Sweeter Than Chocolate: Developing a Healthy Addiction to God's Word

By Christy Bower

"How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey" (Psalm 119:103).

Greetings from Montana! I'm Christy Bower and I want to help you find creative ways to engage and enjoy the Bible. The Bible doesn't have to be a boring book. Anyone can engage the Bible in meaningful ways.

The methods that resonate with you may not be the same methods someone else might prefer. Each of us prefers either left-brained logical methods or right-brained creative methods. Generally, those who teach the Bible emphasize how to study the Bible using systematic methods. That can be a real yawn for folks who want to dabble, create, and discover meaning.

In Sweeter Than Chocolate, you will learn:

• how and when to read the Bible using a freestyle Bible reading guide

• how to study the Bible

• how to practice BIBLICAL meditation

• how to understand the major story arc of the Bible in a quick BIble history overview

The Living Word will change your life if you let it. Let's indulge ourselves because, unlike chocolate, there's no such thing as overindulging in God's Word.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christy Bower
• Release date: Jan 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781540125552

Christy Bower

Greetings from Montana! I'm Christy Bower, author of more than fifty books, including two books by Our Daily Bread, which have gone into four or more printings. For those of you who like to know my qualifications, I have a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Multnomah Biblical Seminary. American Christian Writers has twice named me "Writer of the Year." And I'm a multi-time winner of NaNoWriMo, a challenge to write 50,000 words in a month. Out of this challenge, I drafted The Legend of Dragon Hollow. I'm also the creator of Crossword Bible Studies, which provide a fun and easy way to spend a few minutes in the Bible. As for the rest of you who simply want to know what kind of person I am, Coca Cola is my lifeblood. I drive a hatchback car because I value economy and versatility. I never used a smart phone until March 2019. I spend an excessive amount of time on the Internet when I should be writing. And I've never owned a pet of any kind. I rely on God's provision through book sales to pay my bills. I would like to thank you for your purchase because you just put a meal on my table! Buy a couple more books and I could put some gas in my hatchback! If you enjoyed one of my books, please tell a friend or, better yet, leave a star rating on the site where you purchased it. This isn't to boost my ego, but to help other readers make their purchase decisions. Blessings to you! Christy

Book preview

Sweeter Than Chocolate

Developing a Healthy Addiction to God’s Word

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Cover and interior images: © Sashsmir / DepositPhotos.com

Sweeter Than Chocolate: Developing a Healthy Addiction to God’s Word

Second edition © 2014, 2018 by Christy Bower

http://christybower.com/

@christybower

How sweet your words taste to me;

they are sweeter than honey.

Psalm 119:103

Contents

Prepare to Indulge

Chapter One

Death by Chocolate:

Learning to Crave God’s Word

Chapter Two

The Chocolate Diet:

Indulging in God’s Word

Chapter Three

Become a Chocolate Connoisseur:

Appreciating the Parts of the Bible

Chapter Four

A Chocolatier’s Tools:

Equipping Yourself to Discover God’s Word

Chapter Five

Carve Up the Chocolate Sculpture:

Studying God’s Word

Chapter Six

Chocolate Swirls:

Meditating on God’s Word

Chapter Seven

God’s Chocolate Workout:

Applying the Bible to Our Lives

Conclusion

Chocoholics Anonymous:

Enjoying a Life-long Love for God’s Word

Chapter One

Death by Chocolate: Learning to Crave God’s Word

Years ago, I attended an annual company retreat at The Empress, an old, Victorian-style hotel in Victoria, British Columbia. The same weekend, the hotel hosted another event called Death by Chocolate.

Being in my early twenties, my understanding of chocolate was limited to candy bars and brownies, so I couldn’t conceive of why the event would cost twenty-five dollars. I inquired about it and learned there would be a chocolate smorgasbord where participants could sample all kinds of chocolate.

I envisioned myself trying to eat what I perceived as twenty-five dollars’ worth of chocolate and decided it would make me too sick to enjoy the rest of the weekend, so I declined.

That evening, as I returned from our dinner meeting, the aroma of chocolate wafted out the door of the hotel. Upon entering the lobby, the fragrance of chocolate was so strong I could almost taste the air. As I walked by the tearoom, I caught a glimpse of the chocolate buffet line. People nibbled at small samples of chocolate with expressions of bliss on their faces.

The next morning, all evidence of the event had been removed, except for the lingering aroma of chocolate. Ever since then, I’ve had a lingering sense of regret that I missed the opportunity to experience this chocolate smorgasbord. I could have immersed myself in the study of chocolate. Instead, I settled for catching a glimpse and a whiff of chocolate.

In ancient times, when people craved something sweet, they craved honey. That’s why the psalmist says the Word of God is sweeter than honey:

How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey (Psalm 119:103).

They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb (Psalm 19:10).

Honey doesn’t hold the same appeal for us today. When we crave something sweet, we crave chocolate. So a more fitting metaphor for us is to say God’s Word is sweeter than chocolate.

Do we crave God’s Word the way we might crave chocolate? Are we participating in God’s smorgasbord or just nibbling away at cheap chocolate because we don’t know what we’re missing?

