Eat to Live!

My schedule had gotten pretty busy lately, and I started to realize that I was not reading and studying Scripture the way I should have been. But I want to live better according to the way our Lord would have me live, and this verse comes to mind:

“But he answered, “‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”” (Matthew 4:4 ESV)

Here, Jesus, our Lord, is responding to the devil’s temptation to turn stones into bread to feed his flesh, that is hungry. But he responds by quoting the Old Testament verse Deuteronomy 8:3.

So yes, we are to live on bread, or food, but also we need EVERY word that comes from the mouth of God. And as Christians, we believe that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV) So, as the Apostle Paul emphasizes, EVERY word comes from (the mouth of) God.

When we “eat” God’s word, by studying and meditating on it, we find that is is sooo good, and sooo sweet! Ezekiel had a vision that describes this:

“And he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.’ So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.’ Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.” (Ezekiel 3:1-3 ESV)

Psalm 119:103 also elaborates:

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (ESV)

So I’m going to make more of a concerted effort to study, know and apply the word of God and follow King David’s advice:

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8 NIV)

And I invite you, if you haven’t yet done so, to do it too. Our lives will be better for it.