quick thoughts on Psalm 1

Anorexia and Bulimia are serious eating disorders. For those of us who have never personally struggled with these disorders, we can never understand the mindset of people who feel compelled to starve themselves or to cause themselves to vomit after eating a meal. Most people don't struggle with these problems, and so this may seem to be a silly problem. The solution to these problems is simple and direct. Eat and don't gag yourself!

Christian, how long has it been since you've read your Bible? Yesterday? Last week in church? A month ago?

How consistent is your focused time reading the Bible? Do you go a long time without reading the Bible and then immerse yourself and try to devour an entire book of the bible, or large chunks at one time?

Do those questions sound similar to anything else? It should. So many Christians are prone to be either biblically bulimic or anorexic while being gluttonous in almost every other area of life (food, entertainment, etc). With problems like this, it is no wonder that modern Christianity is being so diluted and polluted with false teachings.

"He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD." (Deuteronomy 8:3 NASU)

Moses is comparing the very food that we eat to the very word (in this case, the Law) of God. If we do not feed ourselves regularly with the spiritual nourishment that God has so graciously provided, how can we ever expect to be able to be more than simply "existing" while not growing and getting stronger? One could even wonder that if you could go for days, weeks, or months without much or any time devoted to reading the word of God that you may, in fact, not be saved at all.

That being said, there of course is no spiritual requirement for a specific amount of Bible reading in order to receive or maintain salvation, so lest I appear to be legalistic (adding anything to salvation other than grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone), I will explain what I mean. If we are new creations in Christ and born of the Spirit, shouldn't we desire the Word of God? If I can go through life and pay God and His Word less attention than I do trivial and temporal things, it just might be a good sign of where my heart is (see Matthew 6:19-21). Regardless, if we claim allegiance to the King of kings, we ought to know what he wants us to know.

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree {firmly} planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3 NASU)

If we immerse ourselves in the Word, we will have the strength to stand in this fallen world. We will also not be deceived by false doctrines because we have no basis on which to refute them (Ephesians 4:14).