It's amazing how feeling that hungry changes who I am in a sense. It changes how I feel physically and emotionally and it can even affect how I function mentally. It also changes how I may curb that hunger. If I keep up on my 5 small meals a day like I am supposed to, if I keep myself nourished with the RIGHT foods like I am supposed to....I will be just fine. I will be at my best when I put the best in. That's just how it works.
But if I wait. If I go too long without eating. It's all off. Everything. Until I finally eat, that is. And in that moment of hunger I can choose to take the time to prepare or grab something nourishing, healthy and filling.. orI can choose stave off hunger for about another 20 minutes with a piece of toast or an apple, when what I really should do is just eat a meal! Both foods are not terrible, they just aren't what I need to satisfy the deep hunger.
I read recently on someones face book.."If you skip a few days of reading your Bible, you shouldn't feel guilty, you should feel hungry." And I just stopped for a second and realized. I have felt guilty. Real guilt for not getting into my word. I have felt that. But hungry...wait...hmm..
Guilt caused me to feel something; but that was easy to rub off. If I skip a meal and soothe the hunger panges with a piece of coffee cake I'd feel guilty for sure. Guilty for skipping the meal because I know I shouldn't, I know I need to take better care of myself. And then I would just feel the hunger again sooner than if I were to have just eaten the right food.
It's the same with our Word. If I go a day or two or weeks without getting into my Word, hunger is what I really should feel. Because feeling guilty will not cause me to seek out my Bible and a quiet place. Guilt is momentary and it will cause me to just youtube a sermon or play that Christian CD on the way home rather than listening to Salsa. In the same way I might just slam a piece of coffee cake to make up for not eating, there are often things I do to just give my ego or consience a quick fix for not getting into my word.
Don't get me wrong, being fed via a powerful sermon, annointed worship or even a good inspirational read are all ways to tap into God. But let me say it clear: there is no substitute or equal to God's Word. Nothing will truly satisfy your soul the way His Word will. Your spirit know's what it needs...it's up to us how and when we feed it.
When you have tasted the goodness of what we can consume, and when your body knows what you need, you crave it. You hunger for it just like you should and like you need to. When you have gotten into your Bible, when you have experienced how amazing God is and how faithful His word really is, you crave that goodness and you hunger for what your spirit needs.
And I have realized...the "guilt" I feel should motivate me, to further realize it is the hunger of my spirit that I am feeling. I need to keep myself NOURISHED off of that good meat I find in The Word. Don't be fooled...it is hunger you should feel. I am guilty of putting of my quiet time with The Lord. But I have found just how essential the Bible is for my life. People often say that God doesn't "speak" to them. To that we say, read your Word. He wrote it just for you, for your life. Every word on each precious page is inspired by God himself. It is your love letter, road map, life manual, reference point and instructional read. Delve in, ask that God give you a righteous and true hunger for his Word. Soon enough, the hunger will be constant. Because you have gotten a taste of the good stuff and you will always want more. You can never get enough!!
Ways to help you succeed in that are to find a devotional/bible study that guides you daily. If you have a smart phone there are reading plans you can access 24/7. One app my husband turned me onto: The Holy Bible (The YouVersion Bible App) has some awesome reading plans. Some will even take you through the entire bible once or some even several times in a year. And if that all even seems too daunting for you, then for starters, find the book of Matthew and go right.
The revelation, knowledge and intimacy you will experience from God's Word is unlike any other. It will add to your life beyond measure and impact who you are to the core. I encourage you...dive in, soak it up and nourish yourself. Let the hunger drive you to maintain that healthy diet of reading your Bible.
xo
