Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

When The Word Occupies Us

ACTS 18:5 – When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.

THEME OF THE DAY. WHEN THE WORD OCCUPIES US. The words in the middle of today’s scripture – Paul was occupied with the word – are rich and their richness shines bright when comparing other Bible translations. In the King James Version, they read – Paul was pressed in the spirit; New American Standard reads – Paul began devoting himself completely to the word; Geneva Bible – Paul burned in spirit; and the Amplified reads – Paul was completely engrossed in preaching. Collectively, these capture the heart of Paul, and actually is to define the heart of every Christian; people consumed and passionate about the Word of God.

As Christians, we readily confess and embrace that we are people of the Bible. We are born again by the Word – “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:22-23). We grow by and through the Word of God – “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Peter 2:1-3). When fighting the devil in the wilderness temptation, our Lord said our very lives depend on the Word of God – “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). And in a world of change and uncertainty, Jesus proclaimed the only one reliable and unchanging certainty is His Word – “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my Word shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). In living the Christian life, the Word is everything. The Apostle Paul exhorts us to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thanksgiving in your hearts” (Colossians 3:16).

Yet, one can be faithful in reading the Bible, faithful in hearing it preached, and even study it diligently but not be occupied, consumed, and controlled by it. There is always a danger of self-deception, even when it comes to the Word. James warns, “But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). This is an excellent place to evaluate if we are a people occupied, consumed, and controlled by the Word of God; our obedience, but there is another place. It is in today’s scripture.

A person and church occupied, consumed, and controlled by the Word of God will be Christ-centered – “Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.” When the Word of God is central in our lives and churches, Christ is the priority. And Him being the priority is not measured by activities of service for Him; not by a passing mention of His Name in a sermon or song sung in worship. Christ is also not the priority in our lives by ending our prayers in His Name. No, when the Word is central and shaping the lives of God’s people, they are affectionately passionate about the Person of Christ. They talk of Him freely and often. He is the center in our conversations. He is alive to them in real relationship and this produces a fellowship with God’s people of sharing mutual experiences of what is being discovered of Him through His Word. In this fellowship, a noticeable absence in talking of oneself occurs and Christ is the center of attention. We forget ourselves. Jesus becomes our all and all and it shows, not only in our conversations, but in our conduct and character. There is a meekness, gentleness, kindness, patience, joy, and self-control in people consumed with Christ because they are consumed by His Word.

So, the question is . . . are we occupied with Christ’s Word? That is why God gave it to us . . .

PRAYER: “Father, show me the beauty of Your Son through Your Word that impacts every area of my life.”

QUOTE: “A Christian occupied with the Word of God will give the evidence of such by being consumed with Jesus Christ”