ARE WE TASTING OR CONSUMING?

Most of us know the difference between tasting food and eating a full meal.

A taste tells us what something is like. A meal nourishes us, strengthens us, and satisfies our hunger.

Spiritually, the same thing can happen.

Many people are content to sample God's Word. They hear a short sermon on Sunday, read a Bible verse on social media, or listen to a brief devotional. They get a taste of God's truth, but they never sit down and feast on His Word for themselves.

God never intended His people to live on samples.

When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)

Just as our bodies cannot survive on an occasional snack, our souls cannot thrive on an occasional verse. We need God's Word every day. It feeds our faith, corrects our thinking, and teaches us how to live.

Peter understood this when he wrote, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” (1 Peter 2:2)

Notice that Peter doesn't tell us to admire God's Word. He tells us to long for it. A healthy appetite is evidence of healthy life. Just as a growing child desires nourishment, a growing believer desires the Scriptures.

Jesus took this even further when He declared, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” (John 6:35)

Christ is not something to sample. He is our life. To believe in Him is to depend on Him completely and to allow His Word to shape every part of who we are.

But there is another step that many people overlook.

James writes, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” (James 1:22)

It is possible to hear God's Word without allowing it to change us. We may know Bible stories, quote verses, and attend church faithfully, yet never let God's truth transform our hearts. Consuming God's Word means more than reading it. It means believing it, obeying it, and allowing it to direct our lives.

The psalmist describes the blessed man as one whose “delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:2)

That is the picture of someone who is consuming God's Word, not merely tasting it. His life is rooted in Scripture, and because of that, he grows strong and bears fruit.

So let me ask you a simple question.

Are you merely tasting God's Word, or are you consuming it?

A sample may satisfy your curiosity for a moment.

Only a steady diet of God's truth will nourish your soul and help you grow into the person He wants you to become.

________________________________________________________________________

“What I write is not for everyone, but what I write is meant for someone.” – Dean Butler

This work may be shared for ministry or personal use, but please credit the author when doing so. © Dean Butler  | The Other Side of Amen | All rights reserved.