Chew On It
Have you known anyone who claims to have read the bible, maybe many times, from Genesis to Revelation? Maybe they intimidate you because you haven’t, or maybe you think they must be very spiritual because they know the bible from front to back. I can say honestly, I have not read the bible from cover to cover; I have read and studied scriptures that have come to me through sermons, lessons, devotionals, etc. I am not intimidated by those who have because I believe that God loves me, right where I am and just as I am.
I recently saw a message that said, “If you chew your food, but don’t swallow, you will starve. The same applies to God’s Word. If you read it but don’t apply it, you will starve spiritually.” Knowing the bible forwards and backwards, or being able to quote hundreds of scriptures, doesn’t do you a whole lot of good if you don’t apply it to your life. The Word of God was written to move you, to change you, to bring you to a place of relationship with Jesus. Food has value to our lives; it has nutrients that sustain us as it is absorbed into our bodies. The Good Book is full of value and nourishment for our souls, but only if it is absorbed into our bodies.
When we read the bible, we must first ask God to open our eyes to what He wants us to learn. We need to clear our thoughts and distractions so that we can truly HEAR what He’s saying to us through His words. In my opinion, we shouldn’t take on the bible as a marathon, striving to read it in a set amount of time. By doing so, we may read over a part where God wants us to pause, a verse that has a hidden gem for us, if only we’d slow down to chew on it and really savor the goodness He’s revealing.
Hebrews 4:12 (AMP) “For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.” I really liked how the Amplified Bible, with it’s added description in parenthesis, made this concept of ‘absorbing’ and applying scripture come to life. God’s Word is living and active, like a good yogurt with healthy bacteria for your gut. It is operative, giving you energy and allowing you to be effective. It is sharp and able to penetrate to the deepest part of inner being, exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart, which is where change has to start.