Fed For A Lifetime

Fed For A Lifetime

You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.

Hebrews 5:12

WHEN I HAD THE IDEA, I didn’t picture a burly Navy SEAL sitting in my lap, but that’s the way it turned out. And you know what they say: “When life gives you a Navy SEAL, feed him like a little baby.”^a

It seems like there are people in every church who complain, “I’m not getting fed in this church.” I have a friend who replies, “There are only two kinds of people who can’t feed themselves—imbeciles and infants. Which one are you?” Pretty harsh, but he makes a point. Pretty quickly, children learn how to feed themselves food, and Christians should learn how to feed themselves spiritually.

That was the point I was making with the Navy SEAL. I was preaching a sermon, and I started with a baby in my arms and fed him. Everyone made “Oh, that’s adorable” faces, and “That baby is so cute in our pastor’s arms” noises. I gave the baby back to his mother and launched into a message on the importance of reading the Bible every day. I told everyone, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.”^b I ended the message by trying to illustrate how wrong it is for people who are no longer spiritual infants to rely on someone else to feed them. I asked for a volunteer and Mr. Navy SEAL raised his hand. The church I pastored in Virginia Beach had a bunch of SEALs, but it hadn’t occurred to me that one would volunteer. He came up, and I asked him to sit in my lap. I had a jar of baby food, and I asked him if I could feed him. And everyone made “Oh, that’s disturbing” faces, and “That muscular man is so awkward in our pastor’s arms” noises.

Is It That Important?

Is it really that important to read the Bible on your own? Yes, it is.

If you go to church weekly, isn’t hearing the sermon enough Bible? No, it isn’t.

It’s critical that we read and study and know and apply the Bible. Why?

• Because we love God and want to experience his love more and more. The Bible is like a letter God wrote to us. Can you imagine receiving love letters from someone and never opening them? The Bible says God is love, and we grow in his love as we read what he’s written to us.
• The Bible also gives us guidance in life. It’s so easy to feel lost or to lose direction. God gave us wisdom in the Bible that provides the direction we need.
• It’s also important to read the Bible consistently because it helps us know what’s true and what’s not.

Studying the Bible is key to spiritual maturity. If you don’t get into God’s Word, I’m not sure you can grow much spiritually.

What Do I Do?

The Bible is a big book. Where do you start, and how do you read it?

I’ve always preferred reading through whole books of the Bible. Some people hunt and peck, but when you go through a book of the Bible you’re getting the whole context of what you’re reading. You understand who wrote it, whom it was written to, what issues are being addressed.

I also suggest reading the New Testament before the Old. The Old Testament comes first chronologically, but it’s more challenging to understand because it describes a time more distant from us. When we know the New Testament it helps us to understand the Old. And the New Testament is where we meet Jesus, and it’s all about Jesus.

Before I read, I ask God to speak to me through his Word. I want to read the Bible with a humble spirit and get everything I can out of it.

As I read, I ask three questions.

First, Say what? My problem is that I tend to be in a hurry and can read a chapter of the Bible, then have no idea what I just read. But the Bible is too important for me to skim over. So I slow myself down by asking some “Say what?” questions like “What did it say?” and “What did I learn about God?” and “What did I learn about myself?”

Second, So what? Imagine someone read the same Bible passage you just did, then asked you, “So what? What does this have to do with life today?” What would you answer? What’s the life principle in the passage?

Sometimes this is easy. You read a verse that says, “Do not judge.” What does that mean for today? It means do not judge. Other times it’s not so easy. For instance, there’s a verse in the Bible that says not to eat meat that’s been sacrificed to idols.^c Um, I don’t think they sell that kind of meat at my grocery store, so can I skip that verse? Actually, no, you can’t. With a look at the context and a little digging, you’d discover that in the early days of Christianity there was a debate between two groups. One thought nothing of buying and eating meat that had been sacrificed to the god of another religion. The other felt that doing so was the equivalent of participating in that other religion. The issue was taken to the church leaders, who finally laid down a verdict. They basically said, “Meat that’s been offered to idols is no different than what they put in a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. Why? Because idols aren’t real; they just represent false gods. So it doesn’t offend God that you eat meat that’s been sacrificed to them. But it does offend some people. By eating that meat you are causing them to stumble in their spiritual walk. So just don’t eat it. Be willing to give up your freedom to help others.”

So is there a principle in “Don’t eat meat sacrificed to idols”? Absolutely. And that leads to the last question I ask when I read the Bible.

Third, Now what? This goes beyond the universal lesson to your specific application. How should your life be changed based on what you read? With that verse about not eating meat sacrificed to idols, maybe you feel like it’s okay for you to have a glass of wine with a meal, but you’re having dinner with a friend who’s a recovering alcoholic. This verse would say that you don’t have a drink, because it might cause him to stumble. Or perhaps you have a revealing bathing suit you like to wear sunbathing in the backyard, but you’re going to a pool party with a bunch of guys. This verse would say that you don’t wear the bathing suit, because you know guys tend to have a problem with lust. The Now what? question helps us to apply what we’ve read, and obeying God by applying the Bible is the key to loving God^d and being blessed by him.^e

If you have a Bible, you can feed yourself, and if you do, your life will be changed.

Or . . . I can call you up on stage and shove a spoon of baby food in your mouth, but trust me, you wouldn’t like that.

Now What?

• Read James 1:22-25.
• Say what? What does this passage say about not just reading but applying the Bible to your life? So what? Why do you think applying the Bible is so essential in truly living for God? Now what? What could help you to be more consistent in looking for the “Now What?” and applying it to your life?
• Yesterday you read the story of the guy who prayed by pulling up a chair and picturing Jesus sitting in it. Why don’t you try that today? Picture Jesus sitting next to you and talk to him as if he were your best friend (because he is).