By Daniel Dalton
The stomach is an important part of the body. When we are hungry we consciously decide that we need to eat. We put the food in our mouths and then we forget about it. Most of the time, we don’t even think about all of the work our stomachs do to keep us alive…unless it isn’t working properly. It is the stomach that is breaks down the food and turns it into useful energy for our bodies. 
The Word of God is referred to many times throughout the Bible as “food.” Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Jesus described Himself as the bread of life and promised that all that come to Him will never thirst (John 6:35). 
As Christians we realize the importance of the Word of God and we spend time reading His Word. His Word is what feeds us and keeps us growing (2 Peter 3:18). Yet we need to realize that reading His Word without applying it is no more useful than eating food without digesting it. We must use our minds to break down, digest, and consume His Word. It takes a conscience effort to examine the Scriptures and to determine how they apply to our lives. Paul’s desire for the people of Colossae was that they would not only read the Word of God, but that they would completely digest it into their lives. Colossians 1:9 reads, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Paul here expresses his desire for them to have all three levels of studying the Word of God. 
First Paul wants them to be filled with the knowledge. Knowledge is simply the ability to comprehend and recognize facts. Knowledge is being able to recite the account of Noah and the ark. Knowledge is knowing what the Bible says. Many times a Christian’s study of God’s Word stops with knowledge without ever really digesting His Word. 
Second, Paul desires that they have “spiritual understanding.” Understanding is the ability to comprehend and to put it into your own words. It is not just reciting, but understanding the meaning contained in what is studied. This understanding is where the Word of God becomes more than a book of stories. 
Third, Paul desires that they have “wisdom.” Wisdom is the ability to use our acquired knowledge and understanding. This is where we begin to realize that God’s Word applies to us! This is where I read the account of Noah, and it encourages me to stand strong among the lost of the world and to trust and obey God without wavering. 
The thing we often forget is that digesting His Word requires effort on our part. Digesting His Word requires us to think about His Word. Digesting His Word requires us to think about our lives and evaluate where we stand in relation to His Word. Digesting His Word requires us to make changes in our lives so that we are the Christians He would have us to be. 
John was given a book in Revelation 10:8-11. He was told to eat the book and that it would be sweet in his mouth and bitter in his stomach. Sometimes the Word of God, while it is sweet to read, should be bitter on our stomach. It should bring us discomfort and move us to change our lives. Too many times we read His Word and taste the sweetness in our mouths, but never digest it because it makes us uncomfortable. 
Digesting God’s Word into our lives is just as important for our spiritual survival as digestion is for our physical bodies. We can’t survive spiritually if we don’t apply God’s Word. The reality is, a four-year old can know God’s Word. We need to move beyond just knowing to the point that we understand and apply His Word with the wisdom that He has given us and make the changes in our lives that His Word demands (Hebrews 5:12-14).