Feasting on the Word

Series: Hungering for the Word

The awesome beauty of God’s creation was evident in the lunar eclipse that occurred this week. Earlier in the evening the sky was filled with clouds hanging in lovely shades of pink and purple after the sunset. The sight was truly breathtaking. The view was ours for the taking, a once in a lifetime experience. God’s presence is all around us just waiting to be acknowledged and embraced. Whether we are skiing in the mountains, basking in the sun on a beach, enjoying a beautiful sunset or counting the colors of a rainbow, we have a choice. We may choose to see God in all His glory, or we may be oblivious to the beauty that surrounds us.

Hungering for the Word is a similar choice. We may choose to feast or we may be content to nibble on a few bites here and there. I grew up in a home where daily Bible reading was as much a part of our routine as the delicious meals my mother so lovingly prepared. We had workbooks with lessons to prepare for Sunday Bible classes and were expected to learn the “memory verses.” We took pride in being counted among the Daily Bible Readers each week.

I am grateful for the traditions and habits instilled by loving, faithful parents. I am thankful for the security of being reared in a Christian home. However, I remember a day, when I, as a young wife and mother, realized that I needed to take responsibility for my salvation. I earnestly prayed that I would hunger for the Word. I believe hungering for the Word means that “[l]ike newborn babies you should crave–thirst for, earnestly desire–the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto salvation.” (I Peter 2:2).

Father, we know that in the beginning was the Word. He is the Life and Light that is eternal. We praise You, God, for creating us in Your image! We praise You for the hope of salvation that comes through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. May we hunger for Your Word and feast at the table You have prepared for us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Jan Alderfer
Stephenville, Texas

Eat, Sleep and Drink It

Series: Hungering for the Word
My oldest brother, Jimmy, is eight years older than me. When he was in high school playing football, I idolized him. During his senior season, he fumbled the football a few times in the early portion of the season. Coach Williams decided to give Jimmy a lesson about holding on to the football that he would not forget. He required Jimmy to carry a football with him everywhere he went, 24 hours a day. This was to serve as a reminder to Jimmy, both consciously and subconsciously, about the importance of holding onto the football during a game. For Coach Williams, football was to be a top priority for his players. It was stated in a succinct philosophy. His players were to ‘eat, drink, and sleep football.’ He wanted football to be in their consciousness 24 hours a day.

God is a little bit like Coach Williams. When it comes to the focus of our lives, God wants us to be Kingdom-focused. Jesus said, “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.” Mike Cope has written a book entitled One Holy Hunger: When God Is All You Want. Hungering for God and His kingdom should be the passion of every Christian.

One of the ways that our hunger for God and His presence in our lives grows is through our consuming of His word. Certainly, we are a people who have been blessed with Bibles in our lives. I am sitting in an office where there are 20+ Bibles, in numerous translations. At home as well, there are multiple Bibles. Many who read this today can be seen on Sundays with your personal Bible tucked under your arm, strolling into church. BUT THE QUESTION FOR YOU TO ANSWER: DO I REALLY ‘HUNGER’ FOR THE WORD OF GOD IN MY LIFE?? It is not enough to own the most recent translation with concordance and maps and topical index.

My early morning routine, as I eat breakfast, is to consume the Abilene Reporter News. I begin with the Sports section, then the main section with world and local news, and finish off with the Life section. In a way, I hunger for it. I desire to begin my day with the news. DO YOU HAVE A DAILY HUNGER FOR ‘GOD’S WORD’? ARE YOU AS MOTIVATED AS I AM FOR THE SPORTS SECTION OF THE NEWSPAPER TO HEAR GOD SPEAKING TO YOU THROUGH HIS WORD? My prayer for you and me is that God’s word will become an indispensible part of our spiritual diets. May our philosophy become: I am going to ‘eat, drink, and sleep’ the kingdom of God. Hungering for God’s word in our lives is a good beginning place.

Prayer: ‘Father, create within me a ‘holy hunger’ for You. Help me prioritize my life and my days to include time for Your Word.’

Terry Brown
Abilene, Texas

The Word Can Change You

Series: Hungering for the Word

I know a man who is very passionate about the Word. When he was in college, he considered going Premed, but instead chose to pursue a degree in Bible. His freshman year he developed a strong desire to memorize scripture. He met a man named Marlin (or Merlin, as I like to call him), who worked with him daily on his memorization. Marlin taught him a special strategy for scripture memorization.

By the time he graduated, he had memorized the Sermon on the Mount, I and II Timothy, part of Acts, I Peter, most of I John, II John, chunks of the gospels, the first five chapters of Revelation, nine chapters of Hebrews, etc. After graduating and getting into ministry, he spent a few years teaching a freshman Bible course at ACU. He would let the students play “stump the chump”--they were allowed to look up any verse in the New Testament, read it aloud, and if he couldn’t tell them the exact book, chapter, and verse location of the excerpt, they got an extra point on their next test. They only got one extra point the entire semester.

