“A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down…in the most delightful way.”
“An apple a day, keeps the doctors away.”
Are these sayings familiar to you? When I read Ezekiel 3:1-3,10-11 this morning, these are the two recognizable sayings that came to my mind.
First of all, in verses 1-3, it says:
- The voice said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. 3 “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
This is what God’s words do for our soul. If we would just open our ears, hearts, and mouth so that He can feed us, we would be full with His words of instructions, love, compassion, and passion. It may not looked so appealing at first (like Ezekiel 2:10), but oh how sweet it is once we become receptive to His goodness.
I searched the lyrics from the famous Mary Poppins’ song, “A Spoon Full of Sugar”, and the last verse fits perfectly into the bible verses. Look:
The honey bee that fetch the nectar
From the flowers to the comb
Never tire of ever buzzing to and fro
Because they take a little nip
From ev’ry flower that they sip
And hence (And hence),
They find (They find)
Their task is not a grind.
Ah-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h ah!
A Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
The medicine go down-wown
The medicine go down
Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
In a most delightful way
So fetch The Word a little each day, and you never tire of sharing His love.
Then, the words in verses 10-13 just settled in me. They say:
- Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. 11 Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.”
These verses remind me of what I pray each time I open the bible, “Lord, speak to me and through me.” There are days when the scriptures sink fast in me and God allows me to conjure up some crazy day-to-day story to share with others to hopefully make His word more applicable to us all. And then there are days when it takes a while for the scriptures to sink in. But when they do, I just breathe a sigh of thankfulness.
I am thankful that God gets me up each morning to mediate on His words. I am thankful that His words teach me how to live. I am thankful that God speaks to me and makes me listen carefully to His teachings, whether I want that lesson at that moment or not. (Some lessons, “a spoon full of sugar”, are easier to swallow than others.) I am thankful that God affords me the opportunity to share His words with others, whether they listen or not.
Have you had your daily dose of Jesus today? If not, open wide and be ready for some sweetness to settle deep within you.
Blessings and God’s abundant love to y’all.
