“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” Psalm 19: 7 – 8.
We are not Christians long before we understand that the Bible is essential to our life in Christ. God’s Word sustains and nourishes our spiritual lives. Jesus tells us that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. In other words, a full tummy may sustain you physically, but it will do nothing for your soul. The spiritual life requires the presence of God to remain alive and vibrant.
Jesus identifies himself as the bread of life and that whoever would come to him would never lack the spiritual sustenance needed for life. There is something about hearing from God and being in his presence that energizes one spiritually. And this is why the Bible is so important. When we read it, we are brought into the presence of God. He uses his word to speak to our hearts. This word may encourage and inspire us, it may rebuke or correct us, or it may give us direction and show us the way. Regardless of God’s word to us in a particular moment, it is his presence in that word that gives us life. And it is one of the ways he loves us.
I suspect most of us eat three times a day and snack in between. The body is designed to be fuelled by food regularly in this manner. Our spiritual lives require the same attention. Do not be satisfied with the spiritual food shared on Sundays by our pastor. In fact, if your spiritual nourishment comes primarily from others then you will not become mature followers of Jesus. You must learn to feed yourselves by spending time with God in his word daily. Find time in your day to read, meditate, memorize, and apply God’s Word. It will not only stimulate your growth as a Christian, but it will become a time of fellowship with the Lord.
This month we are focusing on personal Bible study as one of the means to train ourselves to be like Jesus. If you do not already have a daily habit of Bible study, now is the time to develop one. Let’s be a church that is spiritually vibrant and alive because we are well fed by Jesus, the Bread of life.
– Hamish Buntain