Early in his ministry he met a very special man named Keith Barnett. Keith lived in a small Midwestern town. When Keith was nine years old, he was getting off the school bus one day and preparing to cross a street to get to his house. He waved excitedly at his mom, who waited on the other side of the road. As he stepped into the street, a car hit him and dragged him 70 feet. He lived, but he had brain damage, his speech was impaired, and he walked with a limp. However, the accident did not damage his heart of gold.

One day at church, Keith approached the young preacher and said, “Mister, I would just give anything in the world to be able to get up and speak the way you do. I want to know scripture that way.”

The preacher replied, “Well, Keith, of course you can learn to do that. I can teach you, if you’d like.”

Keith’s face lit up. “You would...teach me? You would do that for me?” The light left his eyes as he came to a realization. “But...I’m too dumb to learn how to do that like you.”

The preacher says his heart broke whenever Keith said those words. “No, Keith,” he told him. “You are NOT too dumb. We can work together. You pick the passage you want and I will teach you how to learn it.”

Keith was so excited. He worked with the preacher several days a week. The preacher taught Keith the things that Marlon taught him several years before. Keith’s mom said that Keith would pace back and forth across his room every afternoon, reading and reciting over and over. He worked and worked, practiced and practiced. When he was ready, he called the preacher and asked if he could meet him at the church building to recite his chosen passage.

They met in the preacher’s office and Keith recited the parable of the ten virgins, with passion and vigor and a light in his eyes. Keith did not miss a word and, more than that, he felt the words as he said them. It was more than simply memorizing words from a page. Keith felt accomplished. He felt like he’d worked hard for something and produced visible fruit. His disabilities and shriveled appearance faded as he spoke the very same words that Jesus spoke long ago.

When he finished his recitation, he was so overwhelmed by the weight of his accomplishment, by the realization that he had put every bit of his heart into learning his chosen text, he collapsed into a chair, sobbing with his head in his hands, thanking the young preacher.

The next week, Keith stood in front of the church of 700 people and recited his passage and gave a lesson about it. Tears flowed and hearts filled with joy as Keith spoke with confidence and zeal about the word of the Lord. His mother’s tears were silent; she glowed with pride.

Keith, a poor, disabled, twenty-four year old man who was still fully dependent on his mother, discovered things about himself that he did not know existed as he memorized scripture. The act of memorizing and reciting scripture was a humanizing act for Keith; he was affirmed in a way that no other accomplishment could offer.

Dear God,

Thank you for the saving power of Your word. Thank you for its singular ability to change us, recreate our perceptions of ourselves, and to bear fruit in our lives. Draw us nearer to Your heart as we connect with You through the Word that You have given us. We love you.

Through Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Erin Daugherty
Stephenville, Texas

Hungry?

Series: Hungering for the Word

When you go awhile without food, your body sends you a little reminder. You feel hungry. If you don't eat, the reminders get more severe and intense. After a while, the reminders stop. Then, much more serious consequences begin. You actually start to consume your self. Eventually, you will become weak. Then your body starts to shut down; you can't see, you can't think and you die. You need food to live. Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" Matt. 4:4.

Most of us have ignored those hunger pains for His Word. Or we have substituted other words. Many times we are past this stage and feel no pain. But we are starving; we are becoming weak. Our thinking is affected. We can't see as we should. Some are close to death. Others have died. Nothing replaces food. Nothing replaces the Word of God. you can't live without it. So why do we try? Some try to live on milk when meat is needed. So foolish!

Dear God, I am so sorry. I have turned from the bread of life and have stuffed my life with junk. Please forgive me. Please give me the nourishment I need...Your Word. I am weak; I don't think straight. Please give me the wisdom to know what I need. In the name of Jesus, the True Bread from Heaven, I pray. Amen.

2 Peter 3:8 says, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”

Similarly, I believe one word from the Lord holds the value of a thousand words of men. The words of the Lord are moving, calming, helpful, wise, joyful, guiding, saving, and a host of other adjectives.

The Bible is an amazing gift for mankind. It tells the story of God’s love and the sacrifice of His blameless son for our sake. There are answers for life’s difficulties, hardships, adversity, suffering, wants and needs, and ultimately eternal salvation for our souls. If we hunger after the Word of God, we will be more than satisfied--we will be satiated.

Last week I went to a funeral for a friend. She was a joyful person, a Christian who lived a life that influenced every person she touched. Her funeral offered the opportunity to come to the front of the church building and share memories of our friend. The result was a stream of people happy to have the chance to tell stories about their friend. The words from her friends helped all of us visualize Jennifer’s joy, eccentricities, kindness, love, giving spirit and enthusiasm. The congregation was moved to tears and laughter through such positive words of men and women.

At other times words of men and women convey bitterness, anger, shame, sadness. Such words and feelings spread like viruses to other people and can separate us from God. The spirit of man is vulnerable and may be buoyed by God’s word. Satan is lurking and ready to capitalize on opportunities to mislead us. Reading the Bible daily is like a tonic for our souls. When I have experienced stress and sadness, I have always found comfort in reading the Bible. It is amazing that very often the specific words I read provide needed guidance and solutions for that day.

Dear God, please help me continue to hunger after your word. Help me be bold to share your message today. Thank you for the guidance we find through study of the Bible.

Sherilyn Svien
Stephenville, Texas