Anyone that
knows me, knows that I love food. Like, REALLY
love food! It is not uncommon for me to be finishing one meal, while
contemplating what I am going to eat next. Not much is more satisfying than a
big Mexican meal with enchiladas, chips, salsa, guacamole, cheese dip, rice and
beans! Oh, and don't forget something super sweet to finish it off with. My
ability to consume food is quite amazing to some, I'm not too proud to admit!
So when I
woke up the other night at 3 am, thinking about food, it was not a completely
unusual occurrence. This particular early morning, however, I was thinking about another type of food. Food
of the Spiritual variety. God has really been working in my heart over the last
few months about how vital feasting on His Word on is to my life.
Did you know
that the average human can live up to 3 weeks without food? We can live that
long by using up energy reserves our bodies have stored up from food intake. I ( and many other Christians, I would wager) live like that. We squeeze some Bible
reading into our crazy busy schedules here and there, and then live off of
those morsels for weeks at a time.
Liquid
intake, when restricted or cut off, leads to a much quicker death. Within a few
days of going without liquid, kidney function and other vital bodily functions
start to shut down, and a person dies within days. I think the same could be
said of our spiritual life as well. If we go through a drought in our walk with
God, and refrain from drinking deeply of His life giving water, than we start
to see the evidence in our lives quickly. We react to each other in not so kind
ways, become prideful, etc. Our communication with our Heavenly Father becomes more
of a laundry list of needs and wants, rather than a time to communicate with and
praise God.
So why is it
that we don't make spending time with God a priority? Why do we go days, weeks,
and months without digging into God's word? This is what I have been pondering
the last few days. Statistics show that less than 20% of professed Christians
spend time reading the Bible on a regular basis. LESS THAN 20%!!! Psalm 81:10
says, " Open wide your mouth and I will fill it". If we will just
open our Bible's, and commit to spending some meaningful time with God, He will
bless that time and fill us up with His knowledge, comfort, peace, and truth!
Some of you
may have tried reading the Bible in the past, and felt like you just didn't get
anything out of it. That is was too hard to understand, outdated, or not
applicable to your life today. Psalm 145:15 says, " The eyes of all look
to you, and you give them their food at the proper time". I believe that
God's word will speak to each and every one of us if we come to God with a willing,
teachable spirit. If we look to Him, He will teach us and give us wisdom
when we are ready and able to receive it.
As Christians, we are appointed by God himself to go out into this world and do
His work. We are to be Jesus' hands and feet to a world that desperately needs
to know the love of our Savior. How can we possibly do the work we were put on
this earth for if we are not spending time with God on a regular basis? Just as
we grow weak and can't function without food, we also can't function and do the work
of our Father without receiving spiritual nourishment. John 15:5 says, " I
am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me, and I in you, you will
bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing". Did you catch that?
The key to bearing fruit, or fulfilling God's will for our lives is to abide,
or remain, in him. Abiding in Christ is reading His word, pondering the truths
that He reveals, praying, and fellowshipping with other believers. If we do not
do these things, what can we do from our own will and strength? NOTHING!!
Abiding in Christ is the internal relationship and workings that produce
external testaments, or fruit, to the greatness and glory of God. The fruit
that we produce as a result of our close relationship with God is something
that will remain long after we are gone. They are eternal deposits that we make
into the lives of others, who in turn make deposits into other lives, and on
and on.
God is so
faithful, loving, and kind to seek a relationship with us each and every day.
He certainly does not need a relationship with any of us, and yet He so desires
for us to know Him, and know Him well. The God of the universe that spoke
everything into being, has given each of us access to His knowledge and Truth.
All we have to do is seek Him, spend time with Him, and love Him. Let's cease
trying to do things on our own, limping along on energy reserves and morsels of
His word, and turn to the One who will fill us up with more food than we could
possibly imagine!
