A Godly Man's Diet for the Soul

Maintaining a House

Purchasing a home is often an exciting experience. There’s something satisfying about receiving the official deed to the house. And when you get to hold the keys to the front door of your new house – that ushers in another level of exhilaration. But within a few weeks (after the marathon race of painting, moving in furniture, and unpacking boxes), the real responsibilities of maintaining a home quickly become apparent.

When it comes to maintaining a home, we can identify two different aspects of this work, and both are essential in order to preserve the functionality of the living space. For one thing, the physical building itself needs to be preserved. Worn out shingles will require periodic re-roofing. The foundation may need repair, especially if it’s an older home. The siding may need to be replaced or repainted. Various other projects with windows and doors may be necessary to maintain the structural integrity of the house.

But interior maintenance is similarly necessary to make a home favorable and functional. Water spills and leaks need to be repaired to prevent mold. Pests and rodents may need to be controlled. Dirty laundry needs to be cleaned and sorted. Messes need to be brought into order. Trash needs to be taken out to the curb rather than hoarded in closets and corners. The interior maintenance of the home must not be neglected. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter how pretty the house looks on the outside – the house will be a repulsive and dysfunctional living space.

Maintaining a Human

The importance of exterior and interior maintenance aren’t just a consideration for houses. It’s also a necessary consideration for human persons. As human beings, both the outward body and the inward soul are in need of careful stewardship. And as Christ rescues us from our former dysfunction and deadness in sin, He acknowledges how important it is for Christians to engage in this maintenance. In a previous article, I wrote about what constitutes a healthy diet for bodily stewardship. In this article, I’ll highlight what constitutes a healthy diet for a man’s soul. 

Many people give little conscious effort to caring for the nutrition of their inner being. There’s a common tendency to presume that if our souls have attained to some sort of health in the past, they’ll remain healthy indefinitely. And yet our souls are impacted more than we realize by the things we see and hear. A wholesome diet, pursued with holy discernment, is an important part of healthy Christian manhood. Let’s consider various aspects of what this looks like.

Feeding the Mind

First, we need to give attention to what we’re feeding our minds. The apostle Paul explicitly says, in light of God’s saving mercies to us, we need to give attention to the sort of things we’re thinking about. He insists in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Christians must not passively absorb the cultural norms that are broadcasted by sitcoms and social media influencers. Instead, we are commanded – because of God’s mercies and by God’s mercies – to adopt a new, renewed way of thinking. 

But how do we do that? For some people, it may come as a new idea that the Bible commands us to be inwardly changed in the kinds of things we think about. But the Bible gives practical guidance for us. The way we renew our thinking is by forsaking whatever is evil and empty, and by feeding our minds with spiritually wholesome content. This is the call we hear in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” 

Notice though, as God urges us to think about excellent and praiseworthy things, He isn’t saying we should think about ice cream parties and beach holidays. He’s insisting that it’s imperative, for our spiritual well-being, to raise our eyes to the glory shining from the face of Jesus Christ. In fact, we’re directly told to set our minds on Christ and His goodness in Colossians 3:1-2, “If then if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” And as Colossians 3 unfolds, it quickly becomes clear why setting our minds on Christ is so important. It’s necessary for putting sin to death (vs. 5). And it’s likewise necessary for putting on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image its creator (vs. 10). A polluted mind will produce contaminated words and actions but a mind planted in the Word of Christ will produce good fruits. 

Nourishing the Affections

In addition to feeding the mind, though, Scripture also urges us to nourish our affections. Psalm 37:4 urges us, “Delight yourself in the LORD.” And Philippians 4:4, similarly, charges us, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say rejoice.” Having delight and joy in God isn’t just a feeling that happens to us spontaneously or accidentally. But we are instructed in Scripture to arouse this warm-heartedness toward Him, with all the ability His grace provides. As godly men, this is a God-given responsibility for us: to foster ever-deepening love for Him, and an earnestness for His goodness to be known.

Practically, there are a number of ways that Christians can nourish God-oriented affection. First, we can take time to remember God’s manifold kindnesses to us as our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. Psalm 103:2 provides encouragement for us to bless the Lord, and to “forget not all his benefits.” Second, it’s right that we would admire God’s perfections, such as the vastness and preciousness of God’s knowledge (Psalm 139:17) and the enduring greatness of justice (Deuteronomy 32:4). Third, it’s right that we would arouse greater love for God in ourselves by contemplating His free, initiating love toward us (1 John 4:10).

Strengthening the Will

Finally, when stewarding our souls, it’s also important to give thought to the nurturing and strengthening of our wills. It isn’t enough to simply have good information about God, or to have sentimental feelings toward Him. But as godly men, our practical decisions need to be connected to right convictions. We need to make sure that the furnace of our willpower is being fueled by godly thoughts and affections. How can our living not be impacted by a knowledge and love for God?

And yet fostering Christian will-power is often neglected. People fail to grasp that God’s grace has been given, not for the indulging of our fleshly wrongs and weaknesses, but for the empowering of our new life in godliness. If we train ourselves in self-discipline, the strength of our love and faith will grow in visibility and vitality. But if we neglect the nurturing of our resolve – if we allow ourselves to grow self-indulgent, apathetic, and easily angered by petty issues – our spiritual muscles will eventually atrophy. In our faithful standing and our obedient walking, we need to be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1), and strengthened for the faithful passing on of Christ’s truth in how we live and speak (2 Timothy 2:2)

A Diet for Growing Your Faith

And so in light of these things, you and I need to pause every so often for some personal evaluation. What are you feeding your soul? What types of movies are you watching? What types of music are you listening to? Who are the voices from podcasts and TikTok that you’re allowing to speak into your life? 

Every day, we make decisions about what we’re going to view on our cell phones. We make decisions about who our closest counselors will be. And ultimately, these decisions will have one of two impacts; these decisions either deepen our earnest devotion to Christ, or they draw our thoughts and affections away from Him. How will you invest your time? How will you prioritize time to read from Christ’s Word, to meditate on His person, and to pray for His Spirit’s work? Choose your diet carefully.

Devon Rossman (MS, MDiv) is the planter and pastor of Fellowship Reformed Church in Mt Pleasant, MI. Devon enjoys growing food, exploring nature areas, and playing ultimate frisbee. He and his wife Taylor have 6 children.