Good news, Rockstars! I’m not going to rehearse all the wise, precautionary things we can do and should be doing to protect ourselves in this global pandemic. (Yay, right?!) And I’m not going to make a wild guess at how much longer life it will be before life feels anything close to “normal”.  (Did I hear you take a deep breath?)

By now, we’ve heard the experts speak to all of that. We’ve written and read all the suggestions about what we can be doing with our time. It’s been good information. I’ve benefited from it as much as anyone! I’m all about trying new things and learning new skills, but today I want to remind us of the most long-lasting choice of them all! By nourishing ourselves in God’s Word, we can literally invest in the lives of our kids and grands right now and for years to come! In John 6:48, Jesus tells us that He is the Bread of Life. When we feast on Him, the rewards are endless. Here’s a short list.

God’s Word overcomes fear.
Isaiah 26:3 reads, “I will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on me.”
There are 365 records of God saying “Fear Not” in the Bible. One for every day…Do you think God knew we’d need reminders? Do you think He knew we can go from full of peace to wavering in fear, that we can think it’s over-hyped one minute and feel hopeless about what’s coming in the next?

God’s Word breaks chains.
Romans 6:16 says, “You’re the servant of whoever you obey.” My paraphrase, and my point—we live as slaves to ourselves, to our wishes, wants, and habits. Oh, we obey, alright, we obey us— unless we look to the power of Christ Jesus to break the husk of self.

God’s Word is health.
Proverbs 4:20-22 – The Word is health to all of our flesh! That’s not an empty promise. I’ve made my close friends and family promise me if there is ever a time when I’m unable physically to read this for myself, they better have it playing in my room non-stop. That’s how fully I take that promise.

God’s Word equips.
In John 6:57 Jesus said, “He that eats me, even he shall live by me.”
If we feed on the Bread of Life, we’ll not only be less fearful and more equipped for anything that comes at us during this time, we’ll be stronger when it passes. We’ll go through this differently than those who don’t know Jesus—and we’ll have something to give them, not our own strength and promises, but God’s. We can help others because we have helped ourselves to Jesus, God’s all you can eat banqueting table. When we live by Him, because we’re living on Him, we become life-giving spirits to those around us. Times are strange. In them we have the opportunity to be the living witnesses of our Living Lord. Let’s do it. One more?

God’s Word increasingly deepens our relationship with Jesus.
2nd Cor 3: says, “And we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are changed into that image from glory to glory just as by the Lord, the Spirit.

How about a pre-Covid story for illustration? The beloved farmer and I had just arrived in Houston. Together with our daughter, we went to pick up the Grand Boys of Texas. Phil and Jessica were in the front. I was in the middle seat behind them. When the boys got in, the oldest one hugged me and crawled into the back seat. The little one parked beside me and that one, he couldn’t quit hugging. Connor and I hugged and smiled and hugged again. We had our elbows on the console grinning at each other when Connor pointed to my sunglasses, which I had forgotten I was wearing.

“Take those off,” Connor whispered.
And I did.
Connor pointed at my face and whispered again, “Yes, yes, that! That…”

He had seen my face. Now, I don’t have to tell you what that did to this Keggie’s heart, do I?

This is the intimacy that awaits us in God’s Word.

Job 42:11 says, I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.”

This is our privilege.

Teachers and preachers are necessary and vitally important to the body of Christ. But friends, because of the Cross, you and I can see Jesus for ourselves. Nothing compares to that. Let’s not settle until we can say, like Connor, “Yes, yes…that…”