34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. (NKJV) ~ John 4:34
By Bro. John L. Cash
It’s funny how families develop their own repertoire of “old sayings” that get repeated over the years. Something that the Cashes say (after eating a good meal) is “Well, I feel stronger.” I’ve heard everyone in my household say it at one time or another.
“I feel stronger.” That’s an adage my wife and sons first heard from me. In part, I think they repeat it as a good-natured “dig” at me. That really doesn’t bother me at all. After all, when I make a pronouncement like that, I’m saying something that’s evident to the point of being ridiculous. Obviously, when a person finishes a meal they feel better; food adds strength.
But the phrase is not original to me. The first person I ever heard say “I feel stronger” was my maternal grandmother. (That’s her on the right, holding our oldest son when he was a baby.) She lived to a ripe old age; her funeral was one day before her 95th birthday. Because of her remarkable longevity (and relatively good health), I studied her carefully to learn her secrets to a healthy life.
She believed in working hard, getting daily exercise, and eating good food. Often when she sat down before a meal, she was tired and weak because she had worked hard to prepare the meal. (She cooked every day like most people cook when they’re having company.) No wonder after she had eaten she said, “I feel stronger.”
I’m a firm believer that food gives strength. And the Bible teaches that there is spiritual food as well as the physical kind. God’s Word is the food for our souls. The writers of Scripture liken it to bread, and meat, and milk, and honey and apples. The Holy Scriptures are health-giving, strengthening, nourishing, life-sustaining—as well as delicious — to our souls.
This week, spend some time feeding your soul from the pages of the Holy Bible. I promise you, you’ll feel stronger.
Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad.” He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and has spent the last 33 years being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. He’s a retired Mississippi public schoolteacher with grown sons, and is now a stay-at-home-grandpa with his grandson, Landon Cash (and hopes that his new granddaughter, Eliza Bea Cash will stay with him one day, too). He and his lovely wife, Susan, live in a brick house in town (where time passed quickly this week.) You can send him a note at brotherjohn@ilovechurchcamp.com.
