“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2, NASB)
Sometimes we need to be reminded to read God’s Word daily. Other times, we need to be reminded just how we are to read His Word.
Reading Scripture should not become rote, or habitual, in the sense we become casual with the words. Familiarity can cause us to gloss over them, skimming quickly, and we miss the depth of meaning we need in order to apply them to our lives.
Lately I have been asking myself this question – “How are we to read and approach Scripture reading each day?”
- Delight. God wants us to enjoy His Word; to look forward to meeting with Him each time we open the pages. Are we delighted to read His Word? Is Scripture our delight?
- Expect. We must expect to receive from His life giving words as we read. God’s Spirit will bring God’s Word alive in our hearts as He applies it to our daily circumstances. Are we expecting to hear from God’s Word when we open the pages?
- Commit. We need to determine to keep the words we have read in our hearts and minds. As we understand and meditate on what we have read, we can pray, asking God to help us to obey His Word. Are we committing to obey and keep His Word?
We are told to meditate on His Word day and night. “Meditate” is defined as “engaging in thought; considering its intent and purpose” (dictionary.com).
“To meditate on Scripture is to allow the truth of God’s Word to move from head to heart. It is to so dwell upon a truth that it becomes part of our being.” (author unknown)
Let’s evaluate how we are reading Scripture. As we ask ourselves the above questions, we will be blessed by the Scriptures we read.
“Scripture suggests that meditating on the Word of God can have an always-on effect of peace and strength in difficult times.” (David Jeremiah)
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I am thankful for the opportunities to meditate on His Word. Sharing quiet time with the Lord is truly comforting.
ReplyDeleteI am too, Melissa. It brings a much needed perspective for each day.
DeleteThis is so important--not just reading the Scriptures, but how we read them. I read somewhere that if we know how to worry, we know how to meditate, because worry is turning something over in our minds again and again, looking at it from all angles. Meditating is doing that with Scripture--a much more beneficial practice.
ReplyDeleteExcellent analogy, Barbara! Thank you for sharing this!
DeleteThis is a wonderful post Joanne! How we read matters. Thank you for sharing. ♥
ReplyDeleteThanks for these insights, Joanne. Psalm 1 is one of my favorites and I do want to spend daily time dwelling on God's truths on a deep level.
ReplyDeleteI can fall into just getting the reading done, checked off so to speak, and gloss over the words. A wonderful reminder to delight, expect, and commit His words to life through contemplation. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to read from my Bible and then read other translations that I am less familiar with online. It has helped me to gain new insights and helps to keep Scripture fresh. I so agree, Lynn, it is easy to gloss over words.
DeleteThank you, Joanne, I love your outline for reading scripture from Psalm 1! We truly nurture our relationship with God when we come to His word with delight, expecting to hear from Him and committing His words in our hearts!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Donna. We need to come with both expectancy and willingness to commit to His Word.
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