Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by Your Name, O LORD, God of hosts.
Jeremiah 15:16
Each of us has a story to tell. Struggles to share. Hurdles we’ve overcome. Victories God has brought about in our lives. Experiences to learn from. Encouragement to give.
Lately I’ve been struggling to keep up with the blogging world. I am subscribed to many a fantastic blog, receiving encouragement in my spiritual walk, homeschool journey, homemaking endeavors and raising children to follow God. But I cannot keep up with it all. And while I am so blessed to be a part of so many fantastic friends seeking to do the will of God, I have neglected to spend time reading from the One who has the most important words of all – the Word of God.
There is no writer who can have a greater influence in my life than the One who created me and gave me his word so I could eat them and delight in them.
HE is the Greatest Writer in the world.
But if I don’t read the Word, how can I grow in my understanding of who he is and what he wants from me? I am always blessed and challenged by what bloggers write about God’s word, but it never has the same effect as reading it for myself.
And that’s where my priority needs to be. First in the word. And prayer. Everything else is secondary. God’s word needs to be my milk and meat, my light and the fire that burns within me; my sword to fight against the enemy and a mirror to reveal the dirtiness of my heart.
God’s word alone has the power to transform my life. It imparts wisdom to my inmost being, brings joy in my sorrow, kicks out the darkness (if you’ve ever quoted scripture in your darkest moments, you KNOW the power the word has!), brings strength and endurance when I cannot do it on my own (which is always!).
Now that’s not to say that I don’t value what each of you has to say – God calls us to teach and admonish each other to seek Him and to follow hard after him.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which you were called in one body; and be thankful. And let the word of Christ dwell in you RICHLY, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:15-16
But our first priority needs to be food from the Word of God.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Psalm 19:10
How does this play out practically? Well, one of my goals is to have my quiet time finished before I go near the computer – personal bible study and time in prayer needs to come first. I am reading through sections of scripture with accountability with women from church, working on a topical study from YouVersion, and joining in with the Hello Mornings Challenge starting August 20th.
Get into God’s word. PLAN to read it, and do it. Let what God has to say to you permeate your thoughts. Meditate on it. Pray over it. Share it with others.
The most important words you’ll ever read from the greater writer in the world is the Word of God. Eat it up!
