Christians Leak
The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ~Hebrews 4:12 {ESV}
When I first started to seriously memorize Bible verses a few years ago, the first one that I tackled was Hebrews 4:12.
I learned from ingesting this one verse that the Bible wasn’t just stories and familiar verses from Sunday school. It was, it is, so much more.
It is alive.
It comforts, for sure. But it also teaches and strengthens and uncovers my deepest, hidden motives. It produces in me something akin to reformation.
I am changed because of pouring this living, active entity into me. I know it sounds all sci-fi like, but trust me. It’s far more exciting than any man-made fiction!!
Just think on this: When I put it in, I literally thirst for more of it. And guess what? The well that quenches that thirst never runs dry. Say, what?
If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ~John 7:37-39 {ESV}
What book have you ever physically thirsted for more of? Even one that has been a great read cannot continue to satiate forever. Forever, people!!!
But sometimes I suffer with selective amnesia! I convince myself that I’ve had enough of the Bible to get me through today. Then tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, go by. A month passes by when my own oh-so-wise words replace any Bible-time at all.
Sadly, I often don’t even notice until my life has become one big, fat irritation. I annoy easily. I am restless. I discourage easily. It’s a different life, this Bible-less one.
But there’s a truth hidden in all of that!
Are you ready?
Christians leak.
We do.
Our soul leaks out good stuff all the time. The world drains it out of us, sucks it almost completely dry sometimes. Our tank never stays full unless we are constantly dripping more into it.
Jesus concluded the Parable of the Sower by teaching that when our heart, like the soil, is good it will produce fruit when we are patient (i.e., when we are willing to endure the process of learning).
He then teaches this powerful truth:
Take care how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks he has will be taken away. ~Luke 8:18 {ESV}
When we fill up on His Word, we want more. When we are patient to learn, we learn more. If we fill up, Jesus continues to give us even more. (See James 1:2-4 for more on this!)
[tweetshare tweet=”When we fill up on God’s Word, we want more. ~Diane Karchner” username=”Grace_and_Such”]
Conversely, if we let it all leak out, we can try to fool ourselves, try to fake it. But our life will no longer reflect a fullness.
Now to the uncomfortable truth: this filling-up will take time. For me, the ‘ah-has’ don’t come all that quickly. Perhaps I am just thick-headed, or perhaps the time and effort I put into it provides a deeper memory of it. It sticks.
In the world of websites, if a site is ‘sticky’ it means that people want to stay on it, or visit it regularly. I have learned over these past few years that the Bible is the ‘stickiest’ site on the face of the earth but only if you dare to visit it, spend some time in it.
I challenge you to get stuck all up and in it, letting it seep into your heart and clogging up some of your slow leaks as it did mine!!
Dear God, help me to slow down the leak. Instead, give me the patience and the endurance to run the course to understand the truths you have in it for me. Move in my heart to want to stick in your Word, not letting myself get distracted by the things of this world. ~Amen.
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I really enjoyed this, Diane. A wonderful reminder.
The word and it’s powerful perspective has the same affect on my life.
When I choose to spend time reading and meditating on it’s truths, they sink down in. They linger, and my entire day is so much better. Those irritants you speak about, they do puncture the joy when I put my thoughts ahead of His. But thanks be to God, He is 24/7 faithful.
that word you used – ‘puncture’ – is such an apt descriptor of how joy leaks out – like a balloon deflating.
I’ll be praying for more lingering of truth for you…