November 13                                  Ps 127 - 132

SPIRITUAL FEEDING

MEMORIZE: 'Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.' (2 Tim 2:15)
READ: 2 Timothy 2:14-18

'But he answered and said, "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" ' (Matt 4:4).

The human body requires bread - that is, food to grow. To be healthy, you cannot eat once a week and expect it to go well with your body. It is the same spiritually. The word of God is food for your soul. To grow spiritually requires more than the occasional Bible study or weekly Sunday sermon. You have to feed properly on God's word for healthy growth.

'Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth' (2 Tim 2:15).

To study means to go beyond browsing on the surface when you read. It means to dig deep. You must be ready to compare Bible passages, look at the root meaning of certain words in the original Greek or Hebrew; consult other Bible aids such as a concordance, Bible commentaries and maps. You need to look deeply into Scripture, because there are hidden meanings beyond what you see on the surface. 'The letter killeth but the spirit gives life.' Also if you do not properly study a scripture, the devil with his knowledge of the same scripture may quote it upside down with the aim of misleading you (Matt 4:5-6).

If there was anyone who knew the Scripture it was Jesus Christ, our Lord. In fact, he is called the word of God (John 1:1). From childhood he had learned God's word. If there was anyone Satan should not quote the Bible to, it was our Lord. Yet Satan came with his schemes to misquote the word of God to the Word Himself. This shows clearly why you have to know your Bible very well. You should study God's word to the point that heaven (not necessarily man) will give you a certificate of approval. Your soul needs the word. How often do you feed it?

ACTION POINT
Ask God to feed you with his heavenly manna
And to impart his life to you each time you study his word.