Consuming Words

Ezek 3:1-10 The voice said to me, "Son of man, eat what I am giving you – eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. "Eat it all," he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey. Then he said, "Son of man, go to the people of Israel with my messages. I am not sending you to some foreign people whose language you cannot understand. No, I am not sending you to people with strange and difficult speech. If I did, they would listen! I am sending you to the people of Israel, but they won't listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn. But look, I have made you as hard and stubborn as they are. I have made your forehead as hard as the hardest rock! So don't be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are such rebels." Then he added, "Son of Man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. Then go to your people in exile and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says!' Do this whether they listen to you or not."
When we read, speak, write, and hear God's Word on a daily basis, we are consuming the very things of God. When we choose not to include him, we consume the things of Man. In the above passage we see how Ezekiel learned the importance of not only consuming, but digesting the Word of God. God's word makes you stronger in your faith and its wisdom sweetens your life. God wants us to be able to stand against anything or anyone, including those who deny or hate what is right. You don't have to look far to find people who don't share your faith. I find this unbelieving person is myself at times. Just as we see how God gave Ezekiel tough faith ("as hard as the hardest rock"), he wants to give you stability, perserverance, and insight to live up to the task he has given you. When we surrender to his will for our life, the conditioning to get us into shape begins. How hard is your forehead?
I find that when I consume his word, His spirit begins to consume me. Removing the things that don't belong and replacing it with the things that do. Eating His word is a good thing, as found in Ps 34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Our Lord is offering an invitation to "try this, I know you will like it." We must allow the Holy Spirit to go deep into our heart, so that we may be prepared to share the Gospel with everyone. I have learned he will give you not only the words to speak, but provide the opportunity and person when you press in to hear his gentle whisper. All of this eating and digesting daily is a lesson in obedience. It is up to us to choose Him over ourselves each morning as we take that first step. Does your daily diet include God's Word?
I asked God to give me a passage from the New Testament that related to all this consuming. Here is what I received. Read John 6:53-58.
Just as God told Ezekiel to eat his word, Jesus instructs us "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you" (John 6:53). His flesh and blood are true. We are told by Christ to feed on him so that we may have eternal life. Christ, being the Word of God, provides exactly what we need to remain in him and to do his will. I encourage you to taste and see exactly what God has for you. Chew on it awhile and see if it is not as sweet as honey. Ask God to strengthen you as His Word goes deep into your heart and begins to restore and transform you into his delight. Will you join me today in eating some bread of life?
Lord, thank you for your son Jesus, the Word of God. Give us an appetite for the things of your spirit. Begin the conditioning in us today so that we may be hard and stubborn in faith as Ezekiel. Amen
Still Desperate for Him!
Michael