Read the word

"In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following."
1 Timothy 4:6

Sometimes, I believe, we Christians don't hold the Bible to be as important as it really is. We read it (or have it read to us) in Sunday school or church, learn the important points, and that's it. We pick it up again whenever we go to church so we can follow along, or whenever we feel compelled to get our "religious duty" out of the way. I know that I have been guilty of this a lot.

We should never allow ourselves to fall into this mindset. Meditating (note that this means more than just reading) on the word of God is not supposed to be a burden, but a joy. Take Psalm 119. It is all about the Psalmist's love for the law of God. It is not merely a handful of sentences that he devotes to the subject, either. It is the longest chapter in the Bible: 176 verses. How could someone go on for that long on the law of God? How much did he love the law? Consider verses 97 and 98: "O how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine." According to 2 Timothy 3:16, the Scripture is "for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." We study Scripture lovingly because through it we are equipped with divine weaponry (Eph. 6:17), making us useful for the service of God and the ministering to of our fellow saints. Let me beat this dead horse a little more. "For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land..." (Deut. 32:47) I could keep going, but if I were to list every similar verse I'd be here all day.

I cannot stress enough how crucial this is. We need to meditate on the word of God "day and night." (Psalm 1:2) In addition to its instructional worth, it is also an incredible source of encouragement. I wish I had the words to fully explain myself, but I urge you to test this for yourself. Read the word every day. Pray over it. Meditate on what you have read throughout the day. Any person who enjoys good food as much as I do knows that a truly fine meal is with you throughout the rest of the night. Even though the taste may have faded from your mouth, the memory lingers for hours (and sometimes days), bringing a perpetual smile to your face. The same principle applies to the word of God. Have you noticed that the Bible speaks in food metaphors as well? "O taste and see that the Lord is good..." (Psalm 34:8) I can testify that this is a blessed truth.

For Christ,
Daniel