"BLESSED is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does will prosper. " (Psalms 1:1-3, NKJV)
Every time I read this Psalm I cannot help but picture a man sitting under a tree by a river reading the Bible. He is a man that is "BLESSED." He is a man that delights in spending time in the Scriptures and meditating on the Word of God. Wow, how do I get to be a man or woman like that and where do I get the desire to spend time every day looking through the Scriptures for guidance for life and getting to know the God who, through His Holy Spirit, wrote it?
The answer is really quite simple. I just need to purpose in my heart to set aside a time and place every day to read and spend time in prayer with my Lord. It is a discipline that may start out hard but as you do it day after day it becomes a part of your life that you really can't do without anymore. I remember reading Dr. Robertson McQuilkens book "Life in the Spirit" and he said that when he first started reading the Bible it was "like eating sawdust" but as he stuck with it, he fell in love with his time with God and the wonderful insights that the Scriptures gives us for everyday life in this difficult and challenging world.
Psalms 119 tells us that: "You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than my teachers, For your testimonies are my meditation......How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way." (Psalms 119: 98-99,103-104, NKJV)
Of course, like all disciplines, there will come times when you can't meet with God and meditate on His book. But don't let the one or two days away from the Scripture keep you from going back and renewing this special time between you and the Living God of the Bible. This is where you gather your strength and courage to tackle the things that the devil and the world throw at you everyday. Of course, Oswald Chambers has the best way of reminding what it means to spend time in the Word of God:
"When a soul is born from above and lifted to the atmosphere of the domain where our Lord lives, the Bible becomes its native air, its words become the storehouse of omnipotence, its commands and prophecies become alive, its limitless horizons brace the heart and mind to a new consciousness, its comforts in Psalms and prayers and exhortations delight the whole man. And better than all, the Lord Jesus Christ becomes the altogether Lovely One, it is in His light that we see light, it is in Him that we become new creatures. He who is the Word of God unfolds to us the revelation of God until we say in sacred rapture, 'I hold in may hands the Thoughts of God.'" (Oswald Chambers, God's Workmanship)
Pray
1. Dear Lord, thank you so much that Your Word has been written down for us and faithfully preserved over the centuries that I can read the very words that you allowed Moses, Daniel, Paul, Peter and the other writers to write down for my benefit today.
2. Thank you Lord that we live in a country where it is legal to read and proclaim your words to a lost and dying world.
3. Help me Lord this day to spend time in your Scriptures, and that my heart will be attentive to your voice as you allow me to know You better and to be obedient to your infallible commandments and precepts.
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