You know how organized I am on Mondays...
Since I don't always post on Monday, I thought I'd surprise you with a devotion I gave for my Apple Orchard fun day at my church.
An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away....
Why are apples good for you?
Vitamins and minerals, Phyto-nutrients help to reduce cancer risk, aid in cholesterol reduction, and even protect from lung disease. Minute damage done to our bodies, by living and breathing in our environments, can be minimized by the nutrition of a regular apple.
Is there something we can do spiritually that can offer similar benefits?
A daily dose of conviction from God’s Word protects us from the sins that can clog our blood like cholesterol. Believing and acting on the words we read in the Bible breaks down the junk flowing through our spiritual veins and directs it to the waste areas where it belongs. Mutating thoughts, like cancer cells – good cells gone bad – and their out of control spread is zapped when we let God’s Word govern our thought lives. Breathing in His Spirit through time spent with Him refreshes our spiritual lungs.
Apples are full of fiber which keeps things moving and cleans out our bodies.
The Bible, like a hot fire refines us and removes impurities like fiber does for our physical bodies. The Word melts sins, dangerous attitudes and selfishness when we apply it to our lives.
How important is fiber?
Waste accumulation eventually poisons us, physically and Spiritually.
What is spiritual waste? Hurts, negative thoughts, bitterness, unforgiveness….
Our tastes vary, and God has created a spectrum of textures and sweetness in apples. If you prefer crisp with a hint of sour, bite into a Granny Smith, soft, sweet Golden Delicious appeal to others. Many varieties from perfect pie apples to juicy-eat-beneath-the-tree-apples are available to meet all our apple tastes.
Different translations of the Bible are available to suit different tastes. We can also find God’s Truth in different worship styles and denominations. We don’t have to love Golden Delicious to enjoy apples. Nor do we have to coat it in caramel and sprinkles and nuts for it to be perfect, but we can if we want. As long as we don’t change what God’s Word says, or refuse to apply it, His Word benefits us, however we choose to devour it.
Sometimes all the toppings and embellishments begin to take away from the refreshing deliciousness of a pure apple. So pay attention. If a gourmet apple doesn’t satisfy, or a CD or book doesn’t feed your soul, maybe you need to get back to the basics of God’s simple design.
Eat an apple a day. And while you’re at it, gobble up some of God’s Word, too.
