The ‘engrafted Word’ is self-sustaining. It doesn’t require the accolades of men or the support of others to validate it. As Jesus was walking on the water towards His disciples in the boat, Peter said, ‘Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come’ (Matthew 14:28). Jesus gave him one word, ‘Come,’ and Peter started walking. Was he scared? Wouldn’t you be? But his desire was greater than his fear.
That’s all you need to get started, a desire for God that’s greater than your doubts and your limitations. The other disciples probably didn’t believe Peter could do it. Indeed, those who feared for his safety didn’t want him to try, and those who were competitive with him didn’t want him to succeed. The truth is, the other disciples didn’t understand who was calling to Peter; they thought Jesus was ‘a ghost!’ (Mark 6:49). There’s a lesson here for you:
When God gives you a word and you step out on it, don’t expect everybody to validate it. It’s normal for you to want certain people to see what you see and believe what you believe. But in this verse God prepares you for disagreements between you, and those who don’t understand what God has told you.
If you’re not careful, people’s opinions will short-circuit your faith and make you doubt what God has said. God says: ‘I’m not going to confirm what I’ve told you through them. In fact, I don’t even need them to agree with what I’ve spoken concerning you.’ Relax. Be confident in God. You may want all these external support systems, but the truth is, you don’t need them!
When God gives you an ‘engrafted word,’ it will make you hunger for more of the same. But be careful; don’t go ‘cherry-picking’ the Bible for feel-good Scriptures. To grow in your faith you must discipline yourself to spend time each day in God’s word. You don’t discover an engrafted all by yourself, or decide that one particular scripture is for you and another is not.
‘All scripture is…profitable’ (2 Timothy 3:16). To make a profit in business you must know your business thoroughly, otherwise you’ll soon be out of business. The way to succeed in your Christian life is to make it your business to know your Bible. Don’t just seek a word from God, study the entire Word of God.
Do you want your life to count? Saturate yourself in the scriptures! It’s the analogy of the sperm and the egg. Neither the male sperm nor the female egg is capable of reproduction. Only when the sperm impacts and is embraced by the egg, is there conception and reproduction. And it’s the same with our spiritual growth. When God’s word and the receptive heart get together, something is going to happen. That’s a combination that works every time!
There’s nothing to beat prolonged personal exposure to the scriptures. It’s vital. Without it you won’t be able to hear what God is saying to you. You’ll always have to depend on somebody else. Imagine dealing with your husband or wife on that basis? How long do you think your marriage would last? The same is true with God. There’s no substitute for first-hand, daily, consistent exposure to His word.
1 Corinthians 12-14, Matthew 5:13-26.
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