“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.” Mark 4:3–4 (NLT)
During your daily devotions, it’s essential to think through how to apply God’s Word to your life. Otherwise, you lose the benefit of it.
Today’s verse talks about that very issue. Jesus taught that we could spend time in God’s Word, but unless we take it into our hearts where it can grow, it can disappear just like the seeds did in today’s verse after the birds showed up.
It reminds me of some people I knew years ago. They would try to help others by walking up and quoting Bible verses at them. When I asked them about their tactic, they’d reply, “The Word of God does not come back void. It accomplishes what it was sent forth to do!”
Unfortunately, they were taking Isaiah 55:11 out of context. Throwing Scripture at people and then walking off doesn’t help the Word take root.
So what does? Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke once said the Word of God needs to be shared in an edible format to help people. How do we make it edible? We need to think about how to apply it.
It’s the same guideline for teaching your kids about God and the Bible, too. Ask yourself, “Can they apply the truth I’m speaking to them?” For example, you wouldn’t teach your pre-schooler about Old Testament animal sacrifice. But you could teach them easy concepts they could understand and “chew on,” such as how God’s Word is like a lamp that shows us where to go. (See Psalm 119:105.)
Learning to apply God’s Word in a digestible way changes everything.