Become a Scripture Junkie

or Habit #3: Spend Time in Scripture Daily

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." -Proverbs 31:30 ... "She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue."  Proverbs 31:26

According to Eugene Merrill, the definition of "fear" in the Old Testament's Hebrew ranges from "mild easiness" to "stark terror" and a special nuance created within the bible seems to convey "reverential awe" or "worshipful respect".  Baker's Evangelical Dictionary.  While I believe Christians should "fear God" in all of its definitions, today I approach the woman who "fears the Lord" from the "reverential awe" or "worshipful respect" definition.

"Fear of God also lies at the heart of successful living in the world.  Wisdom literature makes it clear that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, a fear equated with "Knowledge of the Holy One" (Prov. 9:10, Psalm 111:10).  To fear God is to know Him and to know Him is to fear Him."  Baker's Evangelical Dictionary  So, how do we know God?  I cannot think of a better place to begin, than by immersing ourselves in His word.

 

 

"Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation" --1 Peter 2:2

Today, this verse hits me like a dart between the eyes - maybe because with a seven month old, my body remains exhausted from my newborn's longing for milk.  Even after so many months, I often feel that I am a slave to the milk supply - it determines what I eat (not too spicy, limited caffeine, avoid aspartame ...), how much I eat (enough to produce milk), when I work and when I play (sometime between feedings/pumpings) and when I rest (bedtime must be after the last feed/pump, and wake time must be close to the first feeding). 

Whew!  All of this because my baby longs, yearns, aches and even demands milk throughout the day, several times a day without ceasing.  She behaves like a "milk junkie", screaming and shaking when her supply is low.  She cannot survive without it.  My newborn's milk nourishes her with every vitamin, protein, even the fluids she needs daily. 

Milk brings her nourishment, yes, but it brings with it much more than that.  In times of hardship (sickness or other discomfort) or in times of growth, she yearns for it more often and demands an even greater supply.  A newborn's milk gives her comfort in times of trouble, warmth in times of cold, protection from diseases/infections, and when feeding from the mother, it even satisfies her desire for human contact and bonding.*

Peter uses this longing that a newborn has for mother's milk to describe the longing that we as believers should have for God's word.  We should yearn to be in His word constantly, for we cannot survive against the world without it.  His word should sustain us daily.  It should be the first source of comfort in times of hardship.  For His word connects us to Him, partly satisfying our desire to bond with Him.  Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."   Knowing the scriptures gives us direction, and protects us from distractions trying to pull us off course.

As C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity:  "If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them."  The only way to get close to God, to have an intimate relationship with Him, is by living in His word.

This is a recommitment, and one I'm sure I'll make again and again as often in life, we allow time-pressures and other distractions to pull us away from this foundational activity.  I, for one, let other priorities take precedence over spending time with God in a faulty attempt at life balance.  When I know that my life only truly will be balanced when my time with God is first priority.  As C.S. Lewis also writes in The Screwtape Letters (his imagined account of conversations between two demons tasked with securing the demise of their human "patients"),

"Screwtape offers ways to cleverly exploit the Patient's dry spell:
...there is an even better way of exploiting the trough; I mean through the patient's own thoughts about it.  As always, the first step is to keep knowledge out of his mind ... keep him out of the way of experienced Christians ... Talk to him about 'moderation in all things'.  If you can once get him to the point of thinking that 'religion is all very well up to a point', you can feel quite happy about his soul.  A moderated religion is as good for us as no religion at all - and more amusing."

Over these next few weeks, I commit to making a habit of immersing myself in His word first thing each morning.  I will not let distractions, or skewed priorities or other forces keep this knowledge of God "out of my mind". 

If you are looking for a guide to immersing yourself in scripture, this is a wonderful place to start.  One Year Bible.  It gives a little bit of the Old Testament, a little of the New, a Psalm and Proverb for each day.  (If it's a little too overwhelming, start with just the Psalm and the Proverb.)




*My source for the benefits of breastfeeding is my pediatrician's recommended website, Benefits of Breastfeeding Accd to HealthyChildren.org