What Fills Your Bookshelf?

Lately I've been feeling like a taker. A taker of people's quotes, insights, and thoughts. All of these things are beneficial as a suppliment, but i've been taking them in as a solo source of nurishment instead of relying on direct inspiration and intuition from the soul nurisher. I started realizing it when I looked at my bookshelf at school last year, jam packed with books I used to pore into. Then I realized that every book was written about one book - The Book laying on my nightstand... to be picked up once or twice a day (and that was on a good day).

I find it odd that as I grow in my walk, I begin to lose the books and tune in to The Book. I remember hearing someone say once, "That man was the most spiritually intellectual person i've ever known and when asked what he read or studied, he answered, 'God's Word.'" Wow, that hit home to me. I've come to realize that we can feed off of sermons and speeches and insights till we're blue in the face, but just like a meal... we eat it, enjoy it, take it in, and then 4 hours later, we're hungry again and we've forgotten how good it tasted because it passed through us. The problem is, it was nothing more than regurgitated knowledge that did not incure a heart change. I have lived most of my life jumping from book to book and taking the easy way out and asking spiritual mentors for advice instead of thinking for myself and asking God himself.

So, i've decided to do a soul cleansing and keep the quotes as suppliments and the devotionals as snacks and dig into some meat, some hardcore Scripture cuh! That's what really changes you and it's only through the written word of God that He can truly speak to you directly. Sure, he can use others as instruments to pour into your life, but if you're not in The Word, how can you know if what they're speaking is truth and not just polished regurgatated leftovers? Just a thought... time to lose the books and pick up The Book.

Once I pick up the Word of God, I can pore into others and do more giving and less taking... it all makes sense now!