Sweeter than Honey

After we come to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, and He becomes the Lord and Savior of our lives, we will have a desire to grow to know Him more and to love and be obedient to Him. He has called us to “follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). “for [we] were formerly darkness, but now [we] are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light” (Ephesians 5:8). If we are to walk as children of God and as Christ walked, it is important to know how Christ lived; to know the example that He set for us. John 8:29 says that “I [Christ] always do the things that are pleasing to Him [meaning, the Father].”

But how do we know what things are pleasing to our Father? How do we know how we should walk in our day to day life? The only way that we can discover the answers to these questions, is if we spend time reading God’s Word. And not just reading, but actively studying it. “All Scripture is inspired by God [God-breathed] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Scriptures are our guide for how we should live obedient and holy lives before God. It is the only standard for the practice of our faith.

Let’s say that we wanted to be a surgeon, how much time would we spend studying and learning about the human body, equipment, procedures, etc.? What if we simply read other’s thoughts about surgery? Would that be sufficient? What if we skipped all the learning and just went to the hospital and said “I really want to do surgery, so, let me at it.” What do you think the results would be? Do you think that we would be able to proceed accurately? Do you think that the results would be pleasing to the patient? We may appear to want to be a surgeon, but something is missing—the knowledge, wisdom, and experience.

It is the same with our walk with Christ. If we do not know how we are to walk, how can we do the things that are “pleasing to Him”? How can we “walk in the Light” if we do not know how God desires us to live and be? The only way to know the path we are to walk is through studying Scripture and then applying it to our lives. We can read many great men’s writings regarding faith, and all the ‘how-to’ books that fill the Christian catalogs, but these are just like the would-be surgeon reading other’s thoughts and opinions about surgery. Yes, these can be a blessing to the follower of Christ, but they cannot take the place of time spent in Scripture. If we truly desire to love and be obedient to the Lord Jesus, we must take time studying His Word and then applying it to our lives. This should be one of our highest priorities.

Often we say, “Well, I’m just too busy”; “I don’t have enough time”; “You know how life is, I hit the ground running”, etc. My sister often says something like this: “If I have enough time to eat three meals a day, I can make time to spend in God's Word”. How much more important is our spiritual life than our physical? How much time do we take caring for this physical shell, but then not care for the much more important spiritual life?

My prayer for myself, and for you also dear sisters, is that we truly hunger and thirst for our Lord and His Word. That we earnestly desire it. May we like the psalmist be able to exclaim:

“How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! . . .With all my heart have I sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes . . . I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statues; I shall not forget Your Word.”
Psalm 119:103 and 10-16

-Posted by Sarah