We are dependent on our immune system for survival on a planet where microbes come against us to bring disease. We are told that there is no better way to strengthen our immune system than exercising, avoiding junk foods, and eating a broad variety of fruits and vegetables. Some foods let you survive and others make you thrive. In the spiritual realm we are to avoid spiritual junk food that gives us a quick high but does not really sustain us. To survive spiritually, we partake of variety: public and private worship, Bible reading and meditation, prayer and fasting, singing and rejoicing, thanksgiving and praise, and the spiritual exercise of serving. These are all means of grace toward spiritual health.
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:15-17 (NRSV)
