Several years ago I went through a dark time spiritually. My faith wavered and I lost hope. When I got past this hard time and began to understand my error, I realized that I had begun to live on Scriptures that I had learned years earlier. Having studied the Bible for over 30 years, I knew many scriptures that applied to nearly every situation of my life. I had experienced God’s faithfulness in difficult times. Yet I allowed myself to get caught up in the busyness of daily living and rely on this past knowledge rather than running to my Bible each morning with an all-consuming need to hear a fresh word from God.
How often do we get caught up in this pattern of life? We try to get by with what God has already spoken to us. This may appear to work for a while. Unfortunately our spirits will begin to starve without fresh food.
When the Israelites were in the desert, God fed them with manna. They were required to gather this manna and eat every day. Any they attempted to save rotted overnight. (See Exodus 16) The Word of God should be treated like manna to our souls. We must gather it and take it in every day. God will give us enough for each day and provide more the next day.
King David knew the necessity of daily study of God’s word for a blessed life. “Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.” (Psalm 1:1-2 AMP) David’s desire to know God was his top priority. “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4 AMP) Is it ours too? Do we long to gaze upon the Lord?
Once I have added the fresh food, Lucky is more than willing to eat the food that had still been in the bowl. We will also have verses that we have studied from the past that will remain in our minds from day to day. We can and should continue to ponder what the Lord is teaching us. Some days we may even choose to stay in the same passage of Scripture until we eat and receive everything that God has for us in those words.
Lucky is also more than willing to share the bowl of food with Pumpkin. Once we have received the fresh word of God for our lives, we should be willing and looking for people to share it with. Some Scriptures that nourish us can nourish others as well. God will often teach us in areas of our lives order that we can teach and help others. “Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4 AMP) God’s Word comforts us and we pass it on. We study well to learn well. We learn well so that we can teach well. Together we grow in mercy and wisdom.
Do not become weak and malnourished by skipping time studying God’s Word. Eat fresh every day!
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