Are You Getting Enough To Eat?

Generally speaking, here in the West, we don't worry about where our next meal is coming from. While there is a great need to feed the hungry worldwide, and every Christian should endeavor to address hunger wherever they are, that's not the purpose of today's post. Today's topic is, “Are you getting enough to eat, spiritually?”

How often do you read and study the Word of God? The gamut generally runs from not at all to a Christian who can quote scripture on the fly in four different biblical languages in any given situation. Where do you fit? How much are we supposed to be reading and studying the Bible? What does God say about His Word? What does the Bible say?

The Bible says, “...man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3), emphasizing that spiritual survival depends on divine revelation. Other scriptures include: Romans 10:17; Ezra 7:10; Psalm 119:11; Psalm 1:2; Jeremiah 15:16; Isaiah 55:2, and John 6:35 are just a few. God wants us to communicate with Him on all levels. It requires attentiveness on our part. Feeding on the Word of God is active, not passive. It is more than just reading a piece of scripture here or there. The Christian practice began with the Apostles (Acts 6:1-6), “...But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.”

So here's what most Bible teachers, scholars, and theologians say about feeding on the word of God. The process is deliberate. It includes the following: First, Hearing and Studying: Listening attentively to God’s voice and diligently investigating the text. Secondly, Memorization and Meditation: Internalizing Scripture to keep it central in the heart and contemplating it day and night, and finally, Appropriation: Treating the Word as personal food that must be "swallowed" and digested, allowing it to become part of one’s soul.

Okay, so we're not apostles; we don't have all day, every day to be in scripture. So practically, what does that look like? How much time do we spend in the Word? The simple answer is every day. The amount of time you should spend with the Lord in His Word is between you and Him. Pray, seek His direction. Consider this approach. Pick any book in the Bible, start with Chapter 1, verse 1 of that book. Read the first chapter all the way through. Now, go back and reread it, this time slower, and read it for understanding. Understand the context, the who, what, when, where, and why of the chapter. Are there words you don't know the meaning of? Go look them up. Ask God to show what he has for you in this chapter. Compare that with other translations (I use the New King James, the New American Standard Bibles, and the Septuagint for my study). You'd be surprised what reading a different translation brings to your understanding. Next, are there any verses that jump out at you? Highlight them, underline them. Repeat them, say them again and again inside your head and out loud; those are the verses that God wants you to remember. Finally, does any part of the chapter you've just read have any practical application for you today? Incorporate it into your day, do what it says to do. Make it part of who you are. There, you've just been fed by God Himself. How long did that take? Probably a lot less time than you thought it would. Do it every day. Go on to the next chapter in that book. Do the same thing. Continue the process until you get to the end of the book. Then pick another book. You get the idea. Pick a time and place that is convenient for you that gets you alone with God. Be consistent. Be fed regularly, and watch it change your life. Until next time.

Walk in the guidance of the Lord.

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