No one likes the word study. But eat? Everyone enjoys it! That’s how we take God’s Word in. We digest it. The healthiest Christians, happiest too, are those who sit down to a daily meal of Bible. They’ve figured it out. Spiritual energy, a cheerful spirit, a reprogrammed mind come when we feed on the Word.
Biblical
Food. The image God uses to get us into his Word. Taste and see! says the songwriter (Ps. 34.8). Sweeter than honey, another song (Ps. 19.10). Btw, imagine such mega-sweetness. Wow, that’s God’s Word! Like newborn babies, …crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow (1 Peter 2.2). But don’t stay bottle-fed. You’ll be …like babies who need milk and can’t eat solid food (Heb. 5.12). Spiritual infants, that is. We must grow up. Being in the Word, having the Word in us, that’s how.
Jesus shocked his generation by saying, Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him (Jn. 6.56). Hmmm…Will we get offended like his audience did? Cannibal-talk! Or do we get it? You can’t just eyeball food, smell it, circle it. No, eat it! Chew it, swallow it, digest it. Jesus expects us to do this with his Word. And with him, the living Word.
Why? Best answer: Jesus did. When he talked, it was full of Scripture. In hectic times, he slipped away, got alone with God. Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray (Mark 1.35). He did his feeding.
But it’s a choice. God won’t spoon-feed us; we all must come to the table and eat. Many won’t. Will you?
Practical
How to feed on God’s Word? Snacking’s great, sure, but it’s better to have set times to eat. Same spiritually. Find a time and place. Morning person? Night owl? No matter, as long as you give God quality time. Each day take time to eat enough to get happy. Happy in Jesus, that is.
Here’s some good helps: 959, GOD and FACTSS (I know, spell-check…).
959 is 10 minutes. Ok, 9 min 59 sec. 1% of your waking day. Make the choice: God, I give this time to you. What to do? Five minutes listening to God from his Word. Five minutes responding to God by praying.
How to listen to God? Use G•O•D. What do I learn about God/Jesus? What do I learn about Ourselves/Me? What does God want me to Do? Try it right now, with 1 John 1.
How to respond to God in prayer? FACTSS works. Express your Faith by telling God what you believe from his Word. I believe you are the only God… you sent Jesus to be my Savior… you’re in control… you have a dream for my life. And more.
Tell God you love him. Adore. Elaborate. Then get cleaned up from sin. Confess. Now you’re ready for Thanks. Be specific! And pray for lots of people and things. Stuff.
The second S? Silence. Quiet down and listen for God’s voice.
That’s a good way to be in the Word, day after day. Start today!
Open ended questions
If I’m not feeding in the Word, I’m starving myself. What does spiritually emaciated look like?
How can I absorb the Word like absorbing food, not just skim through it?
Verses
Joshua 1.8
Psalm 119
Hebrews 4.16
2 Timothy 3.16
Resources
DiscipleMaker Stages app is a free download with over 150 helps for a Christian, including ways to feed on the Word.
Lack confidence in the Word? Check out Bible articles at 4truth.net.
The free download YouVersion has great plans for reading the Bible.
Paul Johnson is the National Team Leader for the CNBC New DiscipleMaker team. He welcomes kudos, feedback or suggestions. You can contact him at pjohnson@cnbc.ca
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