"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."
~James 4:8 (
ESV)
Full of
Starvation
This morning, I am hungry but I do not want to eat.
Food sounds, for what reason might be,
non-appetizing.
Hmmm....
I believe the Lord is speaking to me from this odd
little situation this morning. This strangely reminds
me of how I often treat God's Word and time with the
most wonderful Being in existence--our awesome God.
Where's the tie? Well, hunger is not easy to ignore
when present. When our stomache growls, our prompt and
desire is to fill it. Spiritually, however, it is far
possible to go days, weeks, months, and for many, years
starving.
We usually know when we are starving spiritually. I
have gone long periods without the Word or minimal Word
and the effect is more serious that I've thought. I
feel dry. I feel empty. I am far more prone to fill
that void with other content. I run after something
other than God to satisfy me--something
other than God to be God.
A Void is an
Entrance for Worldliness
What are your temptations? When there is an open
tank in your heart for other things to fill it, what
are you tempted to "drain" into your heart? How easy it
is for us to fill our being--which God and God alone
can rightly fill--with other things such as TV, video
games, pornography, isolation, idleness, food,
friendships, social activities, work, education, study
of less-important things, internet, online "social"
networks and "communities," e-mail, instant messaging,
texting, phonecalls, shopping, spending...
...and you may have guessed my next line--the list,
of course, goes on. You are more likely to know what
your temptations are than me.
The Deathbed
Lesson
I wrote a post once upon a time called, The Deathbed Picture. When I
reach that day when I lie upon my deathbed (should the
Lord will that to be the manner in which I leave this
earth), I don't want to regret having neglected the
Word. And oh, I have. But there is grace to change.
Whether there is time is unknown, and is sobering.
The True Reason
to Absorb the Word
But is shortness of time the only reason to
fill ourselves with the Word? No, it isn't reason, but
a helpful push toward the true reason:
"You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your
might."
~Deuteronomy 6:5 (ESV).
In exposing yourself more and more to the Word, He will refresh you! As you position yourself not as a confident, self-sufficient "I'm gonna love God more" person but as a student of the Word, He will form you into a matured son or daughter of God who is confident in His grace always for spiritual water. The Word is sweet. Dive in. God wants to work in you through it!
The Word is Sweet
A spontaneous Poem of Conviction and joy
The Word is sweet,
It is filled with the face of God
Sweet language of highest wisdom,
Let me leave you not
How much I miss,
When His value I dismiss
Yet, how much I gain,
When I return to it again
Where now are the things,
With which I filled my life
The things I've called my gods,
That shut out Christ's pure light?
Where now are the friends,
I thought would stay my side
The ones whose faithfulness,
I always would confide?
The things of earth have failed me,
My friends are off and gone
Though perhaps they have not sinned against me,
There is no faithfulness as God's Son
There is no reassurance,
No solid hope in all the world
Except that which is spoken to me,
In the pages of Thy Word
Oh, help me, God, to get this,
Incline me to Thy Word!
For to continue to live without it,
Means a life purpose pathetically served
But make Thy glory my only goal,
I know my prayer You have heard!
May the days ahead see me know Thee more,
Sweet Savior and Thy Word
(c) 2010 Franz Schneider
Challenge and
Application Questions
- What is the Word of God? It is a helpful refreshing of our desire for the Word when we remind ourselves once again what we hold in our hand!
- How precious is it and has it been to you?
- What are the common things (idols) with which you are tempted to replace God's Word
- Have you asked the Source of strength, God, to help you find satisfaction in Him and His Word? As you do, He will answer! He will increase your staisfaction in Him as you taste more of His Word day by day--as you "taste and see that the Lord is good!" and realize that "blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!." (Psalm 73:25).
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