
He goes on to specify what that food is: "Now what is the food for the inner man: not prayer, but the Word of God: and here again not the simple reading of the Word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what we read, pondering over it, and applying it to our hearts."
This is quite a picture is it not? And yet it is not that foreign to the Scriptures themselves: "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." (John 6:63). Our spiritual sustenance as Christians depends on these words in the Scriptures. It also says, "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day." (Psalm 119:97). They are to be read, remembered, meditated on, and applied. We eat multiple times a day to stay nourished, so why should we think this is any different? We should be memorizing Scriptures that are especially applicable to our life, and reading through the Bible regularly in a disciplined and intentional manner, making sure we are not just hearers (or mere readers) but doers of the Word. This does not make personal Bible reading a substitute for bringing ourselves under the preaching of God's Word, since (as a previous blog entry alluded to) shepherds have a charge by Christ to, "Feed my sheep." (John 21:17). But it must be a big part of one's regular diet so that he may not be looking to his flesh to be fed, which the verse above said is "of no avail" (or as the NASB version says, "the flesh profits nothing"). So let me ask you, are you regularly feeding on God's Word?
Photo from: http://lbcpastor.wordpress.com/2007/11/15/our-view-of-thanksgiving/
2 comments:
Adam? Trying to get in contact..
My account on SGS is closed!
grace-bible.com is where I am.
My father is pastor..come visit! :)
Have a blessed Lord's Day!
Hey Rachel, thanks for the invitation. Sorry for the late reply. I'll try to come out sometime.
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