Spiritual Food for Spiritual Strength by Rick Warren “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly.” (Colossians 3:16a NIV) Just like you need physical food for physical strength, you need spiritual food for spiritual strength. The Bible describes itself as spiritual food — the water, milk, bread, and meat of our spiritual lives. It’s everything you need for sustenance. If you were a construction contractor, you wouldn’t consider sending out a guy who hadn’t eaten anything in two weeks. If you were a commander in the Army, you wouldn’t send a person into battle who hadn’t eaten in a month. Right? We need to feed ourselves to have the strength to accomplish the tasks ahead of us. You’re not going to have much success in winning the spiritual battles you face if you’re starving yourself to death. That’s why we need to feed ourselves on the Word of God. Unlike eating physical food, whenever I feed on the Word, I get even hungrier. The more I taste and see how good God is, the more I want. The Bible says in Colossians 3:16, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly” (NIV). Paul is telling us to let the Bible take up residence in our lives in a rich, profound, and life-giving way. So how do we feed ourselves on the Word of God and allow that to happen? Receive the Word with your ears. Commit yourself to go to church and listen to God’s Word being preached. Read the Word with your eyes. As I said, having a Bible in your house is not going to bless your life. You have to have the Bible in your heart. Research the Word with your hands and mouth. When studying the Word of God, keep a pencil in your hand. Write down what God teaches. Talk about what you’re discovering with other believers in a small-group environment. Reflect on the Word with your mind. Think about and chew on God’s Word. Remember the Word with your heart. You’ll rarely have a Bible with you when you need it. Commit God’s Word to memory. Talk It Over Are you feeding yourself by following all of the points above, or do you normally just stop after the first? What changes do you need to make in your life so that you are spiritually nourished? Do you write down what God teaches you? What you are memorizing from Scripture? What spiritual battle are you fighting today? Have you turned to God’s Word for sustenance? *** *** *** This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including “The Purpose Driven Church” and “The Purpose Driven Life,” read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional ©2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 11:25:41 +0000
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