"Eating" the Word!

In Lewis Carroll's well-known book, "Alice in Wonderland", there is a scene in which Alice shrinks, and then grows. There is a potion that makes her shrink, but it is a cake that makes her grow. So it is eating that causes her growth.

On Sunday, I was preaching on, among other things, the importance of the written Word of God for the growth of both the individual believer, and the local fellowship. However, our attitude to that Word is of paramount importance. The prophet Jeremiah stated that: "Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;" (15:16). Ezekiel had a similar experience: "And He said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it; and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey." (3:3).

In both cases the Word of God is viewed as pleasant food for our spiritual lives, satisfying our spiritual hunger and, like Alice's cake, causing us to grow - albeit, not physically! As we meditate upon that living Word, that is "...  sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Heb.4:12), our craving for spiritual knowledge, divine wisdom, and clear guidance, is fulfilled.

There are those who maintain that, for proper digestion, every mouthful of physical food should be chewed a minimum number of times (the precise number varies, according to who is asked!). The same is true of the Word of God. James M Gray, a former president of the Moody Bible Institute, commented on Jeremiah 15:16 by saying: "There is a great difference between finding the Word, and eating it. ... Putting the Word into your mind is like holding food in your mouth; it allows you to get the first full taste of it. ... Turning a Scripture around and around; thinking of it from many points of view; asking questions about it; and searching for its meaning in a commentary, is like chewing. It makes good assimilation possible."

Dr Gray continued: "The only way to hold the Word in your mind is to memorise it! Make this task as easy for yourself as possible by fixing your attention on ony a small portion at at time. This way, it can be recalled throughout the busy day. You will find that concentrating on the meaning of each word and phrase will give you new strength and joy, and help you to become fruitful for the Lord."

That advice, given 100 years ago, is just as relevant today! One of my very close friends, here in France, has often said that the Church in the West is dying of ignorance - ignorance of the Word. I agree! Many are spiritually weak because they are not 'eating' the Word on a daily basis. We would not expect to live, physically, on one meal per week, provided by another. Why should we expect to be spiritually alive, and in good health, if our only Biblical input is a Sunday sermon?!

May I encourage you, if you are a disciple of Jesus, to ensure that you feed every day. It's the only way to growth!