Tag: Romans 10:9

Easy to Swallow But Hard to Digest

The word of God is easier to swallow than to digest. Revelation 10:9 says, “So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” NASB

I can speak the words of the Bible with eloquence and say I love God with all my heart without letting His Word become part of who I am. It truly does make my stomach bitter if I allow it to go deeply into my heart and soul. It’s the same premise as talking the talk but not walking the walk.

Speaking and reading are important when it comes to getting a taste of God’s Word, but like the food I eat to nourish my body, it must be digested if I am to get the nourishment God has in mind for me. My will often counteracts His, and that’s where the bitterness comes in to play. Food must be absorbed before it can be used by my body. The same is true for God’s Word.

I can take the scriptures and pick out the verses that please me, and I can even take them and use them to prove my point and justify my will. No one knows the scriptures better than Satan, and he helps me find what I need and use it to suit my purposes if I yield to the easier path and keep God’s words in my mouth. God asks that I take His Word as a whole meal which isn’t meant to satisfy my needs but to grow me into the disciple He wants me to be.

I love the scriptures, and they do sound sweet on my lips, but I prefer to swallow and let them settle deeply in my heart. There is nothing better for healing the body than bitter herbs which stimulate everything from my liver to my mind. The same is true for God’s Word. Bitter isn’t bad when it comes to healing; it’s necessary. The sweet taste in the mouth is important too. I have to swallow God’s Word and those bitter herbs before they can begin to heal what ails me.

I love God’s Word, but it goes deeply and tastes bitter when my heart and soul are ailing. There is no greater medicine, and Christ’s precious love sweetens it enough for me to get it past my lips and into my heart. The Holy Spirit helps me digest and discern it in a way that heals and prepares my heart for God’s will. It’s an amazing process that heals as no other medicine in this world.

Photo from The Emmanuel Fellowship Church Weblog
Photo from The Emmanuel Fellowship Church Weblog

From Premises to Promises

Premises is only a letter away from promises, but there is a world of difference between the two. The definitions for premises are:

“land and buildings; a piece of land and the buildings on it; part or all of building; a building or part of a building, especially when used for commercial purposes; matters previously mentioned; matters previously stated or referred to in a legal document such as a deed.”

I’ve depended upon premises far more than promises in my life, but I’m learning that God’s promises pave the path in His kingdom. Walking in God’s kingdom is walking on those sweet promises in a way that changes everything. God’s promises are the heart of His Word, and here are a few favorites that bless me:

2 Peter 1:4 (NASB)

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB)

“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

Matthew 11:28-29 (NASB)

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Isaiah 40:29-31 (NASB)

“He gives strength to the weary,
 And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired,
 And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the Lord 
Will gain new strength;
 They will mount up with wings like eagles,
 They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”

Philippians 4:19 (NASB)

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:37-39 (NASB)

“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Proverbs 1:33 (NASB)

“But he who listens to me shall live securely
 And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

John 14:27 (NASB)

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

Romans 10:9 (NASB)

“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

Romans 6:23 (NASB)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There are many more promises in God’s Word, and they each give me the strength and courage to walk in His kingdom with a new vigor knowing that the road upon which I walk has been paved and sealed with Christ’s precious love. His love fulfills God’s promises in a way that allows me to enter His kingdom and walk with the assurance that His promises never fail.

I can stray from the path or turn around if I chose; but if I follow Christ’s voice of love and stay on the path He’s prepared, God will take me where I cannot go alone. He does not promise that the path will be easy, but He does promise that it will lead to joy if I obey and keep on walking even when I can’t see or don’t understand where He’s taking me. He gives me a great Guide in the Holy Spirit and faithful friends to hear my heart and share the journey:)

God’s kingdom now isn’t a field of flowers or a lush tropical paradise. God’s kingdom is a beautiful field ripe and ready to be harvested. When I’m ripe and ready myself, I can begin to walk in a way that helps with His harvest.

“And He was saying to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'” Luke 10:2 NASB

God's Harvest