Have you ever watched a mama cat begin to wean her kittens? At first, she will just get up and move away. As the process continues, that mama cat will do a low growl, use her paw to bat away or even nip at the little ones who simply want to nurse and be filled. The mama cat knows the exact timing to urge her kittens from depending solely on her to feeding themselves. Horses do this same thing. Cows do it too. In fact, all of God’s creatures eventually become self-feeders. They learn to feed themselves. They must or they will die.
Somewhere during that first and second year of life, human babies desire to feed themselves. First, it is with their fingers and then with the toddler sized spoon. They miss their mouth, food ends up in their hair, up their nose, on the floor (ceiling, wall, etc). Learning to feed themselves, is time consuming, messy process. It might be easier and less messy if parents just kept spoon feeding that child their nourishment. Then as adults, they could go to their own home and make the mess that come with learning to feed themselves. Pretty silly, right? So, somewhere along the way, self-feeding becomes easy, automatic and can be neatly, and quickly accomplished.
Are you a self-feeder? Oh, most of us are very capable of indulging ourselves with food. Sometimes too much too often. But how about with God’s word? Has church sliced, diced and pureed God’s word into a smoothie that is full of nourishment, but easy to take in and then scamper through the day? Has Pastor cut up and spoonfed the meat of the bible, with all its amazing lessons and messages, that you are now intimidated to try to feed yourself?
Now don’t get me wrong. I love church. Our pastors are amazing servants of God and speak his word in truth and purity in the way I can savor and truly appreciate. I thoroughly enjoy being in fellowship with other believers. In fact, I need to be with other believers and hear the Pastor’s message. But just being fed whatever scripture lesson our church calendar says or digesting the universal message pastor thinks the congregation needs, simply may not be enough to nourish my soul.
Like that toddler learning to eat, when we attempt to read, understand and digest bible verses or stories, at first it can feel like a time consumingly slow, messy process where sometimes we can get egg all over our faces.
In Romans 15:4 it says, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
Scripture was written to teach us. Attending church and hearing Pastor’s message certainly can teach us. But we are also encouraged to get into God’s word for ourselves.to form that personal relationship with God and learn from the people contained within those pages. They’re not just stories. They are experiences God put in there to encourage and give us hope. When we open the pages of the bible, we can dig into God’s word and let the sweetness of his words be honey on our lips, so we can experience God on a more personal level.
But becoming a self feeder and forming a personal relationship with God may feel intimidating. We think that we won’t understand, or that it will be too challenging, too hard, or too strange or too time consuming. In Isaiah chapter 55:14, God says that his word will never return empty. Through our daily reading of the bible, the time when we fill our soul with God’s message, he gives us insight on how we can face our individual daily challenges with his peace and assurance that, no matter the circumstance, he is with us. Yep. It might be messy and make us uncomfortable, but God has a message just for you in those pages, one to give you hope and encouragement. We just need to dig in.
The bible is full of stories to take in, savor, mull around, sniff out the meaning, and digest the message God has for YOU! Don’t be intimidated, nervous or apprehensive. Become a self-feeder. Get messy. Ask questions and keep asking. Dig in like you would dig into a hot fudge sundae with whip cream and cherries on top and taste the blessings, promises, and reassurance straight from the hand of God. (rs)For your consideration today:
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. Ephesians 1:17
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:3
Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. Deuteronomy 32:2
So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11
***Lysa TerKeurst has a youtube that was originally used to promote the release of her newest book at the time -2009. In it she relates her experience of cutting up a pineapple and the sweet fruit inside to digging into God’s word. The illustrated picture message will be one that stick with you and may help if you are ready to dig into God’s word for yourself. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnfRzgGpaPI
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