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

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]

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). John was instructed to eat it (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.

The “housekeeper” referred to in our quote 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, 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, transforming 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 and pure milk 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 spiritual discipline of any sort, at least, not very much. Not just laymen but pastors have a difficult time establishing a rule of spiritual 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 in ways that delight and transform.

Isn’t it about time you began to take this challenge as your own?

Psalm 119.12-14 (Passion Chorale: O Sacred Head, Now Wounded)
Be blest, 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?

Lord, help me to establish a rule of disciplines that will teach me to love You with all my soul and strength, and my neighbor as myself. Adapted from Columbanus, Monks’ Rule

Getting God’s Word
If you need a little help getting into God’s Word at greater depth, and with greater consistency and delight, I encourage you to sign up for our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology. It’s free, it’s online, and you can study at your own schedule and pace. This overview of the Bible, unpacks its major themes and threads, and shows you the best approaches for getting at, into, and with the Scriptures. It could be just what you need to begin feasting on the Lord’s Word with greater satisfaction and fruit. For more information or to register, click here.

Thank you for your prayers and support.
Susie and I give thanks for you each day, but especially this time of the year, our hearts overflow with gratitude for your friendship, support, and collaboration in this work. God supplies our needs as we look to Him day by day, and He may be pleased to do so, at least in part, through you. Please seek Him in prayer concerning this matter. You can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction VT 05452.

T. M. Moore
Principal
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All psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.