WORDS TO LIVE BY

A child became seriously ill because she didn’t eat enough to meet her needs. Doctors were unable to find a cause for her illness. Her mother provided good meals. The problem was with the child, and it was psychological. She was halfstarved even though an abundance of good food was available. Spiritually, we must make the right choices about the right food we eat. A person can hear the Bible read in worship, taught in classes, and talked about at home but still be weak and sick spiritually. A person needs to digest God’s Word by responding to it in faith and obedience from the heart. “The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live forever” ( Ps.23:26). Jeremiah says, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart”(Jer.15:16). “But thou, son of rnan, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee”(Ezek.2 :8). The Lord is constantly calling upon man to make the right choices. Christ said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt.4:4). “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him.” (Jobn 6:53;56). Man must make the right choices about the gospel. Man is lost without the gospel; mindful that God’s power to save man is found only in the gospel. The gospel will only save people who believe and obey. Man is not saved merely through believing, but when he becomes a believer, he receives power to be saved through the gospel. The salvation that God promised through the gospel is conditioned upon faith in it and baptism in obedience to it. Paul preached the gospel to the people at Corinth (I Cor.15:1). We are told that “Many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8). He said those who did this were saved, by the gospel (I Cor.15 :2). Only the people who believe the gospel and obey it can possibly be saved by it. (2 Thes.l:7-9).