Absorbing Vital Nutrients

What's the point of being careful about what we eat if our body doesn't benefit from the nutrients anyway? We can eat right foods and take good supplements, but if our body doesn't absorb the nutrients into the bloodstream, it doesn't do us any good.

Vitamins that don't dissolve in water don't dissolve well enough in the stomach for our bodies to absorb the nutrients and they are wasted.

Nutrients often need other nutrients to be absorbed properly. For example, Vitamin C helps absorb Iron; to absorb Vitamins A, E and K it's important to combine it with a little dietary fat, and Magnesium helps the body absorb Calcium. These are just a few examples.

God, in His wisdom, has taken care of many of these things in nature. Spinach contains iron and Vitamin C along with a number of other vitamins and nutrients. Unlike supplements, living foods contain a balanced mix of vital nutrients.

Anything that aids digestion helps the body absorb nutrients. Here's where our fermented friends come in handy. Yogurt, Vinegar, Wine and Miso are all digestion aids. When digestion functions well, more vital nutrients become available to all the parts of our body.

Is there a spiritual lesson in this principle of nature?

Of course. Our spirit needs to be nourished as well.

There are many thing that help us absorb spiritual nutrients. Listening and obeying the spiritual authorities God has placed in our lives is one of the first steps to nourishing our spirit man. It's true that no person is perfect, still God expects us to learn from other people and submit to the spiritual authority He's given. Not blindly, of course. The Bible remains our rule of faith and conduct, so if any authority leads us to stray from sound biblical doctrine we find another mentor.

Another aid to spiritual digestion is to obey the lessons we've already learned. Hearing without action will not help us grow spiritually, but hearing and obeying will! We move forward and become ready for the next set of marching orders from our Captain.

Still another key that helps absorb spiritual nutrients is meditation. Take time with Scripture passages that move you. Think about them, ponder them, turn them over and over in your mind. Then look for ways to apply them to your life. Sounds a lot like digestion, doesn't it?

One more thought, before you begin to read the Bible each day, ask God to guide your study. Pray that He will lead you and burn His words into your spirit. Ask Him to change you through His Word in ways that only He knows you need change.

Digesting and absorbing spiritual nutrients will strengthen our spirit man to live the kind of love-filled, power-filled life Christ calls us to.