While I find chocolate to be a fitting analogy for God’s Word, any analogy can go too far. I do not wish to trivialize the significance of Scripture but to add an element of fun to our study. So please join me as we look at how to develop a healthy addiction to God’s Word.

Sweet Indulgences

When it comes to sweet indulgences, people take different approaches. Perhaps these approaches are similar to the ways people tend to approach God’s Word. See if you can identify yourself in these approaches.

Nibblers. Some people are nibblers, grazing on bits of food here and there. When it comes to chocolate, I’m a nibbler. While I might crave chocolate after a meal, it takes very little to satisfy my craving.

Many of us tend to approach God’s Word as nibblers. We graze on Bible verses here and there, satisfying our desire to spend time in God’s Word, but we never broaden our experience to include the vast smorgasbord of God’s Word.

The Pinch and Scratch Approach. When I was growing up, our family would get a box of chocolates around the holidays. I would study the swirly designs on top of each chocolate, trying to recall which patterns were on my favorite flavors. After much deliberation, I would pick up a chocolate and discover the bottom had been pinched or scratched off to reveal the color of filling inside. Someone had rejected certain flavors and placed them back in the box.

Many people approach God’s Word as finicky eaters, choosing the parts of the Bible they like (such as the New Testament) and rejecting the other parts (such as the Old Testament). In so doing, they only scratch the surface of what God has for them.

Scratch the surface and you’ll get a few crumbs; dig deeper and you’ll get a feast.

Hot Fudge Sunday with a Cherry on Top. When I was a child, we used to go to Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor on my birthday. I would order a banana split with pineapple, strawberry, and hot fudge topping. It came in a stemmed glass boat, with fancy whipped cream and a cherry on top. That was a special treat because we never had such sweet indulgences at home.

Some people approach God’s Word with periodic indulgence during a church service. They want God’s Word served up in a nice presentation and never make the effort to experience God’s Word for themselves. When it comes to God’s Word, they eat out rather than at home.

Smorgasbord. God’s Word is like a chocolate buffet. It contains many flavors and varieties, in assorted presentations, but they’re all good. When it comes to the Bible, there is no such thing as over-indulgence, so eat it all.

God’s Word is calorie free and very nutritious. However, as with chocolate, there is a danger of getting fat on the Word of God. Taking it in without living it out makes a person puffed up with knowledge. It feeds the ego only. That’s why I’ve devoted an entire chapter to applying God’s Word to our lives so we can learn to work it out in ways that contribute to our spiritual well-being.

If you recognize yourself in all these approaches, you’re not alone. I’ve been through them all. We meander in and out of each of these approaches to the Bible as we chart a course for our spiritual growth. That’s normal as long as we aren’t stuck in one of the unhealthy approaches. Over time, however, we need to develop a taste for all the Bible has to offer.

Pure Chocolate, Pure Enjoyment

We want to like the Bible, but we don’t know how to get from our current perceptions to truly enjoying it. Look at some of the testimonies of those who delight in God’s Word:

I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart (Psalm 40:8).

How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them (Psalm 111:2).

Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands (Psalm 112:1).

I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word (Psalm 119:16).

Your laws please me; they give me wise advice (Psalm 119:24).

Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found (Psalm 119:35).

How I delight in your commands! How I love them! (Psalm 119:47).

Their hearts are dull and stupid, but I delight in your instructions (Psalm 119:70).

Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live, for your instructions are my delight (Psalm 119:77).

If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery (Psalm 119:92).

As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands (Psalm 119:143).

O Lord, I have longed for your rescue, and your instructions are my delight (Psalm 119:174).

You get the idea. We read those verses and it stirs something in us, doesn’t it? Perhaps it stirs a little bit of guilt for our lack of delight in God’s Word, but more than that, it stirs our deep longing to delight in God’s Word that way.

Let me shatter all your preconceptions: when the writers of the Psalms referred to delighting in God’s Word, they were referring to the first five books of our Bible, which was all they had at the time. No, not Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts, although I know some people think the Bible begins there. The psalmists were affectionately referring to the Pentateuch (penta, meaning five), the first five books of our Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

I know some of you are thinking something like:

Genesis is okay—Creation, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. I’ve read Genesis several times in January when I’ve decided to try reading through the Bible.

I’ve read the first part of Exodus—the Red Sea Crossing, the Ten Commandments, worshipping the golden calf—but after that, I’m not sure.

Leviticus—I skimmed through the pages once. It was about sacrifices and infectious skin diseases. Yuk.

Numbers—isn’t that just a bunch of census data? And Deuteronomy? Hmm. I’m not sure about that one. I always gave up before I got that far in my annual attempt at reading the Bible.

I know what you’re thinking because I’ve had those thoughts, too. Yet, these books of the Bible, which might seem difficult and boring to us, are what the psalmists called a delight.

As believers, God’s Spirit resides within us and the Spirit stirs the desire for God’s Word, but in our human nature, we tell ourselves the Bible is difficult and boring so we live with this constant tension. It’s frustrating. We want to delight in God’s Word, but how do we get past our perception of it as difficult, boring, and irrelevant?

From Disappointment to Desire

Let’s start by being honest