Are You Fasting or Feasting on God’s Word?

After my wife Kay and I got engaged, we did something unusual: We moved to opposite sides of the world. She moved to Birmingham, Alabama, to work in an inner-city church, and I moved to Nagasaki, Japan, to plant a church. We were separated most of our engagement.

In those days, we didn’t have cell phones. It cost $15 a minute to call Japan, and we were dirt poor. So we only had one alternative: writing letters. We each wrote a letter every day, and receiving hers was the highlight of my day during that time. The moment a love letter arrived, I would tear it open and read it. Then I would reread it and try to read between the lines. I’d underline and memorize portions of it. I was trying to gather every drop of love this woman had for me.

What if we read the Bible—God’s love letter to us—that same way?

If you’re not poring over the Bible, trying to glean every bit of wisdom from it, then you are not fully tasting the banquet that God has prepared for you. Psalm 119:103 says, “How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey” (NLT).

This Bible is full of nourishment—spiritual food that will keep you healthy, and even lots of desserts.

Are you fasting or are you feasting on the Word of God? Keep in mind that going to church once a week and hearing a sermon is not a feast. If you only ate one meal a week, then you wouldn’t grow or be healthy.

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 ESV).

You can only truly taste the sweetness of God’s Word when you are feeding on it every day and letting it saturate your heart and mind.