At last year’s Worldwide Convention in Bangor, Sue Trenier spoke about her work as a missionary in Papua.For 25 yrs she had worked translating the Bible for the Hupla people.She showed a video of the great celebration on the day this tribal people received the completed translation of God’s Word.
There was dancing & feasting & drums. And tears of joy. Overwhelming joy & uncontrollable delight at having God’s Word in their own heart language.
My eyes brimmed.When was the last time I had expressed uncontainable joy about God’s Word?
There were also tears as Sue recounted going into a Christian Bookshop here & seeing the Bible in so many translations while it’s estimated that 1.5 billion people are still waiting for the Bible in their own language.
The Bible is a truly precious book:
‘The words of the Bible are the very words of God our Creator speaking to us. They are completely truthful; they are pure; they are powerful; and they are wise and righteous. We should read these words with reverence and awe, and with joy and delight.Through these words God gives us eternal life, and daily nourishes our spiritual lives.
(Preface to Daily Devotional New Testament)
I needed to read that again to let the truth sink in.
I have the very Word of God in several translations in my bedroom- yet how often I do not see this as the Treasure that it is! Being honest, I often choose to read Facebook newsfeeds or emails instead.
Yet,God has given us this amazing life-changing gift for our spiritual transformation & health.
In my New Year mindset I’m determined to get healthier & run more. My ASICS trainers are already pounding pavements & trails.
The brand ASICS is an acronym for the phrase ‘anima sana in corpore sano’ It means a ‘healthy soul in a healthy body’
That sounds like idyllic perfection! But it’s not a new concept. In the New Testament John wrote:
‘I pray that you may prosper in every way and that your body may keep well, even as I know your soul keeps well and prospers’ (3 John 3-AMP)
CS Lewis said,‘You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body’
Our bodies are our outer wrapping- our souls are the very essence of our being.
Just as we look after our bodies, we need to feed our souls.
How do we nourish our souls?
Psalm 1 mentions those ‘whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night’ (v2)
‘That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.’(v3)
What a lovely picture of vitality!
If we nourish our souls, our whole lives will flourish from the core of who we are, from who we were created to be!
We need to ‘delight’ in God’s Word- to soak in His truth & replenish our spiritual energy.
Jesus said in John 15, “Remain in Me” or “Abide in me” –like the vine & its branches. Staying close to God is the key to a healthy soul.
Close to Him, our soul flourishes & we are vibrant & fruitful.
Apart from Him, we can do nothing- like a dry twig- separate from the main plant.
We can make our own individual choices for a healthy body, but a healthy soul comes from abiding in Him & finding true rest there.
‘Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.’
(1 Peter 2:2-3 NLT)
How often I’m content with ‘junk food’ (eg reading Christian books or blogposts)rather than ‘pure milk’ of God’s Word itself. I am distracted.
‘We can become so unfocused in life that we get lost in the unforgiving wheel of daily tasks & fail to listen to the voice of Christ. We fail to pray/fail to see him as intently listening & drawing near to us. God feels distant because we are distracted. Yet he seeks us’ (Reinke)
God wants to meet with us & shape us .
He wants us to truly be there {undistracted} when we read & enjoy spending time with the Author
Whatever plan or devotional we’re using this year, God wants us to slow down enough to hear Him speak into our lives,to allow Him to minister to our soul.
Spending time with God & His Word can have eternal impact on our daily lives.
‘By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back from living by your righteous order. Everything’s falling apart on me, GOD; put me together again with your Word.’
(Psalm 119:105-106 MSG)
‘Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.’
(2 Timothy 3:14-17 MSG)
Blessings,
Ruth x
PS
I found these posts helpful {though I know there’s no substitute for just reading the Word!}
What God can do in our daily devotions
Deep Bible Reading Strategies for the tired & busy
Blessed! 