Treasured Words
Thy word is a
treasure, riches stored there for me;
And hidden in my heart
so I’ll not sin against thee.
Lord, teach me thy
ways, put thy laws on my lips.
Keep my way pure, let
me stand and not trip.
When I meditate on thy
word, thou givest light
And leadeth down the
path of my heart’s delight.
O Lord, let me never
thy word neglect.
Fill me with truth
till thy light I reflect.
Bon Appetite!
I love dessert! Whether it’s a chocolate fudge brownie and a
dip of vanilla ice cream smothered with hot fudge and caramel sauces or my
favorite cheesecake buried beneath fresh sweet strawberries, I look forward to
a good dessert. I try to resist indulging in them because my figure already
advertises the fact that I love dessert.
However, as tasty as they may be, dessert items are not the healthiest
choice on the restaurant menu.
Sometimes I find myself treating God’s
word like dessert. It’s that extra,
added benefit at the end of an otherwise average day like dessert is the sweet
treat at the end of a meal. After all,
doesn’t Psalm 34:8 tell us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good?” I love to taste God’s word. I can taste God’s word by reading the
scripture verse at the end of an entertaining, one page devotional. That’s like eating dessert. Dessert is often thought of as “comfort food”
used to soothe the rough edges off a bad day.
I can draw comfort from familiar verses and passages of God’s word.
However, just as I cannot live a healthy
life physically by eating only sweets, I cannot live a healthy life spiritually
by just occasionally reading the parts of God’s word that give me a warm
feeling. Sometimes, like eating an
appetizer, I’ll read an excerpt from the Word that should whet my appetite for
more; but I have a tendency to stop after the mozzarella sticks and not go on
to the main course. God’s word is compared to bread (Matt. 4:4) which was a
staple food of the Jewish culture. The
Word should be my mainstay and not just an afterthought or a starter.
God’s word cannot be merely dessert
added as an afterthought or an occasional pleasant flavor. Yes, I enjoy tasting God’s word, but a
dessert portion of it will not sustain my spiritual energy during times of
temptation and trial. I must move to the
place where I can say as Job did, “I have esteemed and treasured up the words
of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12 Amplified Version,
italics mine). I must eat a balanced
diet of all the food groups in order to be physically healthy, and I must eat a
balanced diet of God’s word in order to be spiritually healthy. I challenge you to do the same. Dine on the meat of God’s word while still
enjoying an interesting appetizer or a delicious dessert. I’m hoping this will be your appetizer to a
scrumptious Scripture meal. Bon appetite!
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