Eat the Book, Savor its Sweetness, Speak its Message

I haven't done this in a while, so bear with me.

The following comes from a devotion I shared during my last meeting as a member of the Illinois Baptist State Association Board of Directors.  I have just finished my second of two three year terms.

I want to share a passage of Scripture with you today that came up in my daily Bible reading yesterday.  It is from Ezekiel chapter 3.  Now, every year I get a little anxious when I come to Ezekiel.  There is so much in that book that I do not understand, yet.  So, when I come to a portion that seems crystal clear, I am especially excited and encouraged.  It is one of those crystal clear passages that I want to share with you today.

1Then He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." 2So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. 3He said to me, "Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you." Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.

4Then He said to me, "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.        -Ezekiel 3:1-4

Three things seem quite clear in this passage:

• Eat the Book.
• Savor its Sweetness.
• Speak its Message.

That sounds like a pretty good formula for ministry to me.  Eat the Book, Savor its Sweetness, Speak its Message.  Often, however, I find that at least one of those areas is lacking or lagging behind in my life.  I want us to consider what area(s) might be lacking in our lives together.

To be honest, right now I am struggling with Savoring its Sweetness.  It is easy for ministry to become very mechanical.  Eat the Book then Speak its Message...Day in and day out...Rinse and repeat.  This passage in Ezekiel has reminded me that I need to slow down and Savor the Sweetness every day.  I want to enjoy what God is revealing of Himself in His Word.  I want to delight in it so that I can say along with Ezekiel, "Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth."

As I look around our church I see people who struggle in different ways.  I see some who are regularly Eating the Book, and I believe they are Savoring its Sweetness, but they have no inclination to Speak its Message.  They are constantly being filled, but never pouring out.  That is not a good place to be.  I encourage you to look for and seize opportunities to Speak the Message as you go about your day.

Maybe the saddest thing I notice, however, is that there are many who seem to have no desire to Eat the Book at all.  Whatever excuse is given, they do not read, do not study, do not meditate, do not memorize God's Word with any regularity at all.  This is especially astonishing, given the fact that God has graciously provided us with unprecedented access to His Word.  Many of us have multiple translations of the Bible at our fingertips- downloaded onto our phones which are always at hand.  This is especially troublesome becuase we know that we have brothers and sisters scattered across the globe who are starving for the Book, but do not have access to it.  While they franticly search and even risk thier lives to get their hands on a portion of the Book that they can eat, we neglect and ignore the feast that is spread out before us.  Friends, it should not be this way.

So, this week, I hope you will give yourself to the process described in Ezekiel 3.  Eat the Book, Savor its Sweetness, and Speak its Message.