In our health conscious society it is not uncommon to hear the expression, “You are what you eat.” No one will dispute the importance of good nutrition to physical longevity, productivity, and freedom from disease. But there remains a realm of life often overlooked that is unaffected by what a man’s diet consists of. This is graphically proven in Christ’s account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. The rich man “was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table:” (vs. 19-21). The Lord proceeded to describe the terrors of hell the wicked rich man awoke in when he died, compared with the joys of heaven righteous Lazarus entered into at his death. Again, in Luke 12 the rich fool said to his soul, “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” (vs. 19,20).
If therefore the soul of man cannot be nourished and kept from perishing by the finest of foods meant for the body, what will sustain it in life? The prophet Isaiah reveals why some men are never able to give a true answer to this vital inquiry: “He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?” (Isa. 44:20). The application of Isaiah’s metaphor is obvious; a diet of ashes will not sustain life, and men feed their precious souls ashes when they refuse to bow and break and come in humble submission to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bread of life and the Water of life. As long as they continue to grasp the sins and idols of their hearts, Satan, the god of this world, leads them on in believing life’s greatest gratifications are yet before them when in reality they are being driven by their lusts into certain destruction. As long as pride keeps them from confessing that they are nothing in God’s sight but sinners deserving hell, and that they can do nothing to merit His forgiveness and acceptance, Satan will busy them with their own good works and religious services, but all will be to no avail in the day of judgment when the robe of Christ’s perfect righteousness obtained by faith alone is required upon all who will be admitted to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And as long as they are afraid of the disfavor of family members, the misunderstanding of friends, and the persecution of enemies for the sake of following Christ fully, Satan will hold them securely in the bondage of being almost Christians but altogether lost.
What a blessed hunger and thirst it is when a soul through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit comes to know and feel his guilty, bankrupt, and helpless condition before a holy God! He then responds willingly to the prophet’s invitation, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money: come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isa. 55:1). Worldly lusts cry loudly that body and soul should serve them, but the prophet goes on to rebuke this lie, “Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.” (v. 2). Reader, the one design of the devil is to keep hidden from you the soul satisfying knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ while leading you to settle for the fleeting pleasures of sin for a season. The end he purposes is nothing less than your eternal punishment in the lake of fire with him. Awake to his lie, repent of your sins, and trust in Jesus’ promise, “and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (Jn. 6:37).