Part Five: Nourishment

Why does it seem that so many people have forgotten how to love? Why are so many people stagnant in their faith? A person can have a life-altering point of experiencing Christ, but over time, if that relationship is not nourished it can wither down until it lacks joy, faith, and the fullness of life. Maybe you're someone who makes time for the Lord and His Word daily. What does it feel like when you miss a day? If I miss a quiet time with God, it takes a toll on my attitude, thoughts, actions, and emotions. The opposite is true though; making time for God sets the outlook for the rest of my day. It's so easy to push God aside and not make time for Him. If we aren't taking Him in daily, we won't be able to overflow with the love He has given us. We can't teach if we don't learn, and we can't share if we aren't receiving.

Water and sunlight are the necessities for plants to grow, but what if a plant simply refused to take in nourishment? If one of my flowers in the front yard said, 'Sorry, but today I don't have time to be watered', I would be first, shocked to the core to see a plant speaking, but I'd also be sad, because I know that without a consistent intake of water the flower would wither and die. It wouldn't reach it's full potential of blooming into a beautiful flower as I would hope it to.

The Bible is our nourishment. A quote I once saw on Pinterest (not exactly scholarly but still holds to be true) says, 'The Word is not cake for special occasions. It is bread for daily use'. I couldn't agree more! When we consistently intake scripture, it becomes embedded on our hearts and minds. It's so easy to say, 'Oh, I don't have time to sit and read my Bible today'. When we read from God's Word we know more about the nature of Christ, which helps us to become more like Him and abound in His love. Philippians 1:9-11 reads, 'And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ Jesus-to the glory and praise of God'. The potential that God has for us is to live in His love, but how can we do that if we do not know Him? What better way to know Him than to spend time with the promises He has given us through scripture? Ephesians chapter six tells us to put on the full armor of God, describing the Word as the 'sword of the Spirit', which helps us to take our stand against the Devil's schemes. The Word helps us to conquer the things of this world. Why wouldn't we want to read it all the time? It's got all the answers. There is such life and power in scripture. So often we complain about how our lives are going wrong and worry because we don't know what to do (guilty, I do this way too often!), but a simple truth is that God has not given us these lives without direction. He's given us instructions on what is right and a manual on how to navigate the crazy things of this life. We should want to do more than just read it. We should want to dwell on it!