We, humans, cannot do anything well if we do not eat; we can’t think or carry out our goals and plans properly. It is the same spiritually. If we do not eat spiritual food, we cannot do spiritual things graciously that we hope for.

The Bible helps us realize that God’s word is the food of life for us, and that it has the power to revive our souls. Jesus taught us, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life” (Jn 6:27). By this He meant that we should not neglect God’s word—spiritual food—by pursuing food that spoils, that is, worldly things. Now, let us take some time to realize how precious the food of God’s word is to us.

Difference between a worker bee and a queen bee

Bees are hard-working insects that help plants produce fruit and play a critical role in maintaining the natural ecosystem. There are the worker bees that work hard all their lives and the queen bee that leads the colony. The only difference between the worker bees and the queen bee is in the food.

When eggs turn into larvae, all the baby bees eat the same food called royal jelly. While the worker bees eat royal jelly for only the first three or four days of its larval stage and then eat different food, the queen eats royal jelly for the whole duration of her life. The queen bee is larger than the worker bees and lives far longer than them; the queen lives seven years as compared to the seven week lifespan of the workers. This difference arises from a variation of food they eat.

In the world of insects, we can find the providence of God. To make us princes and princesses in His eternal kingdom, God has reserved the position of the royal priesthood and trains us spiritually on this earth (1 Pe 2:9; Pr 17:3). However, even though the position of the royal priesthood has been reserved for us, if we neglect the word of God and stop studying God’s word, being worn out by this earthly life, we will end up failing to reach that position.

While living in this world, we spend a lot of time on things of the earth. We spend much time working for physical food, and waste a considerable amount of time enjoying entertainment and hobbies as well. In this earthly life, we need to reflect and ask ourselves: ‘How many hours do we spend on studying God’s word?’ In the world of bees, some of them eat royal jelly just for three or four days and end up being worker bees that only live for about seven weeks. On the other hand, the bee that continues to eat royal jelly gradually changes and becomes a queen bee that is much larger and lives far longer than the other bees. Likewise, those who continue to eat the food of God’s word will be in the position of leading others and end up enjoying eternal life.

God has given this spiritual food to all people. So, everyone should receive and eat it. When we eat the food of God’s word every day and live by the word of God, we can be spiritually trained as royal priests who satisfy all the qualifications such as obedience to God’s word, reverence and faith toward God.

God’s word is food for our souls

We should overcome all of our present sufferings by always living our lives according to God’s word and having the heavenly hope that God gives us through His word. Let us examine a teaching from the Bible which likens God’s word to spiritual food.

Am 8:11 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign L ORD, “when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.”

God’s word is food for our souls. As for new members, they study the word of truth carefully, receiving much grace and being deeply impressed by it. After some time, however, they tend to neglect studying God’s word, thinking that they know it all. As they are busy doing worldly things and neglect studying God’s word, they gradually lose the taste of God’s word which was as sweet as honey to them at first. When the Israelites ran out of food in the desert, God rained down manna for them to eat every day. At first, they enjoyed the manna, which tasted delicious like wafers made with honey, but later they detested the manna, calling it a miserable food (Ex 16:31; Nu 21:5). We need to examine ourselves to see if we are in the same situation.

If we do not continue to study God’s word, our spiritual food, it is just like worker bees eat royal jelly for the first three or four days after hatching and then stop eating it. From the moment we start to drift away from God’s word, we will be far from the position of the royal priesthood in heaven. If we keep a constant supply of God’s word for our souls and meditate on the word of God again today, even though we studied it yesterday, we will be able to discover a new lesson in it, which applies to us at this moment today.

1 Pe 1:23–25 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.

Jesus said, “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (Jn 3:3). God’s word contains essential elements that enable us to be born again as God’s people. We must not turn away from God’s word. Day by day, we should draw closer to God’s word. If God’s word is engraved on our hearts, we can apply it to our everyday lives. However, if we only see, hear and feel the things of the world, we cannot help but judge things by worldly standards.

Without eating three meals a day, we cannot carry out our activities on this earth. In the same way, without God’s word, we cannot perform spiritual activities. God’s word is precious food that supplies nourishment to our souls. Please think carefully about whether to eat this food only for a few days or to constantly supply it to your soul so that you will be in the position of the royal priesthood in the kingdom of heaven.

Live by God’s word

When Jesus finished fasting and praying for forty days, Satan first tempted Him with food. Satan tries to tempt all human beings to set their life goals and directions for this earthly life. In this way, he tried to overthrow Jesus by tempting Him with physical needs.

Mt 4:1–4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Every word that comes from the mouth of God is spiritual food that saves us. Jesus did not speak those words just to escape the situation, but He provided the way for our souls to live through His answer, which means: Physical food is food that spoils; seek the food that endures to eternal life. When Jesus said to Satan, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,” his plans went up in smoke.

