Exposed to or Intake of

Are you exposed to the Word of God or do you really intake the Word of God? The difference between the two may not often be seen by the casual look of someone else, but there is a vast difference in the stability of your life!

Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ story of the two men who built houses, one on a rock and the other on sand. When the storm came only one house was left standing. The fellow who thought that the sandy beach was a perfect place for his house found out that it was truly a faulty foundation to build on. His house was destroyed.

I have to admit that all of the sermons that I have heard on this story and several sermons that I have preached have given emphasis only to how Jesus is the Rock – the one and only foundation to build a life on. How true – How true! Yet His story goes beyond just knowing and trusting Him as Savior. It has everything to do with following Him as Lord and obeying God’s Word. Remember ole Jonah, a prophet of the Lord? He may have been familiar with God’s Word but he sure wasn’t obeying it and applying it to his own life. And that sandy and slippery slope of his life just about did him in when the storm hit. Personally, I am one of those who believe that he really did die in the belly of the fish and God raised him from the dead. Nevertheless, the fact is he had been exposed to God’s Word but did not intake it into his life.

I believe The Message paraphrase emphasizes this point quite pointedly. Can I recommend that you read the following slowly and meditatively, seeking to evaluate your life as to your response to God’s Word – are you just exposing your life to it or are you making sure you intake, digest and apply God’s Word?

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. 25 Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. 26 "But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. 27 When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” Matt 7:24-27 (MSG)