Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4 (NIV)
My husband and I are working on losing weight. We went to a restaurant a few weeks ago and decided to eat a big meal. We knew if we ate it, we would feel miserable. It was something we were willing to deal with afterwards. Do you know that we are told as Christians we should eat god's Word and that it will be joy and strength to us? Not something that will only bloat us and make us feel gross, but something meaningful for our lives. (Jeremiah 15:16, Matthew 7:24-29, John 15: 7,11)
Ezekiel was a prophet who was told by God to eat his Words which were written on a scroll. While the command seems odd, it was a visual lesson to show Ezekiel and others what God wants us to do with His Word. God desired for Ezekiel and the rest of us to allow His words to saturate our hearts and minds so that we can speak and live them. They are there for our nourishment, for our hearts. (Psalm 119:97-105, 1 Peter 2:2)
The voice (God) said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. Then he said, “Son of man, go to the people of Israel and give them my messages...So don’t be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are rebels.” Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself...Ezekiel 3:1-11 (NLT)
The picture of Ezekiel eating a scroll, often made of leather or parchment sheets is actually pretty gross. I don't see myself eating a book anytime soon, but as you can see in the scripture above, it ended up being sweet. God's words are life to our soul. God's words are better than cookies and cakes to Christians, even those words of judgement. As Christians, His words bring us salvation and teach us to be more like Jesus.
We should read, study and memorize God's words daily so that we know them enough to alter our thoughts and actions. There will be times when we are out and unable to have our Bible right in front of us. It is our reference book in which we should study and become familiar with. So many times in life we are faced with days and decisions that we cannot make without God. Knowing His word, helps to ease those decisions.
There are many ways to start your journey into The Word. I am not an all knowing individual. I am human and while I do completely enjoy my time of devotions I am unable to know it all. I hope I grow each day through my readings, but I know there are days when I am just going through the steps with no real thoughts to what I am reading or what I am praying. I am challenging myself to do my best to focus on what I am studying. I challenge you to do the same.
In Christ,
Kim :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment