YOUR DIET DETERMINES YOUR DELIGHT

August 11, 2022

 

Americans are world-class eaters. Some estimates are that the annual expenditure in the United States for all food is $1.1 trillion. We love to eat and go to extraordinary means to consume what we want. Eating provides the nutrition to live, but it’s also a means of satisfaction on a daily basis.

What we don’t realize is that there is a food group we’re missing that is the source of not only the greatest nutritional value but the highest joy. It’s estimated that less than 10% of Americans eat this food daily, even though it’s readily available.

JEREMIAH’S DIET

During a great famine in Israel, the prophet Jeremiah dined daily on this super-food. Others were starving, but not this man of God.

Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16)

Many Biblical writers describe the reading and study of the Word of God as “eating.” This is more than simply reading. It means meditating, digesting, and internalizing until this heavenly food becomes a part of you. It fuels your system and provides nourishment to your soul that cannot be in any other meal.

What most do not realize is that there is nothing else that can bring joy and delight to a heart like God’s Word. Before you argue this point, let me indulge in a personal testimony.

I’ve been seeking to read the Bible through each year since 1970. I’ve often tried to read it more than once a year. The habit that makes this possible is …

• Rising daily whenever He awakens me.
• Prayerfully asking God to open my eyes and ears to His voice, for only He can turn this from humanistic reading to a Divine conversation.
• Reading with a set plan so I will get a well-balanced diet.
• Marking my Bible readily (Spurgeon said a “well-marked Bible is the sign of a well-fed soul”).
• Recording the truths God is showing me.
• Sharing with others throughout the day as often as possible.
• Occasionally taking time to read whole books of the Bible in one sitting.
• Doing more intensive study of a verse or passage when I sense God wants me to take a deep dive to show me more.

I’ve missed many days through the years, but less and less as the years go by, for I now see even more of its value. It’s my greatest regret that I have not simply read the Bible and prayed more.

I’m not saying this to brag—seriously—but to illustrate what I have found personally. Here are some of the results. Hearing God daily through His word gives me ...

• Delight and joy I cannot find elsewhere that is unshakable, regardless of the circumstances.
• Confidence in His power and presence when I need help and strength.
• Assurance when I’m doubting.
• Direction when I’m confused.
• Faith to believe in God amid the toughest situations of life (and there have been many).
• Financial direction and understanding.
• Absolute peace when there is no reasonable explanation for such contentment.
• Thousands of promises for every situation, straight from God’s mouth to my heart.
• The thrill of discovering the wisdom of God, wisdom the world cannot give.
• The humbling joy of knowing some of God’s mind.
• Encouragement when I am fearful and discouraged in the face of daunting tasks and difficult moments.
• The explanation for all that is happening in the world around me.
• The confidence of a coming Kingdom and what I will enjoy there eternally.
• Transformation, both mentally, spiritually, and practically.
• Strength and power to do whatever God asks.
• Everything I need for life and godliness.
• And on and on!

But the greatest joy of reading the Word daily? It is the inestimable privilege of meeting God there. I read not to gain knowledge but to encounter Him who is Life! To hear His voice! To know Him! And, like Jeremiah, to hear God remind me that I am His, and He is mine.

Every day is not as delightful as another. But the cumulative effect is the source of underlying joy and the foundation of my life. Other men may find delight in other things. Many things also bring me great joy, but they are all a distant second to hearing God and eating His words until they become a part of me. Why would I miss a single day?

Father, I’m overwhelmed with joy this morning just thinking of what You have brought me each day that I’ve sought You through Your word and prayer. Forgive me for missing so many days when You were waiting for me! I can never repay You for the honor of walking into Your throne room and finding You there, waiting to give me what I need for the day. I’m overwhelmed by the times You invite me to simply sit in silence with You, just to lean against Your heart. Help me be more faithful there. I look with joy toward the day we will have these talks face-to-face!

 

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