A Feast From Father
[2nd Nephi 32:3] - Or just nibbling on knowledge?
[2nd Nephi 32:3] 3 …Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
When was the last time you feasted on something? Thanksgiving? Graduation? A Birthday? A Funeral?
No, that bag of chips, box of crackers, package of cookies or tub of popcorn don’t count as the feast Father is speaking of here. He’s talking about a feast that fills your soul, not just your stomach. He’s talking about food that not only fills your mind and heart, but gives you the courage, energy, and strength to live better—each day. And not just 5-hour energy, but daily—all day, to help you accomplish and become all you were created to be.
The world is full of delicious, but deceptive, destructive junk food.
And for many, junk food seems even more easily accessible (and therefore more acceptable) as good and healthy food. We’re surrounded by unhealthy things. Everywhere we are bombarded with both the digital and edible, but we don’t notice it as much, or care as much, because everyone’s partaking seemingly without penalty.
Just because it’s accessible, edible, digestible, doesn’t mean it’s edifying!
Because so many false feasts are within walking, driving, or delivery distance, what’s the problem? The world will tell you through a billion bright, beckoning billboards, banners and ads, ad nauseum, during your computing, commuting, scrolling and surfing, to tempt your tastebuds into parking (your eyes, mind and/or your vehicle) and partaking, as quickly as possible, of their “fast food.”
Just because it’s a “fast” feast doesn’t mean it’s beneficial.
Feasts aren’t meant to be fast. They are meant to take our time and savor the flavors, not to mention help our digestion by not eating so fast it can’t keep up—or else it throws it up. And we Christians need to watch our carnal calorie intake, or they will overtake our testimonies and spoil or spiritual well-being and we can become overweight with wickedness.
Spiritually speaking, when was the last time you “feasted” on the words of God—The Holy Scriptures?
I’m not talking about your bold budging to budget a verse a day, or a chapter a day so you can check that box, or put a gold star sticker on your calendar. I’m talking about really reading them, letting your soul dive into them, to digest them and to use them to improve your spiritual health, to reinforce your footsteps on the Covenant Path and increase your commitment to close the distance between you and your Savior as you follow Him.
The Holy Scriptures really were written (and protected/preserved) for our day! For YOU!
God didn’t just save the Holy Scriptures for our day so we’d have some nice stories to tell our kids at bedtime, or during Primary, or random verses to use for inspiring songs to sing, or books to write. Speaking specifically of the Book of Mormon, I testify from my own feasting and life experiences, that it can help guard you from and guide you through any mortal, modern-day mayhem that you could ever experience. I know this is true!
That’s why Father wants us to FEAST on these Holy Scriptures.
Not just nibble on them at night when we’re falling asleep, or in the morning when we’re more groggy then godly. Because these are the latter-days (even the last days) and we can’t afford to ration our righteous or rationalize that God’s words can’t really help us in our specific problems each day. Yes, they can! And yes, they will, if we’re willing to feast on them, and then live them! And like normal nourishment for our bodies, as the food we eat becomes a part of us, as we invest in, ingest and digest the Holy Scriptures, they will also become a part of us and they really will tell us what we should do (and how to do it!) to live a better, happier and holier life.