October 19, 2008

Internet Cafe Devotion


"Sweet as Honey"

“How sweet are your words to my taste, 
sweeter than honey to my mouth! “
Psalm 119: 103 


The Psalmist speaks of the many blessing that come from studying God’s Word. He describes the Word as honey, which sounds so wonderful. There is nothing like golden honey on a hot biscuit fresh out of the oven. It makes me hungry just thinking about it. This is how the Psalmist felt about God’s Word. He loved its taste, found that it nourished and regenerated his soul, and had grown to love it to the point where he savored it like honey in his mouth.  

I remember when His Word first began to taste sweet. I was working full time and began to notice increased difficulty in putting my Bible down in the morning in order to get ready for work. I had to be at work at 9:00 am and would have to dress and feed our disabled daughter and myself. I had made my commitment to God to spend time each day in prayer and Bible study for the rest of my life and was beginning to grow closer to Him. This closeness became evident when it was so hard to end my time with Him in the morning. I began getting up earlier each morning to have more time with Him, but still ended each study saying, “God, I am so sorry I have to leave for work now. You know I love you and wish I could spend all morning with you, but I have to go. I love you. Good bye.”  

Satan doesn’t want you to have a taste of God’s Word. He knows that if you have one drop, you’ll want more. He also knows that as it nourishes you, it weakens him. He will tell you that you don’t need it, or have the capability to understand it, but don’t believe these lies. God wrote His Word for you and through the power of the Holy Spirit, He will make it possible for you to understand it. You deserve to read, know, and understand God’s Holy Word because it was written for you!

We know God’s Word is like honey and if we get a little of it, we will want more. We also know the enemy doesn’t want us to have any of it and battles us every step of the way. So, how are we to begin? We must begin as the Psalmist began, by simply reading it. We read a little each day until we begin to taste the sweetness. Job meditated on God’s Word so much that he treasured it above his daily bread (Job 23:12). Can you say the same thing? It took me years to get to the point where I treasured God’s Word. For quite some time, I read it only out of my commitment to the Lord. As much as I love Him, I didn’t fully understand what I was reading, but because of my commitment, I continued. In return, God honored my efforts by teaching and guiding me all along the way. He taught me even when I didn’t know I was learning. Now that’s a good teacher!

My spiritual lips had acquired a taste and it left me thirsting for more. God, in all His love and mercy, honored my thirst for Him by eventually bringing me home to speak, write, and teach His Word through the Olive Leaf Ministries. Now I taste His sweet honey each day until I am full to the brim. He is so gracious when we put Him first. All it took was for me to dedicate time to Him each day and He took care of the rest.

I pray you acquire a taste for the sweetness of God’s Word. Dedicate time every day to taking it in, savoring it, and hiding it in your heart. God will do amazing things when you put Him first in your life every day!

5 comments:

Nichele Lynn said...

Thank you for this Word! And thanks for your visit to my blog! I look forward to reading more from you! I can't wait!!

Cheryl Barker said...

Delight rather than duty... This can be easy for me to get backwards if I'm not careful. Thanks for the reminder, Nancy.

luvmy4sons said...

I have been lax in visiting. I don't know what happened. You got off the list somehow. I was convicted by your post. I remember not wanting to leave my bible time...but my days have been so busy for years and years now. Still have Bible time but it is often with the children. I have many special moments with the Lord day in and day out but that special feeling of not wanting to leave His Word...thanks for the exhortation.

Laurie Ann said...

What a wonderful thing to delight in the Lord. I work full time outside the home and I notice it's getting harder and harder to put the Bible down at 7:15 each morning. Fortunately, I am able to spend time with Him at night as well, now that the nest is empty. Loved this post!

Francine said...

I like how you have said that you were rewarded for your commitment to study God's Word by a desire to delve deeper. And thinking that He teaches us even when we don't know we're learning is awesome. Is this your contest entry? It is a great devo!