I think we need to be more sloth-like in how we read the Bible.

Say what-now?!

Stick with me. Did you know that it can take a sloth up to one month to digest one meal?

Good digestion ensures we glean nutrients and energy from the food we eat. My parents used to urge us to “chew your food, don’t just swallow it!”

Jesus said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 NIV). When was the last time you chewed on the word of God to digest it properly?

There are seven steps to the digestive process. First – you have to put something in. You’ve got to actually get your Bible out. Secondly, you gotta swallow it. No use having the Bible app on your phone and never opening it. The next two steps are mechanical and chemical digestion. This is all about breaking the big chunks of food down into smaller, manageable pieces so that the goodness can be absorbed in the fifth step. Read books, follow a reading plan, listen to podcasts, use a commentary, talk to a more learned Christian, listen to sermons… break down what you’re reading so that you’ll be able to digest and receive the goodness.

And then. When you have done this, absorption can take place. You get the transformation, the energy, the life. The truth of the Word saturates your soul, penetrates your preferences, and becomes an integral part of your being.

After absorption comes defecation. Nice. It’s where all the rubbish is expelled. Unlike eating, there’s no rubbish in the Bible – it is all useful for teaching, correcting, absorption – however, I reckon there is a similarity when we allow ourselves to digest God’s word properly in that bit by bit, the Holy Spirit gets to work and ekes out the rubbish, the wrong desires, the anger, judgement, pride… the sin.

So actually, despite the unusual suggestion, perhaps we do need to be more sloth-like when it comes to engaging with the Word and take time to chew our food this week!