The Bittersweet Word

Have you ever ate paper?  I guess I have at some point in my middle school years on a dare or something, but I don't remember doing that.  I have only seen it done as an antic, so what is the following talking about:
Revelation 10.9-10- So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” ¹⁰ And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. (www.lifejournal.cc)
Well, the prophetic message that was explaining what WAS happening and what was going to happen was again developing or continuing to open up.  The messenger was to take and eat the scroll.  This rings of the Ezekiel 1 passage that sounds similiar.   You will notice that John is given by the Lord a  lot of imagery and actions that relate to other matters in the past (like this one).  There is a reason.  All of that is supposed to ring a bell of familiarity to the readers. 
The point of eating the scroll is really just an illustration that emphasizes the digestion of the Word.  Yes, He told Him to do physically, but that was not what was most important.  The spiritual digestion was much more important.  Take the Word in.  It is sweet to the touch, refreshing to read, and joy to understand.  However, it is also difficult to swallow at times or bad tasting when related to our lives. 
In other words, you may not like everything you read in Scripture.  Eat it anyway!  You need every bit of the spiritual nourishment that it can give you, whether it is sweet to the tongue or hard on the gut.  We need the Word regardless.
It is not enough just to read it or to look at it like a man looks a mirror  (much different than a woman) and forgets what he is looking at.  Instead, we need to take the Word in, digest It into our lives, swallow It 'hook, line, and sinker', and watch God do His Work-- whether pleasing or painful.

Take in the Word today!