For a while this summer, we saw no hummingbird visitors at our feeder. We wondered whether, with more flowers in bloom, perhaps the "hummers" did not need the feeder. When my husband climbed the ladder to bring the feeder in to refill it, he found a wasps' nest tucked under the eaves just above the feeder. Hummingbirds avoid wasps. To our delight, within minutes of the wasps' nest disappearing and the refilled feeder going back in place, the hummingbirds returned!

When I watch the hummingbirds as they swoop, dip, sip, reverse, and then dart away, only to return again and again, it reminds me of how we need to feed daily on God's Word to us.

The wasps' nest reminds me of some of the pressures that may keep me away from feeding on God's Word. Here are Bible verses that I use to encourage myself to ignore the wasps' nests that lurk close to personal Bible reading time.

Any day when I dither about whether to make time to read a chapter from the Old Testament and a chapter from the New Testament, I recall this:

Proverbs 4:20-23 – My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don't lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (NLT)

Then I pick up my Bible and open it.

Just as Jesus is God's Word to us in the flesh, so the Bible is God's Word to us in print. I have come to believe that if I give low priority to personal Bible reading, I miss chances to meet with Jesus Christ, the Messiah, God's Son. I took decades to grow into this view, but now, I treasure personal Scripture reading time as a daily visit with the One who values my life even more than I do.

Jesus reminded us how important God's Word is when He said:

Luke 4:4b – Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. (NKJV)

What about you? What priority do you put on personal Bible reading?

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your Word made human in Christ and for our Bibles, Your Word in print. May Your Word penetrate deep into our hearts, so that each of us may live the abundant life that Christ provides. We ask in the name of Jesus, our High Priest in heaven. Amen.

Forward this devotional     Share on Facebook

About the author:

Pat Bell <llebpat@gmail.com>
Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
Send your feedback to the author