . for His glory . . .

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good . . . amen?