Balanced diet

Matthew 28:20 (ESV)

Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

There is a certain is a pizza place in Chicago that makes the best deep dish pizza. If I lived in Chicago I honestly think I could eat there almost every day for weeks and never get tired of it. Their pizza is just that good. However, I know that eating stuffed pizza for every meal for weeks on end wouldn’t be good for my health. I know that I should include other food groups in my diet. To be healthy, I need to eat a balanced diet.

A balanced diet is also good for us spiritually. It’s really easy to get into a rut when it comes to reading our Bibles. Many times we focus on those verses that make us feel good, and we ignore those that challenge us. Just like it isn’t good for us to eat the same foods day in and day out, it’s also not good for us to do that spiritually.

We shouldn’t pick and choose to read only the things in the Bible that we like, or the passages we want to obey and ignore the rest. That’s not what being a true disciple means. As we look at today’s Bible verse it says:

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

In this verse, Jesus is giving some final instructions to His disciples. He tells them to teach others to obey everything He commanded them. He didn’t tell the disciples they could obey the things they liked and ignore the things that challenge them in the Bible. Rather, Jesus told them to obey everything.

The same goes for us today. We can’t pick and choose what we’re going to obey and believe in the Bible. We need to take time to read it all, and take time to obey it all. Even if a passage challenges us, or goes against what makes us feel good, as disciples of Jesus, we need to obey it. So today, examine your heart. Are there areas where you’ve ignored some of Jesus’ commands? If there are, make the adjustments today to line your life and beliefs up to God’s word.

Dear Lord, help us to be faithful in reading all of Your Word and not just the things that we want to hear and obey. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.