Feeding our Hunger

A Sydney Jacaranda

We continue our series on “Walking as Jesus Walked”.

What I see from my limited study (at present) of Jesus walk was that He fed on the Word. He was the fulfilment of it. So He needed to know what He was going to fulfil, so He knew the Word.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matt 5:17-18 ESV)

Jesus is the Word, so reading the Word is so important to understanding Him and ourselves.

“For, as far as this world is concerned, you are already dead, and your true life is a hidden one in Christ.” (Col 3:3 JB Phillips)

I love that – our “true life is a hidden one in Christ.” So where do we find our true Life?

In His Word.

Daily Routine

 “You will hunger for what you feed on!” (John Bevere)

What a great quote. If we consider food, for example, if I eat sugary things, I continue to hunger for more sugary things. The same goes with exercise. My wife has started getting serious about exercise. Fi gets up each morning at 6am and does an hour in the gym; four to five times each week. Her body hungers for the goodness of exercise.

Addictions effectively reflect its truth. When you become addicted to something, you have to keep feeding it.

I’ve found the same applies with reading the Bible.

God told me at the end of 2008 that I didn’t know Him as I hadn’t invested time and energy in reading the Word. I’d been a Christian for 30 years but hadn’t been a consistent Bible reader since I left school. So on New Year’s Day 2009 I made a commitment to Him, to read the Word every day. I’m proud to say that since then, there has only been one day when I haven’t done it. And that day I was sick as a dog in a hotel in Florence with food poisoning.

I love reading the Bible and have to do it everyday, not out of duty, but because my heart, soul, spirit and body need it. I hunger for it, because I’ve fed on continually.

Yes, there may be some of you that are thinking that sounds a bit “religious”. Maybe it is. But that’s what building muscle involves. Doing it. Again and again.

I don’t feel I’m doing it out of duty, far from it. I do it because I love it and every day without fail I learn something new.

If you’re new to reading the Bible or haven’t done it for a while, I encourage you to pick it up or go to a place like Bible Gateway on the web.

And just start. Pick a gospel, say John. Or read through the Psalms.

May I suggest before you start reading simply ask God to open your heart and mind to His Word. And He will.

He loves it when we are reading His Word.

It would be great if we could share how and what we read. Some of you may know I read 5-6 devotionals each day plus I like to study a particular book of the Bible. I’m presently reading through 1 and 2 Samuel, which has been great.

I’d love to hear what others read. Do you use commentaries? Read through the entire Bible each year? Everyone does it differently.

Till next time.

PS. I particularly love Jacaranda’s in Sydney in late spring. I captured this photo last week so thought I’d share it with you all.