“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly.” Colossians 3:16 (NIV)
Just like you need physical food for physical strength, you need spiritual food for spiritual strength. The Bible describes itself as spiritual food—the water, milk, bread, and meat of your spiritual life. It’s everything you need for sustenance.
If you were a construction contractor, you wouldn’t consider sending out a worker who hadn’t eaten anything in two weeks. If you were a commander in the Army, you wouldn’t send a person into battle who hadn’t eaten in a month.
In the same way, you’re not going to have much success in winning the spiritual battles you face if you’re starving to death. To have the strength to accomplish the tasks before you, you need to feed yourself on the spiritual nourishment of God’s Word.
Unlike eating physical food, whenever you feed on God’s Word, you’ll get even hungrier. The more you taste and see how good God is, the more you’ll want!
The Bible says in Colossians 3:16, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly” (NIV). Paul is telling us to let the Bible take up residence in our lives in a rich, profound, and life-giving way.
So how can you feed yourself on the Word of God and allow the Bible to dwell richly in you?
Receive the Word with your ears. Commit to going to church and listening to God’s Word being preached.
Read the Word with your eyes. Just having a Bible in your house is not going to bless your life. You have to have the Bible in your heart, and that starts with reading it.
Research the Word with your hands and mouth. When studying the Word of God, keep a pencil in your hand. Write down what God teaches. Talk with other believers in a small-group setting about what you’re discovering.
Reflect on the Word with your mind. Think about and chew on God’s Word.
Remember the Word with your heart. You’ll rarely have a Bible with you when you need it. Commit God’s Word to memory.
God doesn’t want you to just taste the goodness of his Word. He wants you to feast on it! He wants you to let it transform your life—and that starts with these five steps.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Talk It Over
In what ways have you seen the effects of being spiritually nourished by God’s Word?
Do you write down what God teaches you? What has God most recently taught you? If you haven’t written it down yet, do that now so you won’t forget it.
What spiritual battle are you fighting today? How can you turn to God’s Word for sustenance in that battle?
This devotional © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can’t accomplish hard physical tasks without food. In the same way, you can’t fight spiritual battles without spiritual nourishment. Learn five ways to feed on God’s Word in today’s #DailyHope devotional.
Rick Warren Bio
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book The Purpose Driven Church was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created The PEACE Plan to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at PastorRick.com.
Tags
40 Days in the Word – 2023, God’s Word, Bible Study, Small Groups, Church, Blessing, Choices, Colossians 3
Broadcast Series: 40 Days in the Word – 2023
Sermon Series: 40 Days in the Word (2012)
Sermon: 023607_Integrating God's Word Into My Life
