(The following is the December 13 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Revelation 10 and pay close attention to verses 8-11.)

In Revelation 10, an angel hands John a scroll and tells him, “Take and eat it; it will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth” (v. 9). The scroll’s words are God’s words, so they are sweet as honey. Every word from God is precious and to be savored. We know who God is, who we are, what he expects from us, and how to live in a relationship with him because he has preserved his Word for all generations. Oh, how sweet is the taste of God’s Word when we feast on it daily.

However, God’s words don’t always taste good to us at first; they can strike as bitter judgment against sin. When we meditate on them and take them to heart, they can cut deeply because of their power and how far we fall from God’s expectations. Thankfully, we can respond by forsaking the path provoking God’s judgment and turning back to Christ. If we react correctly, we appreciate even the bitter words because they lead us to him.

We prefer the sweetness of honey over anything bitter, but only because we have tasted bitter as well. We rejoice in the promise of escaping God’s condemnation (Rom. 8:1) because we first realized the just judgment that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23) and “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).

Our daily food intake should be well-rounded and not limited to our favorite items. So it is with our spiritual diet of God’s Word. We need it all because it is from him and intended for our good.

Next Step:
Recall a time when someone shared a criticism about you that helped you improve. Was hearing the criticism like honey or bitterness at the time? What instructions from God’s Word may be a bitter pill to swallow now, but you know you must follow?