Bible hunger, like chocolate
My Bible reading is going well so far (I started Isaiah today!), but it has not always been that way. There have been plenty of times when my Bible went unused for longer than I care to tell. Like Martha, I let the cares of the world interfere. Who has time to sit and read when there are diapers, laundry, dirty floors and hungry bellies to care for? Why bother to try when you’re guaranteed an interruption every 20 seconds?
I think the term Bible anorexia is a good one: the less we read, the less we want it. Our health suffers and yet we are less and less motivated to eat what is right before us. It is easy to let our priorities become so skewed that we squeeze out what we don’t really want to accomplish in the first place.
At some point, we simply have to force ourselves to eat what has lost its appeal to us.
But like chocolate and coffee, it seems that the more of God’s Word I devour, the more I crave it. I’m so thankful that good habits can work this way as well as the bad. After nearly 3 months of reading my Bible before I allow myself to get on the computer, I find that even my thought life is shifting in this area. I used to fight the temptation daily and felt that I was, to a certain extent, only going through the motions; but now there is no more struggle. I can’t bring myself to get on the computer without reading my Bible first. I just can’t do it.
I have plenty of other bad habits in my life (hoo boy, let’s not go there…) but I think that this one is thoroughly broken. I’m so thankful for that!
Thank you, LORD, for giving me victory to Your glory in this area. Please, Lord, give me the strength to continue hungering daily for Your Word!
Read Barbara’s Where There is no Hunger for God’s Word for an excellent post on the parallels of our appetite for food and hunger for God’s Word. HT to She Lives.
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Filed under: Bible, Christian living, chocolate
Thank you, thank you for letting me know I am NOT the ONLY one in the world who struggles with this.
If I try to force myself to read it every day, I run away. If I ignore it, it never gets read.
But if I keep in mind that I cannot make it through my day without it, I have a strong desire, a hunger and thirst to read it and let God work in my heart through it.
Thanks again!
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Natalie
Such a wonderful “motivation” the Bible is indeed like that of water - the need is for daily life.
Your journals always inspire - and I can only thank you for the happiness that they bring.
Blessings to all.
I, too, have made Bible reading a priority this year. I am right on track for getting it read in a year. I have been hungry for it every day and that’s a feeling I love and, like you, don’t ever want to lose!
wow that is so true. congrats by the way. I recently broke a bad habit as well. its been 2 months
God Bless
Thanks for your honesty, Kim. This has been a very inspiring series of posts, watching you keep track of your progress.
–from someone still stuck in the Old Testament this go-round
Wow.
Thank you so much for this post. I am motivated to develop some serious hunger!
Yes, Thank you,
Tara