What’s worse than a day without rice?

My new friend was genuinely panicked. So I ordered some rice to put him at ease.

I met Rex on my first venture out onto the streets of Manila. He was friendly and offered to be a guide for me during my stay. He quickly became a real friend.

Like most of the people in that sprawling city, Rex struggled to make a living. That means he struggled to make enough to be able to eat something each day. So during my time there, it was a humble privilege for me to make sure he had plenty to eat every day as he guided me around and we shared a new friendship.

It was during our first meal together that Rex panicked. We were having lunch at a TGI Friday’s near the hotel I was staying in. As the food was served, Rex rose partially out of his chair and was looking all around the table at every dish. He seemed startled.

“Where’s the rice?” he asked with a worried tone.

“Did you order rice?” I asked, not remembering him asking for it when we had placed our orders.

“You mean this doesn’t come with rice?” he asked, increasingly panicked.

“No,” I responded, “but no problem, we can order some rice.”

With that statement, Rex immediately relaxed and sat back in his chair with obvious relief. I ordered a side of rice, and a few minutes later he was scooping the starch onto his plate. I asked Rex if rice was a favorite dish of his, and he explained that rice is the basic staple of the filipino diet. It’s the one dish that is always served with any meal, or for the poor it may be the only dish available.

The next meal we had, Rex looked at me as we surveyed the menu, and asked if the dish he wanted came with rice. I explained it didn’t, but we could order a side of it.

The following meal, before we even opened our menus I told Rex that we would order rice, not just for that dinner, but each time we ordered food. That finally put him at complete ease. He knew he would be getting the staple of his diet.

It was interesting to see how Rex simply couldn’t imagine having a meal without rice. It was the basic component of the daily diet throughout the Philippines, much like it was in Hawaii where I was living at the time. When I first arrived in Waikiki and was touring my apartment with my new landlord, the first thing he showed me was where the rice cooker was stored in the kitchen, as if that was the most important aspect about the apartment!

Just as millions have a hard time imagining a day without some rice, Christians have a staple for their lives: the Word of God.

Matthew 4:4 says, “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.'”

As human beings, we must have sustenance for our bodies. But we also must feed and sustain our souls. We do that by feeding on the Word of God every day.

1 Peter 2:2-3 says, “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”

Is God’s Word the staple of your daily life? Could you imagine going a day without feeding on scripture? How are you drawing spiritual nourishment from the Bible?

Scotty