Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. ~ Matthew 4:4
Visiting for a long weekend, my dad sits on the built-in bench behind our kitchen table watching me cook. “How long do you boil your spaghetti?” he asks. “Nine minutes.” Knowing he’s grasping at conversational straws, I can’t help but goad him. “Why do you ask?” He answers with grave solemnity, lowering his voice as he scrunches his face, staring off into a void. “Your mother always cooks it for thirteen. It gets… mushy.” We exchange a significant glance. Poor guy. “Well, right here on the box it says, 'cook 9 to 11 minutes.’ We like it al dente so I always follow the nine-minute rule.”As I set the timer and stir the sauce I can’t help but chuckle. This is so like them: enduring fifty-two years of bad spaghetti without so much as a glance at the instructions printed on every box.
Humankind is no better. We assume we know how to live, without reading God’s instructions for living. What a recipe for disaster. The bible is God’s written revelation of himself to and for us, "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," (2 Timothy 3:16). The wise few embrace this gift; as a result, they feast on excellent spaghetti, and are satisfied. Life is a tasty meal when prepared according to the instructions.
I know people who discard the Bible entirely as untrue, never having read a word of it. What pride! Is it any better to pick and choose which parts to believe, or to read it through once and assume you know it all? I’m sure my mom (the sweetest woman on earth, whom I adore) read the instructions on the spaghetti box at some point, early in her married life. She must have set the timer properly for a while. But, over time, her imperfect human brain muddled the information. By never reading the instructions again she operated for years under a false assumption, and we all—one guy in particular—suffered as a result.
Reading the bible daily is a spiritual discipline. In her book A Woman’s Guide to Fasting, Lisa Nelson writes that spiritual disciplines (prayer, bible study, meditation, fasting, etc.) "are your way of cooperating with God while He transforms your eternal soul." Who wouldn’t want that? Cooperating with God is a whole lot easier than the alternative.
Every believer needs to eat God’s word daily, or her spirit will starve. That’s not good for her, or the people for whom she's responsible. Why should any of us muddle through on our own? God’s Word is alive, active, and available on a massive scale. Interacting with God through Scripture is the tastiest of delicacies. Join the feast today, tomorrow, and every day. Until you give it a try, you won’t know what you’re missing. Just because you’ve gotten used to overcooked pasta doesn’t mean it’s any good.
Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. ~ 2 Timothy 3:17, The Message
"Every believer needs to eat God’s word daily" - This is very True. Many people attend workshops and seminars and get motivated..for a day.. and the very next day, they feel bad as they always did. Gods Words need to be eaten daily just like a meditation exercise. It is only after a certain time that the change takes place in our lives. But even after the change occurs, we need to continue bringing in Gods words in our hearts n minds because the day we stop, we will starve and go back to being upset and incomplete.
ReplyDeleteI had attended a 3 day workshop by an organization which guaranteed a breakthrough on the 3rd day. The breakthrough ( which was a big joke ) happened in the lives of everyone who attended the seminar ( except me and a few others with brains ). But the very next day, all those people were questioning the change in their lives and they all went back to living the way they used to be. Change can happen in our lives in a minute or a day or 3 days or a month, but it is the daily endeavor of ours to bring in Gods Words in life, which will keep us in this changed state. Without the daily bread made of Gods words, we will go back to starving and succumb to evil.
An athlete cannot excel until he practices his sport daily religiously.
Words of God are our source of energy. Without a daily recharge, we will be empty and dark.
Absolutely amazing post Cathy..
God Bless you my dearest friend...
~ Navjot
Great post Cathy! I used to always just do before reading directions. Needless waste of time and energy most of the time. :-) You made a great transition from the mundane to the eternal! This, I think, was one of the best! Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteAs the usual. I'm so glad to bookend my day reading this (and the Book of Common Prayers later)... I don't know why i don't do it more often when i never regret reading the Bible every single time. I don't ever say, "what a waste of my time."
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement, Cathy!
There is something miraculous that happens to us spiritually when we begin to read God's word. As Jesus says, my words are Spirit and they are life. The words begin to transform us, changing our heart of stone into a heart of flesh. If we fail to read God's entire word (or rely on preachers or others to supply all our needs), then we will starve spiritually ... and never experience the miracle God has waiting for us.
ReplyDeletereally amazing and edifying. need to have Word of God daily. Its really pierce our hearts and go directly through the bone marrows. and enrich us in our daily life.. tnx
ReplyDeleteGod Bless U.
SHIBU JOSEPH
Thanks SO MUCH for helping flesh out this measly post with your additional thoughts, friends. I could easily write a book—not just a blog post—on this topic. Uniting oneself with God by reading the bible is an intimate, personal encounter with him! Anyone who has experienced the power of this unique God-encounter never wants to go without it again. Alas; those who haven't, can't understand. Drat our free-will, which makes us self-sufficient and lazy. Praying for discipline for each of you, for myself, and anyone else who reads this post.
ReplyDeleteyour Christian sister,
~ c
Great blog Catherine, I really enjoyed it. You are right we need the read the manual for life on a daily basis. The Bible, or BASIC INTRUCTIONS BEFORE LEAVING EARTH as it is sometimes known.
ReplyDeleteWe often try to work things out for ourselves, when all of the answers are in the book.
I was hoping for a spaghetti illustration.
As I write this my wife Desiree is painting cherry blossom accross three canvasses for the living room of our new house.
Every Blessing.
Moray
Great blog Catherine, I really enjoyed it. You are right we need the read the manual for life on a daily basis. The Bible, or BASIC INTRUCTIONS BEFORE LEAVING EARTH as it is sometimes known.
ReplyDeleteWe often try to work things out for ourselves, when all of the answers are in the book.
I was hoping for a spaghetti illustration.
As I write this my wife Desiree is painting cherry blossom accross three canvasses for the living room of our new house.
Every Blessing.
Moray
just found your blog )hopped over from Moray's) and what a blessing it is! I love your writing style--so honest and free. This is a great post, Catherine! (Or should I call you Violet? LOL Loved that post, too!)
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Pam at www.2encourage.blogspot.com