With the advent of boxed food, nutritional deficiency in the American diet has become a pervasive problem. As someone wryly observed, we would be better off eating the boxes that breakfast cereal comes in, rather than the cereal itself. At least the boxes aren’t made of nutritionally deficient sugar and there is the potential of gaining some fiber from the cardboard!
A new problem has arisen as farmland shrinks and the demand for food increases: genetic modification of seeds. The intent is to increase production, but in many cases, the result is something that looks like wheat or corn or other seeds, but is nutritionally different— often lacking in natural food value and more difficult to digest. With it comes increased food allergies. Celiac disease runs rampant, and many Americans suffer from malnutrition and obesity.
This can be compared to an even greater problem in the spiritual arena. As people reach more and more for a feel-good, sugary form of “boxed” religion, they are less and less satisfied. The “GMO” religion being touted as genuine results in rampant “allergies” of agnosticism, atheism, acceptance of sinful behaviors, fear and despair. Christians live defeated, ineffective lives—slowly being affected by spiritual malnutrition—even starvation.
“The time is coming when people will not tolerate sound and wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching for something pleasing and gratifying, they will gather to themselves one teacher after another, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold,” (2 Timothy_ “… you have become dull in your spiritual hearing and sluggish—even slothful—in achieving spiritual insight. For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God’s Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food. For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness, for he is a mere infant not able to talk yet! But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.” ( Hebrews _ Genuine, unmodified spiritual food for grownups cannot be found in one-minute devotional on our phones as we dash off to the next ballgame or exercise class. That’s a spiritual Pop-Tart, void of nutrition. Spiritual growth and increased understanding cannot grow in the stagnant—although temporarily comfortable—atmosphere of boxed religion. Paul warned Timothy to watch for those who would mislead spiritually ignorant and weak believers away from Truth: “For although they hold a form of piety—true religion— they deny and reject and are strangers to the powerofit. Theirconductbeliesthegenuinenessof their profession. Avoid all such people! For among them are those who worm their way into homes and captivate silly, weak-natured and spiritually dwarfed women, loaded down with the burden of their sins and easily swayed and led away by various evil desires and seductive impulses. These weak women will listen to anybody who will teach them; they are forever inquiring and getting information, but are never able to arrive at a recognition and knowledge oftheTruth.” 2Timothy_ James describes genuine, non-GMO Christianity: “External religious worship that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world.” James _ Infinite Grace Ministries offers balanced Biblical Guidance for strengthening and restoring relationships, and growing up spiritually. Call 580-774-2884 or visit drdixie.org for more information.
