The Secret Ingredient

A man knelt at the altar of his hometown's local cathedral and cried.

For years, the man had searched for an answer. The answer, in fact, to all of his many problems in life. He prayed to God - prayed for peace, for hope, for blessing, for protection - but deep inside, his heart was constantly troubled. "Why does nothing work, Lord?" he cried out, begging for an answer to come from somewhere, anywhere.

Unknown to this man in his sorrow, the father of the parish stood off to one side, having approached the scene earlier. He had observed quietly, prayerfully, waiting for the proper moment to speak. At the man's request, the father spoke with a kind but firm tone. "Just what does the Lord have to do with it?"

The man, shaken from his state of mind, turned from the altar and looked up at the priest. "What do you mean, Father? My life belongs to God. Everything I do, every choice I make, ever step I take - all belong to Him. I would give everything I have for Him were he to require it, and I will choose to serve and love Him unconditionally, even with my dying breath." The man seemed to sober slightly at the declaration, confident.

A smile crossed the priest's lips. "It sounds to me like your heart is exactly where it needs to be. No one in his right mind could ever fault such statements. But I ask again, what does the Lord have to do with it?"

Standing, the man wiped his tear-stained cheeks and gave the priest a quizzical look. "What are you trying to say? The Lord has everything to do with it. Without Him, I am nothing. With Him, I can do anything and everything. I am the righteousness in Christ. He has everything to do with it!" The man repeated this statement more vehemently, raising his head to declare it more boldly.

Not backing down, the priest continued his engagement. "Alright. Let's say that the Lord does have something to do with it. What would He say about your particular predicament, whatever it may be?" The old man's smile turned into a wily grin and he raised an eyebrow to emphasize the question.

For a moment, the man stood and thought about the priest's question. "I'm not entirely sure. A few scriptures come to mind, but I can't remember them, exactly." With a matter-of-fact tone, he added, "But I know He has a lot to say about it. Everything you need to know for success is in the Bible, right?"

"Well," the priest took a few steps around the altar until is was between him and the man. "Yes, the Bible does contain a lot of wisdom, but were I to hand you a copy of it right now, would you even know where to look to find the answers you seek?"

After a moment, the man shook his head. "No, Father, I wouldn't. I'm no biblical scholar like you."

The father's eyes seemed to light up. "Ah, but that is the answer you seek." And without another word, he turned and began to head for the door.

Momentarily phased, the man hurried over to block the priest's retreat. "Father, wait. What do you mean? I don't have any of the answers. That's why I'm here."

A look of confusion crossed the priest's face. "But just a moment ago, you said that you were no biblical scholar," he smiled, "Like me. Yes?"

The man nodded. "Yes, Father."

"Then you have the answer you seek. You see, the Word of God is the only living text on the face of the earth. It moves like you do. It breathes like you do. It speaks like you do." He laid a age-withered hand on the man's shoulder. "But in order for it to do these things - move, breath, and speak - it needs to be in you."

The man's confused expression led the priest to continue. "You know the Word, but you do not know the Word. The fruits of the spirit, the manifestation of God's mighty hand in your life, and the answers to all of life's various conundrums are to be found in the Bible. No matter what you seek, what you require, or what is going on in your life, the single answer to all - excluding every other answer - is the Word. Where does faith come from, my son?"

Quickly, the man replied, "From hearing, and hearing of the Word of God."

"That exactly is my point. You have enough knowledge about the Word, but you do not know it in a biblical sense. Whenever the Word speaks about 'knowing' or 'to know,' it is referring to the deepest, most intimate, most intrinsic connection between two factors. You must know the Word. You must make it a part of every single day, first and foremost in your life. You must make it a part of your heart just like the flesh and blood that run through it on a daily basis. It must literally become a part of you."

The priest withdrew his hand and turned once more to leave, stopping at the door. "Therein lies your answer, my son. Discipline yourself to study diligently the Word, and often. Remember what you said about your life belonging to Him, and endeavor to prove it with your actions." And with that, he was gone.

~

What path in life will you take? Will you continue to cry out to God, seeking answers to life's problems in prayer, church, and other believers? Or will you realize that the only way to experience true peace, fulfillment, and victory in your life is to know God's word?

I used to spend so much time trying to live a Christian life. I'd say all the right things, believe all the right things, and desire all the right things. Inside, though, my spirit was malnourished and starving. I had no desire to read my Bible, no desire to peruse the scriptures other than to find this or that verse for encouragement or direction. In the end, not only did my efforts die in vain, but the destruction that was caused from encountering the world on a regular basis without a living Word in etched into my heart was extreme.

It was only after my life fell apart and I had nowhere else to turn that I began to consistently spend time in the Word. The transition is still in progress. I still don't spend as much time as I like, and I don't always put God first when my day begins, but I'm doing it more than I ever was. There will come a day when God will be foremost in every single aspect of my life. I'll breathe Him, think Him, speak Him, live Him. He in turn will walk with me every moment of every day, moving in my life and blessing me and those around me.

The Word is the secret ingredient. How much time we spend studying, digesting, and immersing ourselves in it will dictate how much victory we have in our day-to-day lives. Truth.