trbccoffeebreak

“Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.’ So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.” Ezekiel 3:3

How many times do we read a verse in the Bible, agree with it and then move on? The psalmist in Psalm 34:8 tells us to taste and see that the Lord is good. In other words, we need to internalize it. Take it in deep down.

Recently in my personal Bible study, I read 2 Timothy 2:8 “Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach.” (NLT). Something in that verse caught my attention.  Why would Paul describe the gospel, the good news, as Jesus being a descendant of David and being raised from the dead? What happened to dying for our sins, being buried, seated at the right hand of God, etc.? To go deep down, I needed to find out what was happening in Ephesus, which is where Timothy was at the time.

Turns out that in Ephesus, Timothy was dealing with false teachers who were introducing several different heresies in the church; one of which was that Jesus was not the God-Man.  Paul was describing Jesus as a man who was descended from King David; a God would not be descended from a human. At the same time, he described him as being raised from the dead; a mere mortal could not raise himself from the dead and that makes Jesus God.  The Holy Spirit prompted Paul to use those two specific phrases to help Timothy combat the lies being told within the church.

By going deep and tasting the scripture, the application for my life changed from needing to remember that Jesus Christ is the Good News to praising God that Jesus is the God-Man who gave me salvation as no other could do. By tasting the scripture, my soul filled with adoration and brought me closer in my relationship with Jesus.

Sometimes tasting the scripture will be sweet as honey, but it can also turn the stomach sour according to Revelation 10:9. Sometimes, when we taste the scripture, it will point out changes that we need to make in our lives. Either way, we will be nourished as only God can do.

“Father, thank you for giving us your Word. Help us to rely on the Holy Spirit to understand what we read and to apply it to our lives. May your word lead us in a deeper relationship with You.”

For His Glory

Renee Nebergall Pearison
TRBC Women’s Life