We are commanded to grow in the knowledge of the Lord (1st Peter 2:1-2; 2nd Peter 3:18, etc.) This means that our spiritual growth is expected, and it is a discipline. As a believer I see the impact of a daily, disciplined pursuit of the Lord in the Word, and I know the effects of not doing this. As a pastor I see the same in the lives of those I am honored to shepherd as well.
Many times, people are concerned that the Lord is not near to them or are frustrated that some sin clings closely to them and overtakes them far more often than they have victory over it. What is consistent in those situations is an inconsistency in a daily intake of the Word of God. It is not that merely reading the Bible as an act is, in itself, transformative.
However, it is the daily discipline of having our affections shaped by the Word where something powerful begins to emerge: our transforming minds lead to a transforming of our passions. No one wins the battle for the Lord and against sin unless and until their passions are shaped towards the Lord by the Word. We do not give much attention to our affections and it is for this reason that we lack spiritual growth. Spiritual growth is the fruit that grows out of a heart that is learning to long for God above all else.
I was reading just this morning Moses' words to people of Israel in Deuteronomy 4:9,15 and 23 where the Lord commands them to watch over their souls and lives lest they forget what the Lord has done for them and His covenant. This was a call to fight to preserve passion for the Lord. It was a call to tame the passions that lead us to forget God and to unleash the spiritual passions to love and remember Him. We cannot grow spiritually until and unless our passions are directed towards the Lord because spiritual growth is the fruit of love for the Lord. Jesus tells us in John 6
54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the
last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh
and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live
because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.
In these verses Jesus uses the phrase “whoever feeds on my flesh… me” three times. Jesus wants to focus us in on the reality that feeding on him provides spiritual benefits and that to not be feeding on Him is to make a choice to reject those benefits. In the context Jesus is speaking of Himself as the Bread of Life, the source of heavenly nourishment for the souls of the world. Whoever believes in Him, which is the same as feeding on Him, will have eternal life (v54) and will live (57).
It must be understood that, for Jesus, to possess eternal life impacts our living in this world. Those who are saved (who have eternal life) will have lives that are active expressions of love for the Lord because the love of God has and is changing them. But none of these things happens (eternal life and living) without feeding on Him and we feed on the Lord by feeding on the Word; by daily eating from the table of His heavenly buffet designed to satisfy our every longing and desire. This is why Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35).
The promise is that those who come to the Lord (believe and feeding on Him) will never hunger again. In other words, when we are constantly feeding on the Word our desires for the things of the world begin to dim. Our hunger for those things that used to be our "go to" for peace, comfort and satisfaction are now eclipsed by the increased desire we are feeling for the Lord because we are feeding on His Word. These words of Jesus should cause us to reassess our lack of desire for and prioritization of the Word since, if we are in Him but are not desiring Him, we are not in a healthy place. It is not because the banquet has not been set before us. Rather, it is because we are full on the world and our flesh such that we have no appetite for Him.
Yet, our only hope is not to wait for Him to spark some love into us. Our only hope is to fan the dying flame in our hearts by heaping logs of the Word on the fire so that it does not die out. In other words, our only way back to a lively soul is to jump into the Word against the grain of our natural feelings. Feeding on Jesus is our responsibility and feeding on Jesus is the only source of revival in our hearts and passions even when we do not feel like it.
The other evening my soul was feeling challenged...tested. I cannot state what it was only that I felt the weight of something seeking to suppress my faith, draw me inward to despair and turn my attention away from Jesus. In that moment I knew the only next step was to get in the Word, which I did. The Lord moved in such a way in that hour that was totally amazing. My despair was destroyed and my anxiety was axed because I was feeding my doubting and anxious heart with the Word.
I don't know a lot of things, but I know this: God wants to meet us in His Word. He wants to love on our souls and speak life over what seems to be dying. He wants to and will change our lives and our circumstances by bending our heart and affections towards Him.
We just need to Feed on the Lord daily