The Remarkable Way Scripture Is Like Your Packed Lunch

Reading Scripture is a Holy Habit that feeds us from an ancient meditation literature. While we want regular gourmet meals, it often is a simple ham sandwich (and that's just okay!)

Jul 11, 2025

As a kid of the 80s, one of my favorite memory is of the cartoon and toy line from Hasbro called Transformers. I was relatively late in my toy-playing phase, but just like thousands (or millions?) of other young boys (and some girls), I was hooked. The concept of a robot that transforms back and forth between cars, trucks, or planes and robots was novel and exciting. I watched almost every episode and purchased a handful of the toys (though Transformers didn’t quite match my love of G.I. Joe).

Transformers Autobots Optimus Prime during day time — Photo by Arseny Togulev on Unsplash

I wonder if the culture’s penchant for Transformers, the toy, cartoon, and now the movie series, beckons to a deeper call within all of us to transform from who we are to who we potentially could be. The promise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is transformation.

The question is how does our transformation from sinner to saint take place? How can you and I be transformed from the wretched state we find ourselves in during our lowest moments to be like Christ himself?

In the evangelical world I grew up in and continue to live in, it can seem transformation is reduced down to a single prayer. It’s the idea that repeating a prayer during a service, a bible study, or even a conversation over coffee will transform a person. The problem is that this viewpoint is true and false.

In his writings, Paul teaches that a deep, heartfelt decision spoken publicly moves a person from the kingdom of darkness to God’s Kingdom of light.1 However, Paul also teaches that those who reside in God’s kingdom continue to struggle with the sin that trips us up.2 The church word for the transformation we seek is sanctification. Scripture seems to tell us that the sanctification or transformation we seek occurs in a moment and over time: it is both a here-and-now and a yet-to-come reality.

In other words, sanctification is partially a process. I reside in the Kingdom of God today, but I must continue to walk toward a life of transformation.

The Holy Habit of Scripture

This month, we are focusing on the “Holy Habits” that sanctify and transform us into men and women who talk, act, and think more like Jesus. One of the habits which transform us is God’s Word, the Bible.

I’ve written several articles on how to read the Bible, how to better understand the Bible, so I won’t repeat that information here. However, I do encourage you to read those posts if you haven’t already. Specifically, I suggest:

How to Read the Bible: The Bible is an ancient text, and while it is intuitive to read the Bible to find God, understanding what the Bible says isn’t always as clear. This post provides a clear and concise starting point for understanding how to read the Bible.
How to Understand the Bible: Again, the Bible is an ancient text written throughout thousands of years by dozens of authors, some known and others unknown. This post will share how to understand the text by considering who wrote the part you read, why they wrote it, who they wrote it to, and how it can apply to you.
Why the Bible Matters: Let’s back up for a moment…the what and how only matter if you understand the why. Why does the Bible matter, especially after the initial transforming moment of meeting Jesus? This post will help you understand why the Bible matters, even if you may not feel it internally.

That information is vital to developing a habit of reading and growing through God’s Word; however, I want to add one crucial aspect that has been unfolding within my understanding of Scripture, which I have only recently been given clear language for.

Scripture as Meditation Literature

Let me go back to my upbringing within the Evangelical church. This branch of the Church grew out of a response to postmodern thinking that arose in the middle of the 20th century. A large portion of this Evangelical movement was fundamental in nature, which gave birth to a simplistic, rule based view of Christianity.

A common statement that grew out of this camp is “The bible said it. I believe it. That settles it.” It sounds great, but it begs the question, “What does the Bible say?” or more accurately, “What is meant by what the Bible says?”

Now, before I go further, I want to be clear that I believe in the infallibility of Scripture. I believe Scripture is the divine Word of God given to us for guidance, direction, and reproval. It is active and living. Jesus believed this. The apostles continued in this tradition of trusting in the Scriptures. The early church fathers viewed the Bible as alive and applicable to the church; that perspective has continued throughout orthodox Christian history.

