3-6-10 "Forget the Chicken Soup"

Mountain View
By Leyla Williams

Forget the Chicken Soup

Forget the Chicken Soup, there is a new recipe for the soul...caffeine. Treat the word of God like your morning cup of joe. Savor the Word. Sip on the Psalms. Pause to let the word of God absorb into your “spiritual nervous system” with a shot of the scripture. You’ll carry the buzz of truth in your inner man all day. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8)...acquire an appetite for the Word so you HAVE to have a “cup” in order to feel settled and ready for your day.

Don’t make reading the word of God complicated. You do not have to be a scholar to enjoy listening to God’s heart as recorded in the Bible. Maybe reading the Bible has escalated into feeling like a gourmet endeavor and so you don’t “get around to it” because it seems like it will be too involved. All our Greek learning has made listening to God’s heart through His word a clinical exercise for many. Stop. Toss out that list for gourmet encounter right now. Jesus is the very expression of the essence of God (Hebrews 1:3) and He set the example of connection as the priority; whether it is in a home, on the lakeside, by a well. He is brimming with vision to impart and hope to invigorate you again; you just need to be still (Psalm 46:10). Qualifying ourselves with works is not going to cut it. Jesus insists that we know Him. “Let the boaster boast about this, that he understands and knows Me.”(Jeremiah 9:24, 2 Corinthians 10:17) “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:23). So cradle your steaming cup and open up to the aroma of the Word.

One recipe: Read until something causes you to want to underline or highlight. Maybe it’s a truth that is pulsing, so alive, so timely. Pause and thank God for that truth. Or, maybe you read something that challenges you. Pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you obey what is being revealed. Or...and this is a fun but overlooked possibility...maybe you’ve hit on a mystery. Don’t pass over it. Single out that verse and start slowly singing it to God. Sing thanks for what you do understand, start singing the parts you don’t understand, and be alert. God intends to disclose His secrets to those that search (Proverbs 25:2). Savor. Let the word start humming in you. Memorize whatever stood out by making a short chorus to the verses and letting the tune of His voice keep you company as you go about your day. Perhaps the same verses will be what you sip on for the next ten days and then you’ll move on. You aren’t in a hurry. God’s got all of eternity.

Leyla Williams is a member of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30 Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org