Issue 14 - August 2005
What Kind of a Diet Are You On?
Michael A. Verdicchio

Issue 14 - August 2005
What Kind of a Diet Are You On?
Michael A. Verdicchio

It is hard to go an entire day without hearing something about dieting. It seems that almost every week a new diet is offered to help us keep from being overweight. Much is said about our physical diet, but very little is said about our mental diet.
Jeremiah 15:16:
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
The Prophet Jeremiah said that he found the words of God and ate them. This certainly doesn't mean that he chewed up the scrolls for dinner one night! It is a figure of speech. God uses figures of speech to draw attention to what He is saying. Here, Jeremiah "ate" the words" - he took them into his mind, he "chewed" on them, he "swallowed" them, he "digested" those words, and he assimilated those words. All of us "eat" words every day - we allow words, thoughts, ideas and concepts into our minds. They come from lots of sources - books, magazines, electronic media, billboards, people talking, even "re-hashing" our own thoughts.

The question we have to ask ourselves is, "Are there words, thoughts, ideas and concepts that are more nutritious for us mentally than other words, thoughts, ideas and concepts? When it comes to physical food, the answer is obvious. There are plenty of things to eat at the corner convenience store, but an exclusive diet on "that" food may not give you everything you need physically!

When it comes to feeding our minds, God's Word, the Bible is full of pure, sweet words.
Psalm 12:6:
The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Psalm 119:103
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Psalm 19:7-10:
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
No wonder Jeremiah "ate" the words from God when he found them. It was very profitable for him mentally. There is a lot of "junk food" for our minds that we are exposed to every day. Negatives. Lies. Fears. Are we just supposed to float through life and accept whatever comes along into our minds? We certainly wouldn't do that with physical food! And, if it really doesn't make any difference what we think about or what we allow in our minds, then why does God's Word repeatedly admonish us to guard what we are thinking?
Proverbs 23:7a:
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:
The words that we think about and dwell on have a dynamic effect on our lives. Having a steady diet of words that are pure, perfect, right, clean, enduring, etc. will be very nutritious for us mentally. Those "sweet" words are a diet well worth keeping every day.
Psalm 34:8:
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

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