Food for Thought

New Year...New Resolutions

We're now two weeks into 2016, which is kind of hard to believe! This early in the year, we should still be on track with our resolutions. More times than not our resolutions involve dieting and exercise. Let's face it, most of our resolutions, like our holiday traditions, revolve around food, the difference is, this time of year we're trying NOT to stuff our faces. There is a type of indulging that is beneficial to the spiritual health of a Christian during the year and that is feasting on Scripture. 

Deeper hunger

Matthew 4:4 "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every good word that comes from the mouth of God".

This morning while studying Matthew, I read over the first part of this verse as I have so many times before, only today, the second portion jumped out at me. I've heard the first half of this verse more times than I can count, yet, I cannot recall the second half ever truly registering in my mind. This pushed me to want to do a little more research in order to better understand why Jesus said this.

The MacArthur Bible Commentary mentions two things about this passage. The first, which I was unaware of, is that Jesus was quoting scripture! In fact, he was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. Why is this important for us? He was setting an example, by showing us that memorizing the Word of God can bring truth to our minds when we are tempted. 

The second piece that MacArthur mentions is that the words of God are "a more important source of sustenance than food. Scripture nurtures our spiritual needs in a way that benefits us eternally, rather than merely providing temporal relief from physical hunger." The Word of God and the will of God are often referred to as food. 

"Taste and see that the Lord is good". Psalm 34:8

"My daily bread is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work". John 4:34

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled". Matthew 5:6

Think about the way that we feel when we've gone without eating for some time. The term hangry [hungry + angry, for those of you who need an explanation] comes to mind. The same thing happens to our attitudes when we take ourselves away from scripture, we become easily annoyed and snippy. We are hangry for the Word of God!

The Meal Plan

Just like any good weight loss goal, there has to be a good meal plan and exercise regimen. Scripture is the same way, it all starts with the meal plan: 

• Step 1: Find a good reading plan [the YouVersion Bible has tons of plans, and some versions have audio--it'll read to you! YouVersion reading plans]
• Step 2: Aim to read daily. 
• Step 3: Try to read in the morning [this can curb your appetite for the day, and help keep your attitude in check]
• Step 3: Meditate on your readings [remember...100 chews before you swallow]
• Step 3: Don't try to do it alone, get some accountability.
• Step 4: Exercise what you are learning! ["Be DOERS of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James 1:22]

Don't wait to be fed at church, like a child waits for his mom to make his meals. Learn to dig into Scripture on your own and get to the meat instead of just the sweets. It can be difficult to get deeper things from the Bible during your first attempt at reading, but stick with it! I can promise you that you will find more spiritual nourishment each time you open its pages.