Listening by Reading
Learning to hear the voice of Jesus through reading the Bible
So yesterday I ate at Van Gogh’s, a favorite Dutch restaurant of mine here in town.
I wish you had been with me.
The food is scrumptious.
Seriously!
I order the Aruba pannenkoeken (think thick crepe covered with sweet & savory goodness).
Have mercy!
It is delicious.
And as though that was not enough, I also enjoyed a Belgian hot chocolate.
Heaven in a cup!
Here’s the amazing part.
Not only did my taste buds enjoy this meal tremendously – you should have been there to order something fun for yourself – but I also nourished my body.
Double win!
Now, because I enjoyed that delectable meal for lunch yesterday; today, I need to get back to eating a salad for lunch! 😊
Both are good.
Both nourish my body.
One is probably slightly better for me than the other.
I’ll let you guess which one.
I have eaten thousands of meals in my lifetime. (I think I just gave away my age!)
Some of those meals I remember, and others are long forgotten but each of them brought some level of nourishment to my body. If I’m honest, probably a few of them were non-nourishing!
Here’s my point. Much of the current condition of my physical body is due to
· my faithfulness to continually provide nourishment for my body and
· the choices of nourishment I opt to put into my body.
I choose what I put into my body and I choose how often I eat.
My body requires food each day. Sure, I can skip occasionally and even choose a time of fasting from food, but I can’t go forever without eating thinking it won’t affect my well-being and eventually my ability to continue living.
We can make the same application with our spiritual well-being.
Recently, we’ve been discussing listening to God.
If I want to thrive by learning to recognize and listen to the voice of Jesus, the best place I can go is to the Word of God.
I learn to listen by reading God's words to us.
The Bible is full of God’s words spoken to His people over the millennia.
It provides me with words God has and is speaking and helps me learn to perceive His voice in my own life.
And in my own head!
First, by nourishing my spirit with His Words.
Secondly, by giving me ears attuned to His voice.
With a steady diet of God’s Word, my spirit will begin to recognize God’s voice.
It will also learn to recognize if other voices – including my own – match up with His.
We measure everything by God’s word.
None of us reads and understands perfectly but I’ve found daily chewing of His word reaps benefits beyond imagination.
I don’t remember every meal I’ve eaten in my lifetime, and some of it didn’t taste so good, but it nourished me.
I may not remember every word I read in the Bible, and some of it may be challenging to read and understand, but as I consume the Word of God with an open heart, I give room for the Holy Spirit to bring His Word to my mind and memory when I need it most! It nourishes my spirit.
When I intentionally feed my spirit with the Word of God every day, my spirit man begins to grow.
Little by little.
Step by step.
The Bible is full of God’s words spoken to His people over the millennia.
Listening by Reading Challenge
I want to challenge you and me to do three things related to listening to God by reading the Bible.
1) Let’s commit ourselves to read the Bible every day.
Every. Day.
I’ll say it one more time.
Every day!
2) Let’s commit ourselves to read ALL of the Bible. We commit to read ALL of the Bible, not just the parts we love
3) Let’s commit ourselves to ACT on what we read in the Bible, as the words and the voice of the Holy
Spirit challenge us.
Challenge #1 - Reading every day
Let's look at the first part of our challenge reading the Bible every day.
Just like my physical body requires food each day, my spirit man requires food every day.
Without it, my spirit will shrivel.
It cannot thrive without being fed.
This requires a crazy little thing called discipline.
Yes, I know.
The very word discipline makes many people cringe.
Trust me, though, discipline It is not a “ten-letter” cuss word!
If we call ourselves disciples of Jesus, our name implies discipline.
Discipline is a good thing.
Just as we exercise discipline each day by providing our bodies with the food needed to fuel our physical energy, we are able to discipline ourselves to provide spiritual nourishment by reading the Bible every day.
Challenge #2! - Reading ALL of the Bible
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful
for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
We all have favorite verses, favorite passages, and favorite books of the Bible.
And, I would guess we all have portions of Scripture we either intentionally skip when reading or pretend they aren’t there.
I am one of those people who reads the Bible through every year.
The why is simple.
I desperately need the Word of God.
I need the wisdom and direction the Bible provides.
I need the comfort the Bible gives.
I need to learn about God’s character and how He works.
I need to learn the sound of his voice.
Our verse above states that ALL Scripture is God-breathed and useful.
Let's think about that.
ALL - every single word in the Bible is God-breathed.
Every single word is useful.
Returning to our food analogy, when we eat a variety of foods from the four food groups, we are providing our bodies with the nutrients needed to benefit our bodies. Even if some of those foods aren’t tasty to us and we don’t understand how they fuel our bodies, our intake is an act of faith that this food will provide me with the physical strength I need to get through my day and keep me healthy.
Certainly, we can trust God in the same way with the growth and nourishment of our spirit man. As I chew on the Scriptures, even the tough-to-understand ones and the long lists of furnishings presented at the temple in the Old Testament, I am being fed!
I am also learning to recognize His voice, because I am learning His nature - His character.
Here’s what I know…
God saw fit to not only inspire the writing of His Word for us but to preserve for us His Word over the centuries!!!
The simplicity, generosity, and intentionality of this gift deserves our attention.
Challenge #3 - Commit to Act on the Word of God
Jesus said it like this…
“But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”
Luke 11:28 NLT (emphasis mine)
The Bible is not a book for just reading and putting aside saying to ourselves… “that’s a nice idea”.
No, the Word of God is…the words of God Almighty!
It is a book about relationship between the God of Creation and mankind - you and me.
It's instructive.
It's active.
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow,
and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12
What will we do with what we read?
This, my friend, is where the rubber meets the road.
Jesus said those who "put it into practice" are "even more blessed".
The challenge is before us...
Let me leave you with a verse, a prayer and a song...
"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Romans 10:17
Father God, thank You for Your Word.
Jesus, thank You for being the Word.
Holy Spirit, thank You for revealing the Word of God as we read.
Please give us ears to hear what You have to say in Your Word to us.
Thank You for the incredible gift of the Bible.
Thank You for continuing to speak to us today.
May our faith grow as we hear the Word of God.
Help us to read our Bibles every day.
Help us to read all of the Word of God without fear, knowing You have given us all of Scripture and it is useful.
Help us to act on the things we read in Your Word.
We love you, Jesus.
Amen.
Pulling out an oldies tune...
Many blessings,
Kathy Ann
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