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Last week we mentioned “beauty” as soul food. It seems to me that since we have established that human beings are made up of both a physical body and an immaterial soul, then just as the body needs hamburgers, the soul needs its nourishment as well. For the Christian soul food comes in two forms, from the Word of God in Scripture, and from the things that have been created (Rom 1:19ff). After all, it is the apostle Paul who encourages us to think on things that are lovely, excellent, and beautiful (Phil 4:8). In a very real sense, beauty is essential to a fulfilled life because it is soul food. Christian author John-Mark Miravalle says “The beholding of beauty can direct our passions, which, in turn, provide powerful motivators for action toward spiritual goodness and truth. . . . We can recognize why we have a moral obligation to pursue beauty.” Miravalle argues that truth, goodness, and beauty are all intrinsically related: where you find one you find the other two as well. That is why beauty is such a potent food for the soul, and why ugliness and evil are such soul-killers. Sure enough, Christians are called to, as Paul said, “dwell on these things,” like goodness, pureness, and beauty (Phil 4:8).

November 3-9, 2024

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