“It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ( John 4:4 )
Just as food sustains us physically, the Word of God sustains us spiritually. In Matthew 4:4, Matthew documents what Jesus said when Satan tried to tempt Jesus in the desert. After being in the desert for forty days and nights I can imagine that Jesus was incredibly hungry. A simple loaf of bread would have been a welcome feast for a barren stomach. The devil came to Jesus and tried to tempt our Savior with the idea of turning stone into bread. Jesus replied to him saying, “It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus points to the truth that just as we need food to walk and perform daily, we also need to make God’s word a part of our daily sustenance. It is a daily diet of God’s word that feeds us spiritually, which is far more important than a loaf of bread or a plate of lasagna.
Personal Reflection:
Are you making a diet of time in God’s Word a priority in your life? If not, what could it look like to start your day with five minutes alone with your Savior reading his love letter to you? If you already do, are you being intentional to make the most of your time with Him and putting distractions to the side?
Personal Application:
Don’t know where to start reading? The book of Proverbs is full of heavenly wisdom. It offers biblical instruction to help and guide us in our daily lives. The quickness of each verse also make it an easy read. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs. Simply read a chapter a day. It’s a great book to start, to create a daily routine. There are also numerous guides online that can show you a directed path to read through the Word. These are great ways to stay on course with daily time in God’s Word.
Try this – read a chapter today and see how it will apply to something in your day today. Watch for it and share with someone what happens! Next read the next chapter and see how it applies to that day. I think you’re going to see a trend and you’re going to want to keep reading it every day.
Spending daily time in God’s Word is important, but it shouldn’t be something you do to check off your list. Devoted time in the scriptures, absorbing what our Heavenly Father wrote sustains us, just as food does. Spend some time in prayer and whole-heartedly ask the Holy Spirit to instill in you the desire to feed daily on His Word. When we do, He is faithful.
