The food we eat goes into our mouths, into the stomach and out into the sewer; and yet, we constantly strive for such food, although we are never fully satisfied. The spiritual food we eat goes in through the eyes and ears, into the heart and out of the mouth: a kind of spiritual digestive system. Jesus says, " The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! " (Matthew 6:22-23)
So just as what we eat resides in the flesh, what we see resides in the spirit; similarily, it says, " Does not the ear test words, As the palate tastes its food? " (Job 12:11)
For as the taste buds are to the tongue, so discernment is to the ear; and Christ says, " The things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. " (Matthew 15:17-20)
So what goes into the mouth does not defile a person, but what comes out of the mouth. If we want good to come out of us, we must fill ourselves with the goodness of God through the word of faith; if we want good worked out of us, we must have God work in us. Therefore, abide in God; abide in Him for life, filling up with His Word about His Son, so that through His Word He would abide in us; He has given us assurance saying, " Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither [can] you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. " (John 15:3-5)
And He says, " If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. " (John 8:31-32)
When we eat food, it fills us up and gives us strength for a short while; likewise, God's grace is our strength, our food, it is for our spirit, strengthening us now and forever. But when does food work best? When you are full or when you are empty? When you are hungry a piece of bread is like a steak! So it says, " A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. " (Proverbs 27:7)
And similarily the Spirit of Christ said to Paul, " My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12)
So it is: when we are empty or hungry, God's Word is perfected in us, but God opposes the proud or the full; for God gives grace to the humble. When one is proud, he is full of himself, and God's grace is not useful to a proud soul, for he tramples over it, even though it is a honeycomb; however, if the proud empties his soul in humility, God's grace works well in him; a humble man is filled up, not with the air of himself, but with the grace of Christ; as the writer of Hebrews says, " Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. " (Hebrews 13:9-10)
For God's grace is truly our food, and the table of His altar is the cross. As athletes say, "I eat and drink the gym," meaning, "That's all I do." If an athlete competes, training in such a way for a crown that perishes, how much more should we "eat and drink Christ" for an eternal crown of life that never perishes? As Christ says in the testimony, " Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. " (John 6:53-56)
So when an animal is sacrificed on the altar, the priest ate the meat of the sacrifice and gained strength for a short while, living by the strength of the meat; how much more do you suppose the new covenant priests live, who eat the Sacrifice of God, and the grace thereof, who eat the Lamb who has been slain, rather the Lamb who has been raised? If we know a person by their works, or a tree by its fruit, what type of tree do you discern Jesus Christ resembles by His fruit, except the Tree of Life? As Moses prayed, " Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. " (Exodus 33:13)
For he prayed he may know God by His works and find favor; and so by the fruit of Jesus Christ, that is, by His work on the cross, we have been saved through the knowledge of Him, our God and our Savior, who is unto us the Tree of Life, which yields food imperishable to everlasting life; he who knows the fruit of the tree knows the Tree and finds favor with God to life. And He is unto us the River of Living Water, which is His Spirit, which is living drink that we may never thirst again. They who eat and drink the things of this world, eat and drink death; but we who eat and drink Christ, eat and drink life. They who live by the things which are seen, which are wasting away, likewise waste away, as we are all wasting away, for everything which is seen is perishing; but we who live by Him, who is not seen, will live forever by the things which never die. While we are wasting away, we are being renewed by the Spirit day by day, to be made more like Him, to be made worthy of eternal life which is to be revealed when He is revealed to the whole world. So therefore, seek and search for Him, the living Life, dwelling above the heavens, and He will let you find Him by His grace. We who sow to the Spirit reap life, and the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace; so set your minds on the things above where Christ dwells. (See more on the Living Bread)
For how is it that Moses fasted for 40 days and 40 nights without food nor water? He had nourishment from the Father, a nourishment that we know nothing about; for when we eat food in this world, we eat something that has died: a plant that has been plucked, an animal that has been slain, or a piece of fruit that has been harvested. Everything that is cut off from its life undergoes death; afterwards, the food begins to rot and grow hairs of mold, being consumed slowly within and without, since it is plucked from its life and it is not consumed by the living before its time; however it doesn't perish while it is on the tree or in the ground or has the breath of life, for life preserves it. So if we live for a little while by eating the death of a thing, how much more do you suppose we would live by eating the life? For Jesus Christ is the true food and the true drink, He is the author of life; He has given Himself as food. Everyone who eats on earth, eats death; but we who come heaven-ward for food, eat life. And He gives to us the righteousness by which we who hunger are truly satisfied; as He says, " Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. " (Matthew 5:6)
And the righteousness of God is contrary to food which cannot satisfy, which says, “All a man's labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied.” (Ecclesiastes 6:7) And, "He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, And he is like death, never satisfied.” (Habakkuk 2:5) So our appetites are never satisfied, but we are by God's righteousness, which He feeds us through Christ. Therefore, the Spirit and the Bride says, "Come!" All come! As it says, " Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. " (Isaiah 55:1-3)
So it says, "If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, It would be utterly despised." (Song of Solomon 8:7) For God gives everlasting springs and everlasting bread free of cost, which lasts for all eternity; something so precious, not all the money in the world can buy, and God gives it freely: for His grace is the free gift of God. No longer are we under the bonds of futility, working for food which does not last, for our labor in the Lord is not in vain! For the will of the Lord is our bread; and our work in the Lord is the work of faith. Therefore, run the race of faith, believing in the Son of God; as our Lord says, " Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal. (...) This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent. (...) For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world. (...) I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. " (John 6:27-35)
(See more on Christ as Food)
See a tremendous thing: God has given us a tangible act of communion with Him in which we eat bread and drink wine; here is where food and grace meet again. And we are commanded to do communion - on a set day? No. As often as we like, so that we do not forget His gracious work on the cross; for we have come to know the truth through understanding, it would be to our shame if we forget, for forgetfulness renders knowledge void. The festivals and holy days prescribed by the law were commanded on set days; but these were all fulfilled in Christ. Christ Jesus has set up another day under the new Covenant which is "as often as you like"; so it is not on a certain day, like the law, but as often as we like. For the law given by Moses was binding by compulsion, but the law of Christ is set forth - not as binding, but freeing - in free willingness, that we may serve Him with a willing heart. For the apostles called themselves "bond-servants", meaning willing servants of Jesus Christ. The holy days in the law offered as reminders at the anniversary of the event, but communion is not given on a set day, but any day; likewise it says, "Today if you hear His voice..." (Hebrews 3:15) And it says, " "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU." Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION." " (2 Corinthians 6:2)
For His favor is open for us everyday to abide in; as the lamenter says, “The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23) So we rest in His kindness, and abide therein everyday, for God is good; the time of waiting for Him has ceased. We should fear lest we harden ourselves toward God by being ignorant of His ways, erring in the heart, and departing out of the way. Remember His ways, declare His works. Remember Christ, He is the Way. This is the key to remaining: remembering. And the key to abiding: not forgetting. God's grace is a gift to us, but to the Father, costly. He gave up His Son, He lost Him for a short while, He gained Him back forever. Do not receive God's grace in vain by forgetting these wonderful truths, but treat them as precious and hold fast to them. When faced with death, I will not shake; I know Him that makes the earth-quake; hold fast dearly beloved, hold fast; for in vain it does not say, " You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. " (Hebrews 12:4)
And, " They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. " (Revelation 12:11)