Food costs

The United Nations is warning us that the price of basic foods is rising fast. There are several reasons for this startling news, including droughts and floods which have limited the yields of many crops. The effects on our weekly shopping bills is going to be unavoidable, and may lead some to change their eating styles.
Today's Thought for the Day speaker told us that her household had decided to eat less meat, for economic reasons. Some are in the fortunate position of being able to make a deliberate choice to adapt. But for many, this change in food prices will threaten their health and possibly their lives altogether.
In an episode at the start of Jesus' ministry, he is challenged about what he eats. 'For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”  But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4.2-4)
The food of which Jesus speaks, and which was essential to his spiritual life, comes from reading, and absorbing God;'s word to us, freely available in the Bible.
In this country, where we are used to eating cheap food, it is a shock to have to pay more for a basic diet.
Similarly, in this country, we are overwhelmed with good translations of the Bible - loads of freely available and health-giving food from God. The real costs of this precious resource is immense, when we think of those who gave their lives in dangerous translation work. But the real benefits are readily available to us - if only we will make the choices and adjust our schedules and lives to feed daily on God's word, in one way or another.
May the Lord bless you as you read his word today.
If you are at a computer but don't have a bible freely available, check our www.biblegateway.com, and find of their reading plans. Or check out Scripture Union, and see what they are offering.
Best wishes,
Richard