Have you ever tried to treat God like a vending machine? Shooting up prayer requests when you need something, and not truly taking time to pray, or to express gratitude for the gifts that we have.
I love a good vending machine, but the thing about them is they don’t usually satisfy my hunger like a cooked meal does.
It’s almost like getting spiritually fed from Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram. We see a 30 second feel good clip, or get a quick snapshot of a devotional. Sure, it’s inspiring but it’s not as satisfying as God’s Word. Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper…Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me” (John 15: 1,4). John also tells us that Jesus was the Word and the Word became flesh (John 1:1,14). Intentionally staying connected to the vine or The Word can only be fruitful, and apart from either, we cannot bear true fruit. As believers it’s imperative that we are faithful to do this. We need to be nourished and satisfied, not filled with superficial ingredients that make us feel good for a few moments.
How can we do this? Go to the Word. Read your Bible. Don’t like to read? Download the YouVersion Bible app. It’s free, and it has every version of the Bible that’s out there. It also offers a Scripture of the Day with a video to break it down. On top of all this, it’s packed full of devotionals and challenges to help you get and stay in the Word. Just thinking about the Bible can be a bit overwhelming, intimidating, and difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Start small. Use a daily devotional to walk you through Scripture, find a Bible teacher that you like, go to church, find community, listen to sermons, or listen to Scripture. Start small though. If you read just one chapter a day, you would have 365 chapters finished in a year. If you began in the Old Testament, you’d land somewhere around 2 Chronicles. If you started in the New Testament, you would have it completed before the year was even over, as there are only 260 chapters in the New Testament.
Start small, friends. God will lead you. I can personally attest to the fact that God’s Word is life changing. You cannot read it without being changed. Friends, I challenge you this week to get into The Word of God, and to stay focused on being connected to the vine. Stay connected. Stay full.
Have a good week!
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