Feast Upon the Words of Christ

Nothing compares to a feast: food sprawled across the table, the sweet and savory aroma fills the room and as you gaze into a mountain on your plate, all that goes through your mind is soon I will be stuffed. Soon one plate becomes two and two becomes four as you return for more helpings all in the endeavor to enjoy every morsel.

With this idea of a feast in mind, it is no wonder that so often the scriptures teach that we should "feast upon the words of Christ." (2 Nephi 32:3) A feast is no ordinary meal, pounds of food are cooked and prepared all with the clear purpose of being devoured, and enjoyed, so it is with the scriptures. As taught by Paul "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 timothy 3:16-17) The scriptures are given to be enjoyed and read with the same insatiable appetite that partakers of a feast have. They have been given so that we could be spiritually fed, and as Paul taught they are given for our instruction in righteousness.


Because the scriptures are from God, they are filled with guidance from him, and as we read from them, God will enlighten our minds and teach us what we need to hear. There have been times in which I was truly feasting upon the scriptures, during these times, I have always been driven to learn more, I made connections between the different verses in the scriptures, and I had the same ravenous hunger that I have at Thanksgiving, only this time I was hungry for knowledge.

Before a feast, people have been known to fast in an effort to more fully enjoy the feast which they anxiously await. Likewise, our scripture study can be more fully enjoyed if we study while we are fasting. Alma teaches that he has "fasted and prayed many days that [he] might know these things" (Alma 5:46). As we fast and pray, we become more sensitive to the prompting that come from the spirit as we study, just as when you fast before a feast, you are more sensitive to each flavor.

We should feast upon the words of Christ daily. If we had a feast everyday, we would grow fat. While becoming physically fat is unhealthy, we are taught to "feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness" (2 Nephi 9:51). As we fill ourselves with the nourishment the scriptures provide, we will be filled and it is the one type of fatness we can delight in without  risks.