Everywhere we turn these days, folks are talking about carbs. We count our carbs, we limit our carbs, we balance our carbs. I’m counting, you’re counting, everybody’s counting, carbs. I could go Dr. Seuss on you, but I won’t. What even are carbs? I’m not going to get all nutritionist on you, because I can’t, you’ve seen my trough, but let’s just check it out. So, what’s a carb?
Carbohydrates are one of three nutrients (fat and protein are the other two), that provide energy for our bodies – the gas to go. You with me? I’m told there are two types of carbohydrates –sugar and starch. We eat these sugars and starches and something happens inside our bodies – who knows what — but the end result is energy. So, ice cream, fudge, macaroni salad, icing, chocolate, and brown sugar are good for me? Yes!!!!! Party on!
So, why is the whole world counting? This is how I understand it (remember, I’m not a nutritionist) if we eat a lot of carbohydrates, that’s the energy source our body will rely on and it will store fat.
Unfortunately, the energy from carbs doesn’t last long. We’ve all experienced the carb crash – muscle weakness, brain fog, and grumpiness – ahem. If we rely on carbs as our only source of energy, we will continually crave carbs and when our bodies run low on them, we will crash. Carbs give us short bursts of energy. Carbs cannot sustain us over the long haul.
One of our other energy sources, protein, keeps us fuller longer and does sustain us over the long haul. If we eat fewer carbs and more protein, our bodies will then use the protein and fat as our energy source. Proteins fuel our cells with the nutrients we need to keep us going, to sustain our energy levels, and to pump up our immune system.
Why am I checking into carbs? Just get to the point, right? Here’s the point. I’m checking into carbs because I heard it said that devotionals are like carbs. You get a short snipit of the Word of God that may soon leave you hungry and starving for energy. This initially confused/annoyed me (my eyes just rolled in case you didn’t see that). I mean come on, isn’t this blog a devotional? It talks about God. It references scripture. Doesn’t it have value?
After investigating carbs a little, I understand the statement and it’s a very true statement. Devotionals are like carbs and they cannot substitute or provide the energy we need to sustain us long-term. Only the written Word of God can do that. The Word of God is the protein. It provides the energy and support we need to grow and fully experience God. Furthermore, it provides us what we need most, immunity, protection, and a defense against things that would invade our hearts and minds.
Oh sure, devotionals have their place, they can definitely supplement our study of the Word of God, but they cannot be the sole source of our spiritual energy. We must feed our bodies with what will sustain us – protein versus carbs, a snipit of the Word of God, or the whole Word of God. Look here:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
2 Peter 1:2
Peter is saying the more you know God and Jesus our Lord, the more grace and peace you will have. Who doesn’t want an abundance of grace and peace? Who doesn’t want more than enough grace and peace? That sounds terrific, doesn’t it? But, let’s not stop there.
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from past sins.
2 Peter 1:3-9
Boom! His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him. We have got to know who He is! We cannot know who He is if we are only snipping at The Word.
Do you see that? Peter says make every effort…make every effort. Try hard. Work hard at it. Give it your all. What kind of effort? Bible study and prayer. Why? To add to our faith!
Faith must result in action. Look further in the passage. Peter says if we possess these qualities, the virtues we only learn through The Word of God, in increasing measure, not stagnant, or inert, but increasing in measure, it will keep us from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of who Jesus is. Isn’t that awesome!?! Why is that so exciting, you ask? Because then we are living on protein – something that will sustain us!!!! Furthermore, we can feed other people!
Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the suffering of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when the spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
1 Peter 1:10-12
Peter is saying to them, the prophets were told of the things to come but it wasn’t until years later, through the power of the Holy Spirit, it was preached to you. Big deal, you say. It is a big deal! Because of the Word of God we too know the things to come. Just as the prophets foretold of Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection, we can tell others of the abundant grace and peace that is available to them now and in the future.
We only know these things because they are in The Word. We ourselves cannot have knowledge of the abundance of grace and peace if we do not know the Word of God, that reveals who He is. I’m not bashing devotionals, I am a devotional! Devotionals are great tools, and sometimes that’s all we can do. But, devotionals cannot be a substitute for reading The Word of God. Open your Bible and read it. You will be amazed at your spiritual energy over the long haul.