When I first discovered God’s words in the Bible, I couldn’t get enough of them. Famished for spiritual food, I devoured those intriguing words during what seemed like every spare minute of my day. Over time, the newness of Bible study wore off. Work and other activities tried to crowd it out. Like you, I needed good reasons to establish Bible study as a priority.

Food for the Soul

To maintain physical health, you must consume nutritious foods on a regular basis. To grow spiritually robust, you need to daily feed your mind with the Word of God. And, as God begins to reveal his sweet and savory words in all their deliciousness, you don’t want to just take a nibble. These wholesome and nourishing words provide the substance that feeds and strengthens your soul. When you find God’s life-giving words, consume them heartily.

Even the Hard-to-Digest Words

Some words indeed prove difficult to swallow. You don’t seek them or expect them to come your way, but God sees to it that they find you. They convict you of barren places that have need of planting with seeds of faith. Cheerfully welcome these messages. Chew these words thoroughly, digest them in your mind and carefully apply them to your unique circumstances as the Spirit directs. Treasure these words. Properly planted, they grow into much abundance.

Intimacy of Shared Meals

When you study the Word of God, you make a contribution to your relationship with the Most High. Sharing meals with him, while dining on his divine words, serves as an expression of the intimate and precious union that exists between the two of you. Let your heart rejoice in the current realities of grace, pardon, peace and righteousness, and in the future promise of salvation attached to your Holy relationship.

Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart . . . Jeremiah 15:16

Prayer: Father, give me a hunger for your words. Let them provide the energy I need for spiritual growth. Use them to develop joy in my heart for you, God.

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This post is an excerpt from Part Two ~ Sowing: A Season for Planting Seeds of Faith, in my forthcoming book, GROW in the MASTER’S GARDEN.

Dear Friends,

I want to thank each one of you for reading my blog. Recently, I made a big decision that has required quite a bit of reformatting of my current work in progress. GROW in the MASTER’S GARDEN will be a daily devotional book. So, my posts will be shorter and, hopefully, more frequent—especially as I move more fully into this new format. I’m completing my book page now (this took considerably more time than I expected) and I plan to post it soon so that you can see the scope and sequence of the book. I always welcome your comments.

My Koinonia Love to You and Yours this Easter, Susi