If we want to serve as royal priests in the kingdom of heaven where we will enjoy eternal life and happiness, we should constantly and diligently feed ourselves with God’s word which saves our souls. Of course, we need to eat physical food while we are in the flesh. However, if we only live for physical food, we are no different than animals. We, humans, have faith and a yearning for eternity in our hearts. So, if we want to live forever, we need to constantly eat the food which God has given us for our eternal life.

If we have not studied the word of God carefully, let us study it again this year. If there are some parts of the Bible that we have not read carefully, let us examine them closely. Additionally, let us read the Truth Books, listen to audio sermons, and watch videos as well. By doing so, let us examine Father’s words and ruminate on Mother’s teachings, so that we can always be supplied with spiritual food and live by God’s word, according to the teachings of the Bible.

The glory of those who live according to God’s word

Dt 28:1–10 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God . . . You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The L ORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you.

God has promised to set us high above all the nations on earth if we obey Him and live according to His word. There are many people in the world who dream of becoming a diplomat or president or UN Secretary General and are preparing for their future lives. In order to be high above all the people of the earth, they spend a lot of time, money and effort accumulating abilities and experiences and preparing many things. However, only those who live according to God’s word are the ones who will be high above all the nations of the world and who are truly preparing for the future.

Actually, when gospel workers go on a mission trip overseas, many people rush to learn the word of God from them. As Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” everyone who is led into the truth—whether he is a professor or a scientist or a member of the royal family or the president of a country—becomes our disciple; we automatically become their teachers. Although they are in high positions on this earth, when they come to Zion, they all kneel down before the name of God and obey His word. They are honored and respected by people in the world, but the people whom they truly recognize as great and respect are those who feed on God’s word every day and share it with others.

We have the most precious treasure in the world. However, we should not just keep it, but continuously polish it so that it can shine brightly. We need to always put God’s word in our mouths, use it, and preach it to others. When we do so, Satan the devil will retreat and God will make us spiritually wiser, revive our souls, and lead all people to eternal life.

God fulfills everything according to His word

God created all things by His word. When He said, “Let there be light,” there was light. When He said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water,” it was so. Everything was done in response to God’s word. God’s word has the power to let there be anything and to let everything be done.

Heb 4:12–13 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

God’s word is living and active, and every word of God is fulfilled exactly. When God says He will make us a royal priesthood, He will surely do so. The only problem is our mindset like that of worker bees that eat royal jelly just for three or four days and then refuse to eat it.

God said, “I feed the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. Are you not much more valuable than they? So, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink” (Mt 6:25–34). Didn’t God feed the Israelites with manna in the desert where there was no food, even by opening the heavenly barns? During the forty years in the desert, there was no one who died of hunger; there were only those who died because of their unbelief and grumbling attitude.

Any word that comes from the mouth of God will not be revoked, and God will surely fulfill His plan and purpose (Isa 45:23; 46:10–11). Keeping this fact in mind, we should pursue spiritual food all the more and think about what we should do to live according to God’s word, to please Father and Mother, and to give glory to God even more.

Do not stop eating the food of God’s word. If we stop eating it, we are like worker bees, but if we continue to feed on the word of God until we go to the eternal kingdom of heaven, we will become a royal priesthood. What separates the worker bees from the queen bee is how long they eat royal jelly—whether for a short time or throughout life. Likewise, those who study God’s word just a little bit and stop studying it and those who study the word of God every day and receive it with an earnest heart—their destiny will be completely different.

The best way to constantly feed on God’s word every day is to preach the gospel. Those who preach the word of truth always think, ‘What should I teach him today? What kind of food do I need to feed her today?’ As they think of others that way, they come to study God’s word continuously. The eternal glory of heaven has been prepared for those people.

Rev 22:3–5 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

If you want to reign for ever and ever in the kingdom of heaven as well as to be high above all the nations on earth, please do not neglect to study God’s word. Read the Truth Books and the Bible diligently and listen intently to sermons as well. All these are spiritual royal jelly. We are the heavenly royal priesthood who should eat spiritual royal jelly forever.

God’s word is food for our souls, and it is a sharp sword when we defeat the devil. Since the word of God is a good tool to defeat the devil, let us always keep God’s word as close to us as we should, so that we can continuously be victorious with the sword of God’s word in the great spiritual warfare against Satan, as the rest of the woman’s offspring in the last days.

Brothers and sisters in Zion! Let us give thanks to Father and Mother for giving us the words of life to set us high above all the nations on earth and to make us the royal priesthood in the eternal kingdom of heaven, and let us always live according to God’s word and praise Father and Mother for ever and ever!