from the mouth of God.’” -Matthew 4:4
In the passage above, Jesus points something out to us that should be a common practice among
believers. The practice of feasting on the Word of God. The statement Jesus makes is to the devil as he is tempted to turn stones to bread. This highlights our need to feast on the Word of God regularly. It is a commitment we should make before the day starts. You would be surprised by the benefits of feasting daily on the bread of life. Let me give you several things regular Bible intake will do for your life:
1. Make you wise for salvation.
Have you ever wondered at times, “Am I really a Believer? Do I have saving faith?” The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about his faith. He mentioned that Timothy had known the Scriptures from childhood and that they were, “Able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). If you don’t know precisely what you believe, the best place to begin is to spend a year reading the Bible for yourself. Cultural Christianity and modern media quote the same ten verses time and again. Why not dig a little deeper and take the time to reflect upon the entire message? There is nothing lost by spending a year reading the Bible, and there is much to gain.
2. Grow Your Relationship with God.
All relationships take time to build. Friends plan times to get together and catch up. Spouses reconnect on date nights. Church members chat over pot-lucks or in-home Bible studies. Building a fellowship with others takes time. If we want to grow a friendship with God, we need time in His presence for that relationship to flourish. Reading the Bible daily allows us the opportunity to get to know God. What does God care about? How does God respond to what he cares about? Whom does God love?
3. Help You fight Temptation.
We all struggle with sin in many ways. The Bible offers stories of imperfect people: liars, adulterers,
murderers, and idolaters. We are told that these stories were written for our benefit. Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. The Bible illuminates our tendency towards sin, as well as prepares us to fight it. The word of God acts as a sword against the attacks of the devil (Eph. 6:17). The Psalmist tells us, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11).
4. Nourish Your Soul.
Psalm 1 tells us the man who delights in the law of the Lord is like a “tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in seasons, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Isaiah 55 compares time with the Lord to a feast in which he can delight our souls in the richest of fare. Jesus told us that abiding in Him was more necessary than food or water. Apart from Him, we can do nothing (See John 15). However, in Christ, we can do all things (Philippians 4:13). The most important gift you can give yourself in the coming years is time with Jesus.
believers. The practice of feasting on the Word of God. The statement Jesus makes is to the devil as he is tempted to turn stones to bread. This highlights our need to feast on the Word of God regularly. It is a commitment we should make before the day starts. You would be surprised by the benefits of feasting daily on the bread of life. Let me give you several things regular Bible intake will do for your life:
1. Make you wise for salvation.
Have you ever wondered at times, “Am I really a Believer? Do I have saving faith?” The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about his faith. He mentioned that Timothy had known the Scriptures from childhood and that they were, “Able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). If you don’t know precisely what you believe, the best place to begin is to spend a year reading the Bible for yourself. Cultural Christianity and modern media quote the same ten verses time and again. Why not dig a little deeper and take the time to reflect upon the entire message? There is nothing lost by spending a year reading the Bible, and there is much to gain.
2. Grow Your Relationship with God.
All relationships take time to build. Friends plan times to get together and catch up. Spouses reconnect on date nights. Church members chat over pot-lucks or in-home Bible studies. Building a fellowship with others takes time. If we want to grow a friendship with God, we need time in His presence for that relationship to flourish. Reading the Bible daily allows us the opportunity to get to know God. What does God care about? How does God respond to what he cares about? Whom does God love?
3. Help You fight Temptation.
We all struggle with sin in many ways. The Bible offers stories of imperfect people: liars, adulterers,
murderers, and idolaters. We are told that these stories were written for our benefit. Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. The Bible illuminates our tendency towards sin, as well as prepares us to fight it. The word of God acts as a sword against the attacks of the devil (Eph. 6:17). The Psalmist tells us, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11).
4. Nourish Your Soul.
Psalm 1 tells us the man who delights in the law of the Lord is like a “tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in seasons, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Isaiah 55 compares time with the Lord to a feast in which he can delight our souls in the richest of fare. Jesus told us that abiding in Him was more necessary than food or water. Apart from Him, we can do nothing (See John 15). However, in Christ, we can do all things (Philippians 4:13). The most important gift you can give yourself in the coming years is time with Jesus.
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