When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my hearts delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty.
Jeremiah 15:16 (NIV)
You can find a food court in most shopping malls. There are fast food restaurants on every corner. Food also plays a pivotal role at movies and sports events. On weekends people will wait an hour for an available table at a nice restaurant. Food definitely appears to be an important part of our culture.Jeremiah 15:16 (NIV)
You are what you eat. Our spiritual food determines the destiny of our hearts and minds.
We require food in order for our bodies to remain healthy. If we skip meals or fill up on junk food, (I love junk food!!!) we most likely will become sick and frail. Our spiritual life requires eating God's Word daily. Skipping spiritual meals will result in frail Christianity and weak faith.
Study is ingesting and digesting, chewing and swallowing and being filled with ideas, images, thoughts, and attitudes. To browse an idea, to skim it and dabble in it is like getting a whiff of Thanksgiving dinner! As we plunge into the meat of God's Word we allow it to penetrate our hearts and minds. The Words become our life and our actions reflect Godliness. Our spiritual life becomes healthy and God uses us to accomplish His will.
Eating and digesting God's Word is a biblical concept. How many believers are suffering spiritually, relationally and emotionally because of their choice not to eat the Word of God? It is readily available to us in hardback, paperback, leather, cloth, in pink, green, iridescent orange, with maps and charts, appendices and concordances, and a little sleeve with a CD-ROM that takes you on a guided tour of the Holy Land. So what is our problem?
The spiritual food is out there just waiting for us to partake. Many have chosen to be picky eaters or desire junk food instead of healthy foods. We occasionally taste the spiritual food and sometimes even savor our bites but there is not much evidence of ingesting. We are nibbling, not devouring. We are what we eat.
On a typical evening, an average Christian may sit and watch television for 3 hours, but only read the Bible for 3 mintues. Is it any wonder many lack spiritual maturity? Many Christians are more faithful to magazines, newspapers, blogs than to the Word of God. What would happen within our churches if Christians committed themselves equally to studying God's Word and praying each day? It would definitely change their lives and the lives of those around them.
Our physical bodies need nourishment daily as well as the need for spiritual nourishment. The Bible is a mirror. The Bible shows us the things in our lives that we need to correct so that we will look like the image of God. It fine tunes our character and integrity to the likenss of our Heavenly Father.
The goal is not for us to get through the Scriptures. The goal is for the Scriptures to get through us.... ~John Orteberg~
One writer puts it this way, "Keep looking into the mirror, until you no longer see yourself, but all that you see is Christ.
Be encouraged today to get rid of the junk food and fill up on the nutrition of God's Word. He is so awesome. He never ceases to AMAZE me. His Word encourages and offers answers to the challenges we face in this life.
Blessings friends!