However, there is a question as to how we interpret what we read. If I believe God is greater than all that I know and could ever know, then I can’t believe Scripture is as simple as a single reading and a complete comprehension of all God is and means for humanity. Scripture is as deep as God himself. This has led me to view the Bible as a form of meditation literature.

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What is Meditation Literature?

This is a transformation within my view of the Word of God, and it doesn’t change my view of the infallibility or inerrancy of the Bible; it expands it. The term contains two parts: meditation and literature. First, the Bible is literature.

The Bible is Literature

I recently had an email conversation with a member of our church about this subject, and he became concerned with the term literature. I think the problem was the connotation literature had in his mind, which was a story, which isn’t the meaning of literature.

Literature is written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit.

With this definition of literature (drawn directly from Google, representing the accepted, global understanding of the term), we see that Scripture fits this mold. The Bible is written with superior skill and, in many cases, artistic merit. But beyond the literary nature of Scripture, it is meant to be meditated on.

The Bible is to be Meditated on.

Again, let's take the Google definition of meditate. We see it is “to think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.” The key is to think deeply and focus. So, if we combine those two thoughts, we see Scripture as an inspired piece of literature meant to be thought about deeply.

The Bible Project website uses this definition for meditation literature:

Ancient Jewish texts, including the Bible, are often considered meditation literature because they were meant to be read, re-read, and pondered over long periods, with the goal of gaining deeper insights and understanding.

This is exciting news! The unknown nature of God can be explored through this deep and vast collection of writings we can hold in our hands. Although it may not be easily understood in a single reading, knowing God through it is accessible to everyone.

The Holy Habit of Reading Scripture

person holding sandwich — Photo by Ilya Shishikhin on Unsplash

So, let’s apply our understanding of Scripture as meditation literature to the concept of transformation through the habit of reading Scripture. Here are three quick takeaways you can take into your study of the Bible:

1. Understanding Scripture is a building project.

You can’t put a roof on a house until a foundation is dug, concrete is poured, walls are built, and joists are hung. One thing leads to the next and the next and the next.

Reading Scripture is the same process. This is even how Jesus describes it:

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. -Matthew 7:24

Each year of diving into Scripture builds upon the next, which in turn builds upon the next. The more you read, study, ponder, and then repeat the process, the greater your picture will become of God and the Bible itself.

2. Enjoy what is given today.

I heard an analogy comparing reading the Bible to eating a meal. Most meals we eat are simple with the goal of consuming calories to give the energy to keep moving, but a few meals are delicious, gourmet, and unforgettable. In other words, most meals are a ham sandwich, but we live for the steak and lobster feast (with lots of butter!).

Most of my days of opening the Bible are like the ham sandwich: it contains the spiritual calories I need for today. But every once in a while, I’ll encounter a gourmet feast that provides the same number of calories as a ham sandwich, yet I experience and remember it with fondness. These are the days when some many other days of reading, thinking, and pondering come together to enlightening me in the ways of God I had never seen before.

It’s okay to be content with the ham sandwich, knowing it is preparing you for an unforgettable feast!

3. Be a critical Christian.

Many Christians fail to think critically about what they hear, see, or read. I don’t want you criticize (we have way too many of those Christians); I want you to be a critical thinker about the things you read, see, and hear.

In the email conversation I had with a church member, the discussion began based on a comment he had heard me make on a Sunday morning. In that sense, he was a critical Christian, and it led to a discussion and hopefully growth in both of us.

Be Transformed!

The goal is transformation, and the Bible will transform you if you commit to reading, thinking, and meditating on it regularly. But it isn’t the only way we are sanctified. It is just one of the many tools available to us to grow as followers of Jesus. Next week, we’ll explore the practice of meditation beyond Scripture.

How have you found the Bible to deepen your understanding of God and his work in you and the world around us?