Fed Up
in His Word! 9-3-13
Are you
fed up? Have you had enough?
But I
have promised you, 'You will possess their land because I will give
it to you as your possession—a land flowing with milk and honey.' I
am the Lord your God who has set you apart from all other people.
Leviticus 20:24
Daily
reads are daily feeds; we need to get fed up in the Word to get on
with each day.
Just
like we need a good breakfast, quality not quantity is important both
physically and spiritually in our daily walk.
This was
their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore
and it is indeed a bountiful country – a land flowing with milk and
honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. Numbers 13:27
For
though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to
teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you
have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes
only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a
babe. But solid food belongs to those who are full of age, that is,
those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern
both good and evil. Hebrews 5:12-14
God
wants us to grow from babes to adults in the Word. He has given us
physical food that will either make us strong or make fat depending
on what we do with it.
If
we choose to eat and not do anything with the energy it has given us;
if we sit around all day doing nothing with the food we have eaten we
will get fat. That is the truth plain and simple; we must use what we
receive or it will turn on us!
If
we receive food and do not eat it, the food will spoil and no longer
give us life. Some spoiled food actually does more damage than good.
So food left on the shelf, or in the fridge is not a good plan for
us.
If
we cook food wrong, or eat some foods without proper preparation we
will get sick.
If
we receive food and ignore it, it will not sustain us nor nourish our
bodies; unused food is a waste.
It
is the same with the Word of God, your Bible. If it just sits on a
shelf it will get dusty and destruction will not be far behind. It
will be of no benefit to us to let it sit on the shelf no matter how
much we stare at its cover.
As
a child I had a Bible that I would play school with; it was my
mother's from her childhood but I did not now this then. I had
attended a school or two that read through the first chapter of
Genesis at least each year in the fall. I knew that God created the
heavens and the earth, but not much else from the Word. I did know it
was important and that you were supposed to keep it dust free! It was
after all a Holy Bible!
So
I had a spot on my shelf, the top shelf mind you, that I would place
my “Daily Word” devotional and on top of that my little Gideon's
New Testament.
The
Daily Word sat pretty much unread but occasionally I had changed a
page and read a portion.
Can
you imagine if I had done that with physical food? Set it on the
shelf to look good? To keep it fresh I dusted the pages so that would
be like occasionally brushing off dust or maybe even wiping the
counter below it?
And
yet that is what we do with the Bible in many households around the
world. We keep it nice and in a safe place... for what?
God
gave us His words, breathed them into existence through many writers
and speakers and yet we do not use it for what it is made for.
Why?
Because we do not realize just how healthy it is to feed on the Word
of God.
Its
time to get real about what we eat~! I hear that a lot, people
telling us to eat this or that in big quantities to get healthy. They
tell us to exclude certain foods and add others and we will be
healthful and strong. I tell you you need to feed on the Word as if
it were your last morsel of food; as if you hadn't eaten in days you
need to devour the Word of God.
When
I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my
heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven's Armies.
Jeremiah 15:16
In
order to have our lives strongly growing in the Lord, we must have
the Word in our hearts and minds.
In
order to gain knowledge of Who He is, we must devour the Word daily
tearing apart the words and gaining understanding and insight to what
He has written for us there.
Today
while listening to my child read the Word of God, I paid close
attention to said child's descriptions of what he was reading. Though
it was for a school project my child was truly devouring and gaining
increased understanding because of it. “This is what it is all
about,” I told myself, “digging in the scriptures and figuring
out what good will come from it; whether it be the taste or simple
joy received and good feelings or a deeper understanding.” We need
to long after the Word of God like we do a delicious dessert!
Until
you take a bite of pie you do not know if it tastes good or bad.
So
this week I challenge you to take a bite of pie! Taste and see that
the Lord's Word is good!
I
want you, and myself, to devour the words as though we would never
get to read it again. Think about what we are reading, savor the
flavors before swallowing. Sometimes the Word of God is difficult to
swallow because it means we will have to do something with what we
learned.
When
I enjoy the energy I receive from the food I eat I often feel the
need to go for a walk, to do some exercise, or just to get to work on
a project I know needs to be done. If I did not eat I would have
fizzled out before I finished the task.
In
the Word if we just nibble occasionally that can help us sustain a
small amount of strength, and there is a time for just small reads.
If we want to stay strong though, we will need to sit down for a full
meal of God's guidance in order to gain wisdom and insight to what to
do in our lives.
Whether
you nibble or devour each day I encourage you to get fed up on the
Word this week! Taste and see that the Lord's words are good!
Dear
Heavenly Father, help us to dine with You each day. Nourish our
spirit man and strengthen our walk that we may not falter but produce
good fruit in our daily walks with You. In Jesus' name, amen.
Suggested
reading: Hebrews 5:1-14, Jeremiah 15:1-21, Hebrews 6:1-20 and Hebrews
7:1-28 (continue reading Hebrews to get some really great meat!)