There are lots of things that you can eat that won’t kill you. But not everything that won’t kill you is good for you either.

Of course, poison will take you out fast. That’ll straight up kill you. But what about junk food? Junk food won’t kill you today, but it’s not good for you. Over time it slowly crowds out what your body actually needs, leaving you full but malnourished. Only healthy food truly builds you up and keeps you strong.

Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 1 knew the same was true spiritually. He warned Timothy to guard against two kinds of dangerous teaching that we can think of as poison and junk food. There is outright false doctrine that corrupts the faith and destroys souls. That’s poison.

But there is also junk food. Paul points to myths, endless genealogies, ongoing speculation that would fall into this category. They’re not heresy exactly, but they’re not helping anyone grow in Christ either. They’re just empty calories filling space and keep us from the real nourishment of healthy food.

And what’s the healthy food? That’s Christ, His gospel, His Word, teaching that moves people deeper into faith, love, and God’s redemptive work.

So ask yourself: What am I filling my spiritual belly with? Is it poison, junk food, or healthy food? You would never intentionally consume poison, but you may be without knowing it. But junk food, that’s the real tough one. We often gladly do that. It’s often those topics and doctrines that are so interesting and often controversial. But in the end, they distract you and pull you away from where your health comes from, which is Christ.

Beloved, you must guard carefully, not just against what’s false, but also against what’s fruitless.

Change begins in you!