Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man must not live only on bread. He must also live on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Today’s verses come at the tail end of a 40 day trip Jesus took into the desert to fast and pray as He began His ministry on Earth. Needless to say, at the end of those 40 days…Jesus was pretty hungry! His body was weak and worn from a lack of food when the devil came and tempted him to turn stones into bread. But Jesus recognized what really has the power to sustain us, even more so than food… the Word of God.
Jesus’ words are a good reminder for us too. When life hits us hard and we are weary, weak, and worn, there are hundreds of things we can turn to in an effort to ease the pain, frustration, fear or anger that we experience. Food, drugs, shopping, social media, friends, and counselors are just a few of our coping mechanisms. Some of our ways of coping are even good things, but on their own, they lack the power to sustain us long term. They aren’t enough. We need more…we need the Word of God in our lives, too.
Scripture creates a depth of sustenance that cannot be matched by any other thing. It has the power to bring wisdom and wholeness to our lives, but in order for it to have any effect at all we need to be intentional about taking it in – seeking it out. This week, be intentional about spending time in God’s Word. If you don’t have a regular practice of reading the Bible, aim to spend 5 minutes each day digging into God’s Word. Check out bible.com for a reading plan if you don’t know where to start. If you have a regular practice, challenge yourself to not just read, but to study God’s Word. Go ahead and feast on it! Allow it to fill you and renew you.
