Stewing

Dan Kunz

Have you ever sat in a hot tub or sauna for thirty seconds?  No?  Me, either.  If you’re fortunate enough to have a hot tub or a sauna at your house, or if you ever stay at a hotel or resort which has those amenities, you probably look forward to sitting in the warmth and water or steam for as long as possible.  The warmth and moisture penetrate your muscles and joints.  You relax and let the cares of the day float away.  You sit and “stew” in the total relaxation of the moment, soaking it in and trying to absorb it into every fiber of your being.  It feels good and it’s good for you!

I recently heard the expression, “sitting in the Gospel”.  I wasn’t sure what that meant until I thought about it for a while.  I believe the person meant soaking in the meaning of God’s Word and letting it permeate every part of you and your life – stewing in the Gospel!  If you read this blog on a regular basis, you may know that I’m somewhat of a “box checker”.  I enjoy making a list, completing the tasks on it, and then checking each box for those items.  Unfortunately, even well-intentioned Christians can become box checkers when it comes to God’s Word.  Okay, I read my devotion for today, now I can move on.  I read the Bible today, let’s get on with the day.  If we don’t spend more than a few moments with one of God’s truths or concepts, we run the risk of forgetting about them very quickly.  They don’t affect us the same way as letting them soak into our hearts.  The Apostle James warns about this, James 1:23-24 23 In fact, if anyone hears the word and does not do what it says, he is like a man who carefully looks at his own natural face in a mirror. 24 Indeed, he carefully looks at himself; then, he goes away and immediately forgets what he looked like.  Truths, concepts, and facts don’t do us much good if we don’t remember them and put them into practice!

On the other hand, Jesus’ mother, Mary, is great example how we should approach God’s message.  She absorbed the details of her life (raising the Son of God) by “treasuring up all these things, pondering them in her heart”.  The Bible tells us she did that a lot.  Some of the monks of the Middle Ages literally spent their entire adult life studying and thinking about God’s Word.  If one only studies and doesn’t put it into practice, that’s not good either, but at least they weren’t like the man looking into the mirror. 

My personal Bible study takes place every morning, shortly after I get up.  I’m going to try an experiment, and I invite you to join me.  (As with most things, being intentional is almost always better.)  I usually underline key passages and ideas when I do my morning Bible study.  I’m going to take it a step beyond that.  I plan to write that passage or concept on a notecard of some sort and stick it in my pocket.  At lunch, dinner time, and bedtime, I’ll re-read the card and spend a few minutes thinking about what God is saying to me through his Word.  Hopefully, it’ll be like Mary treasuring up those things and pondering them.  They still need to be put into practice, but at least they’ll be more firmly rooted in my heart!