If the housekeeper is a wise man he will not enforce a harsh rule, for the quality of the food will greatly influence the standard of observance.
– The Rule of Ailbe, Irish, 7th century[1]
Your words were found, and I ate them,
And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,
O LORD God of hosts.
– Jeremiah 15.16
It’s striking to me the many times in Scripture that the Word of God is compared to food. Jeremiah delighted to eat the Word. Job found it more necessary than real food (Job 23.12). Jesus “fed” on doing the will of God in His Word (Jn. 4.34). John was instructed to eat the Word (Rev. 10.1), and both Peter and Paul encouraged us to depend on the Word as food for growth (1 Pet. 2.1, 2; 1 Cor. 3.1-3). The writer of Hebrews emphatically agreed (Heb. 5.12-14).
Apparently, the Word of God has power, not only to penetrate, cauterize, and cure our souls (Heb. 4.12), but to nurture and strengthen them as well. Growing in the mind of Christ, the heart of God, and the iron will of His Spirit results from a good diet of the Word of God.
But no one can force us, as by some harsh rule, to feast daily on God’s Word. Until we taste the goodness and richness of Scripture and experience its soul-nourishing power, we’ll just let it lie there on the end table, looking good but accomplishing nothing in us.
The “housekeeper” referred to in The Rule of Ailbe is the abbot of the monastery, leader of a group of men committed to following Jesus at all costs. The double entendre implied in this counsel suggests that disciples of the Lord need to be under a rule of discipline, but not one so harsh that it makes the content of discipline—the Word of God, prayer, singing, and so forth—distasteful to those who are under it. A skilled abbot made feeding on the Word such a joy, and helped his monks to know such fruit from their reading and meditation, that the rule of discipline they followed in studying the Word was not onerous in the least, but enjoyable.
We all have a rule of discipline, a set of guidelines that directs, not only our spiritual lives but all our waking moments. But for many of us, that rule—or set of disciplines—may not be as well-defined, or used as regularly or as effectively as we need. We must seek a good working rule of disciplines before the Lord, one that enables us to find delight in submitting to such a regimen. Otherwise, our rule will become a burden, and we’ll simply set it aside.
This is especially true of the Word of God, since the Word is so important to our overall spiritual health and wellbeing.
Jeremiah delighted in the Word of God because he spent so much time in it, hearing God speak, reflecting on His Law, and considering applications of truth to his life and times. He rejoiced to go to the Word each day, doubtless because he had covenanted with the Lord to study and learn according to a particular set of practices and exercises.
Delighting in God’s Word comes from meeting Him there, seeing Him in His glory, hearing Him speak directly into your soul, experiencing His Presence and the work of His Spirit as He transforms you into the image of Jesus Christ. When our time in the Word proceeds like this, we’ll be hungry and ready to go there, to feed as deeply as we can on the living bread, pure milk, and solid food of Scripture.
When people today begin to find delight in God’s Word, we will see the revival of God’s Church. But people do not delight in the Word, or in Christian disciplines of any sort, at least, not very much. Not just laymen but pastors have a difficult time establishing a rule of disciplines that will exercise their souls before the Lord in such a way that real transformation occurs.
Men and brethren, these things ought not be.
We can grow in the Lord and take great joy in the process. But it all begins with establishing a rule we can live with, that will allow us to feed on the Word and Presence of the Lord with delight, so that we are transformed to live a disciplined life of following Jesus.
Have you taken this challenge as your own?
For Reflection
1. Currently, what are the most important disciplines in your life, the ones that bear the most Kingdom fruit?
2. Do you need to become more disciplined in any particular area of your life?
Psalm 119.12-14 (Passion Chorale: O Sacred Head, Now Wounded)
Be blessed, O God our Savior. Teach us Your holy Word!
Our lips proclaim with favor the statutes of the LORD.
How great our joy, dear Jesus, to follow in Your ways.
What more than this could please us, or brighten all our days?
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Disciples are disciplined
Is your every waking moment subject to disciplines that are making you more like Jesus? They can be, and it’s well worth the effort. Write to me and I’ll send you a free copy of our ReVision study, “The Disciplined Life.” This is an excellent tool for personal or group study. Get your copy and share it with your friends. For help in feeding on the Word, order a copy of our book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. It’s available in book form by clicking here or as a free PDF by clicking here.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. May I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe? It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
T. M. Moore
All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[1] Ó Maidín, p. 24.
