March 1, 2022
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You probably wouldn't think it's any big deal that you could turn over by yourself, or burp yourself, or feed yourself. Hey, but it's a big deal when your grandson starts doing it, and he's kind of new. Yeah, I remember when he was, and that first time he turned over...that was a milestone! In fact, Mom called and said, "I wish you could see him now. He's feeding himself Cheerios!" Yeah, that was another milestone. What? Well, yeah. You know, I guess I was dancing in the streets! I was so happy. Now, see, he had just been studying his hand for months. He would sit there going, ahhhh looking at his hand, flexing those fingers, eventually trying to grab available targets like noses and glasses. But now, boy, he had it together. He was sitting in a high chair with Cheerios on a tray and he was reaching to one of those O's, wrapping his fingers around it, and putting it in his mouth all by himself! And then he smiled and laughed real big. What a guy!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Thrill of Feeding Yourself."
I know I sound like a grandfather, or something else, but the fact is that all of us grownup types know what a big deal the accomplishment of being able to finally feed yourself really is. We know this is the beginning of lots of times that he will do that in his life! Right? He's moved from needing someone else to feed him to being able to feed himself. Did you know God is wishing that some of us would get to that point?
Too many of us depend way too much on getting fed spiritually by somebody else. We're living on the nourishment that's given to us by someone on Christian radio, or TV, or a pastor or youth leader or Bible study leader, some Christian concert, or conference, retreats. And that's all good stuff. But if you've known Jesus for very long, what others feed you should be supplemental to what you're getting directly from God and His Word. That's fundamental.
That's OK for a baby to be fed by someone else in his early days - we expect that. And many new followers of Jesus are really dependent on an older Christian feeding them spiritually. But just like with our grandson, it shouldn't always be that way. Many people who have belonged to Jesus for many years are still kind of babies when it comes to feeding themselves. Listen, it's time now to take this big step toward growing up in God.
You want to be able to get most of what you need spiritually directly from God Himself, especially as He speaks to you personally through His Word, the Bible. You need to know that like if you were marooned on an island, and cut off from every Christian you know and every Christian meeting you attend, you'd be OK spiritually as long as you've got your Bible.
As you sit there with God's words in your lap, there's a special prayer you need to pray. It's in Psalm 119:17-18, and it's our word for today from the Word of God. David says it this way: "I will obey Your word. Open my eyes (I pray this so many times!) that I may see wonderful things in Your law." This is going direct, without anyone between you and God. You ask God to open your eyes to help you see some wonderful things in His Book. Feeding yourself spiritually? Well, it begins when you first set a non-negotiable daily time with the Lord. Then offer Him your heart, offer Him your mind as a blank piece of paper to show you whatever He wants. And ask the Holy Spirit to show you something in your life that you can immediately, that day, apply God's words to. Learn something from God, and then live it that day.
It's really exciting to experience God taking something that's in His heart and planting it in your heart with no one in between. Don't abandon those great opportunities to hear from Him through others, like your pastor, for example. It's great to have a special meal, prepared by someone who really knows how to cook spiritually. But there's no substitute for you opening your Lord's love letter each new day and finding your own personal message from Him.
I remember our grandson got really excited when he finally started feeding himself. And he should. That's an important step in growing into all a child is created to be, especially if you're a child of God.