Hungry For The Word

Psalms 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

How is the Word of God for you today?  Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness, do you sincerely desire the guiding counsel of your Heavenly Father?  Does your spiritual sweet tooth long for the milk and meat of God’s Word?

One of the most common questions I am asked as a pastor is “How do I know the will of God for my life?”  I believe that all born again Christians have a longing within them, instilled by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, to discern and live in the center of God’s will.  It seems evident that many in our world have the same desire, as evidenced in pagan and other non-christian religious systems.  So the answer to this question impacts all of our lives.

The popular answer to this question seems to pivot around the way one feels.  They might be told: 

·         If it feels right in your heart then it probably is.

·         If you have a peace of mind about the matter then your okay.

·         If it gives you goose bumps, then God must be working.

The problem with each of these responses, and many other forms of these questions, is that they are based upon our human emotions, feelings and/or our rationalizations.  Each of us need to be reminded that:

 Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

The truth is that God wants you to discover and know His will.  He said:

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

So just how does one discover the will of God?  God says:

Psalms 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

You discover the will of God by hungering and thirsting for the Word of God.  The will of God for probably 95% of the issues you will face in your life (my estimate) are revealed within the passages of God’s never changing Word, the Bible.  All you need to do is read it, study it, meditate upon it, memorize it, and by doing all of these make it an instrumental part of your life.  When you realize that the Bible is not just a mere rule book, or religious myth, and is the living counsel of Almighty God for your life daily, then you will learn to desire it as the Psalmist expressed in our text.

So, How about it?  Is the Word of God like spiritual candy for your soul?  It should be.

Published July 18, 2007

A Response To This Artcle:

Walt,

Thanks for this thought.  In our age, more and more churches are emphasizing the ‘experiential’ side of our faith.  It seems that what the Word says is no longer important, as long as you have a ‘good worship experience’, ‘exhibit the gifts’, etc, etc.  I recently devoured Michael Horton’s book “In the face of God”.  He wrote about 10 years ago warning of the ‘new gnosticism’ which Francis Schaeffer called ‘the new super-spirituality’.  This book was refreshing for me, even though Horton’s theology is a little too Calvinist for me at points.  I hope you’ll find the following quote encouraging.

“Apart from the Word, there is no salvation and no activity of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God’s people.  Where the Word is not rightly preached, the Spirit is not active in power.  It is impossible to have a place in which the Word is preached clearly (as the proclamation of Christ), where the Spirit is absent in his power and saving strength.  It is equally impossible for the Spirit to be actively present if the preaching of Christ is not the central focus.” 

Schaeffer’s booklet ‘The New Super-Spirituality’ was prophetic, warning of ‘Christian’ leaders who would say ‘just believe’ on topics where good apologetics were available.  And not only would they expect blind faith, they would speak the words in an elevated ‘holy’ tone.  Thank the Lord for the things revealed!  He also warned of churches compromising on clearly stated scriptural guidelines, like ignoring ‘unscriptural divorce’ in screening future church leaders.  One of the churches we recently visited, called for deacon nominations, and simply listed 80 ‘qualified’ men.  What was their qualification?  They merely had to have been church members for at least 2 years.  

Brother, my prayer for Crossroads is that we will continue to exhibit the distinguishing mark of not compromising on the ‘revealed things’.  Let us equip the saints with the right ‘head knowledge’, knowing that an orthodox faith is foremost established on the historical fact of Christ’s atonement and resurrection.  I know I am saved because I rest my entire intellectual weight on His completed sacrifice!!  It really doesn’t matter how I felt this morning, last Sunday, or Christmases past.  It doesn’t matter whether I can babble on with unintelligible syllables, wow people with lofty words, or emotion dripping music.

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