Bulking Up on the Word

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." --John 4:34 (NIV)

As much as I enjoy sitting down to a good meal, there are times when I get so engrossed in a particular project (especially writing projects) that I am reluctant to pause long enough to eat. The burst of adrenaline that comes from finding the most suitable synonym is nothing short of a chemical high that makes food seem inconsequential. Nonetheless, I know that unless I properly fuel my body, my brain will not have the necessary nutrients that enable it to unleash creative thoughts.

Just as I need physical food to sustain me, I need spiritual food as well. By feasting regularly on God's word, savoring the passages of scripture that have been penned by the heroes of our faith, I am made stronger. Every word of scripture is inspired by God, which means that every word contained therein is important. God saw fit to urge his prophets, poets, scribes and missionaries, to write down things of lasting value to Christians everywhere.

I have heard is said that a person should feed on God's word until he can burp out scripture. I disagree. Instead of internalizing the contents of the Bible and then spewing them forth as a byproduct of digestion, I want to feed on God's Word in such a way that my spiritual disposition appears stronger and weightier. Just as an athlete would "bulk up" on certain types of foods, I believe that my responsibility as a Christian is to "bulk on" by reading God's Word, then exercising my faith muscles by putting it into practice.

Each of us should do what we can to make use of the spiritual food that God makes available to us on a regular basis. Without being nourished and strengthened by the reading and study of God's Word, we are essentially useless when it comes to sharing our faith. Although we don't need to be completely muscle-bound, we do need to be adequately fed and reasonably fit for the task at hand. Specifically, shining the light of God's Word in a world consumed by darkness.