"How much time are you spending in God's Word?"

This is the first question which my friend, a counselor, asks of the many women who come to her for advice. She finds that the ability to cope with the changing scenes of life is frequently in proportion to the amount of time spent in studying the Bible.

She tells me that patients often say "I read a page in my devotional book every day and it always includes a verse or two of scripture." Other times the answer is, "I make it a practice to read one chapter of the Bible every day." Or, "Every day I read a chapter in the Old Testament, one in the the New and one Psalm." 

While, these practices are wonderful, they may not be enough. It is great to establish the habit of daily scripture reading, but it must be more than just reading words. Otherwise it can easily become an exercise to be done so that we can check it off our "To Do" list. When we read the Word of God, He speaks to us. But it is possible to hear without really listening. In order for His words to be ingrained into the very fabric of our lives, reading must involved study and meditation. 

Those who have plenty of time to read and can study at their leisure are fortunate, but reading time is limited for many of us. There are mothers with toddlers at home, women employed out-side the home, and even those whose eyesight and ability to absorb knowledge are diminishing. It is important, indeed necessary, to daily spend time digesting the Word - even if it can only be for a few minutes. One verse read and meditated upon through the day is sometimes more blessed than a cursory skimming of several chapters hastily read so we can feel we've "had our devotions" for the day. Remember, quality over quantity. 

It is said that meditation is to the soul as chewing is to the body's digestive process. Years ago, a wonderful Bible scholar, Dr. Byron Jackson, taught a class of teenagers in a small church. He was fond of saying, "You young folks need to make it a habit to read your Bible every day. At first, read it as if it were cod-liver oil - you take it because it's good for you. Keep on, and it will become like shredded wheat - dry, but nourishing. If you keep at it, it will become like peaches and cream and you won't be able to get enough of it."

I was one of those teenagers, and I know it is true. God delights when you feed upon His word, and along with the spiritual vitamins, bread, veggies and meat, He always serves dessert. Bon appetite!

~ By Eleanor S. Barzler