And then it just sort of dawned on me.
A wise woman once told me that reading your bible, is like eating meals.
"Sometimes," she told me, "you don't even feel hungry, but you eat anyway because you know that you need to eat to stay alive. And sometimes you just eat because you like eating, and it tastes good and you get cravings that you want to fulfil! You don't just need food to stay alive though, it's not all about survival, but growth. Babies need to eat for growth and repair, same with children, and even adults. You (we!) just need food."
And in the same way, we need to read our Bible. Not just to stay alive, but for growth and repair.
Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that 'All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training..'
It's never a waste of time. ever.
My favourite part of the conversation with this wise friend of mine went like this though;
Rebecca - "What did you eat for dinner this time last year?"
Me - "Erm... Really? I have no idea."
Rebecca - "Alright, how about last tuesday?"
Me - "....I can't remember."
Rebecca - "OK, well what was the best meal you ever had?"
Me - "Erm.... Oh gosh, well, oh yeah OK, when I was younger my mom used to always make this soup with these tiny little pasta shapes in... ohh no actually, there's this dish at Big Wok called Egg Foo Yung and i've actually never tasted anything like it, or nooo there was that time I went out for my friends birthday and-"
Rebecca - "Now you don't necessarily remember what you ate last year, or even last week, but I guarantee those meals gave you energy to continue through the day, even though you probably didn't think about it. But you do remember the really good meals, the ones that mean the most or taste the best, and you can recall what they were, when you need to."
Again, this is like reading Bible reading.
And this encourages me in a morning, to get up and read His Word, regardless of whether I'm completely shattered and have a 10am lecture to get to.
It's unlikely that I'll remember everything I read or study. But it's never wasted, it gives me energy, it makes me spiritually healthy and it gives me nutrients to store up and draw on when the time is right. And then every so often, I'll have an incredible meal, I'll read something specifically relevant or God will reveal something new and invigorating, and I'll remember it and it will be a defining moment and a meal I'll remember for a long time.
But I need to remember that most times when I read my Bible won't be like that.
But they are just as important.
And so the thing that dawned on me?
(and i'm not sure if it's theologically sound yet, but it's a cool concept with regards to the theme of food and bible reading yay!)
"In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God..." (John 1:1-2)
This word was breathed out and things were formed and other such cool things.
And it goes on to say that "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."
So this 'Word' (logos) they are referring to is Jesus, yes? He became flesh, and He dwelt among us in around about 2 AD.
And the Bible, is also the word of God (remember that 2 Tim 3:16 verse!) and therefore, Jesus is the Word of God: the Bible... In a sort of weird, supernatural way.
Let's just say Jesus = the Word = the Bible.
Yeah?
OK so another thing about Jesus is that He declared "I am the Bread of Life." (John 6:35)
And so not only is Jesus the WORD (i.e. the Bible) he is also the BREAD of Life.
For the mathematical among us then, Jesus = Word + Bread.
And there you go. That was my revelation moment. That Jesus even told us that he's the bread of life, He's the food we need to survive, and grow, a be repaired and yet we can enjoy it too. And we get this bread through reading His word, feeding on it, chewing it over, savouring every syllable, every word and verse and letting it satisfy that hunger inside.
Man, our God is good. And having just got back in to reading my Bible, I remember now, how good His word tastes.
Mmmm...
Bon Appetite!! (And thanks God, for the good food!!)
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