Psalm 1:2 talks about a blessed man, saying, "But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night." 'The law of the LORD' directly refers to all the statutes and commands in the Old Testament time including the Ten Commandments. But, in a broader sense it includes the Word of God in the sixty six books of the Bible. Then, what does it mean by 'the blessed man's delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night'?
Since the Word is God, it means that the blessed man, who meditates on His law day and night, feels delighted because of God and he abides with God all the time. It also indicates that the man is always with the Lord who is the Word and came to the earth in the flesh. John 15:7 says, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." As written, if we abide in the Lord who is the Word and the Word abides in us, we can receive answers to whatever we ask.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." When we stay near the Scripture that was inspired by God, mediate on it day and night and practice it, we can be made perfect as men of God. As we celebrate Thanksgiving Sunday, I hope that the following will help you to become people who are blessed by understanding why the nearness of the Lord's Word is so good.
First_We can receive special grace and inspiration from the Word
If we stay near the Word of God with our hearts, we can receive grace and inspiration as though we met God face to face. We can feel the depth of God's love and have stronger fellowship with Him. Thus, we will have stronger longing for obeying the Word of God. Through such grace and inspiration, we can become men of spirit more quickly.
No matter how close we stay to the Word of God, if it is with the sense of obligation or coercion, it is hard to receive grace and be inspired by the Word. If we take delight in the Word with love for God, we naturally meditate on it day and night. Bear in mind that as we plant the Word ever more deeply in our hearts and have the desire to live by the Word of God, the grace and inspiration will spring up from our hearts.
Pharisees, the Scribes, priests, and high priests were always near the Word of God and practiced the Law, but they did not circumcise their hearts. In the end, they could not recognize the Son of God, Jesus. This is because they thought they were right, thinking they had mastered the Law of God and practiced them perfectly. Rather than feeling the heart of God in the Word and resembling Him, they felt that keeping the Law was in righteous actions and duty.
However, to 'meditate on the Word day and night' does not mean to just study the Word, expend time on the Word of God, and become knowledgeable of it. But also, in the Word we should meet God and feel the heart and will of God.
Second_We can discover ourselves and keep our hearts in the Word
Even though people listen to the same message, the grace, inspiration, and realization that each of them gain are different according to their situation, state, and measure of faith. Thus, it is very important to read the Bible, memorize necessary verses, and meditate on them. Then, we can discover ourselves and accomplish the truth in our heart.
It is also necessary to listen to and meditate on the messages again that have been preached in worship services. When we listen to the message repeatedly, we can have deeper realization, discover more about ourselves, and become changed through the prayer.
John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." As said, it is the Word of God that protects us from sin and evil and makes us holy. When we come near the Word and meditate on it we can watch over our heart as well as discover ourselves.
When the Lord's Word is in our heart, the Word will work so that we can overcome the world, drive away darkness, and live a victorious life. The Word lets us identify and realize what we should cast off and what we should not do. We cannot only have proper deeds of the body but also cleanse our hearts and thoughts. And, we can discern sin and evil so as not to be tempted by the world.
If you learn the Lord's Word diligently, meditate on it day and night, and arm yourselves with the Word, you can discern between the Light and darkness and walk in the Light. In addition, the Spirit gives us realization and guides us to practice the Word of God.
Third_We can achieve the heart and deeds of the Lord and the shepherd through the Word
Psalm 119:105 reads, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." If we arm ourselves with the Word, the necessary Scriptures come to our heart according to the situation and give us the proper action and words we should take and use. But it is possible only when we have etched the Word in our hearts, not just because we have accumulated the Word simply as knowledge.
By staying close to the Lord's Word, meditating on it, and arming ourselves with it, we can discern what the truth is and what course to choose in the situation. Even if we sometimes followed the Word and sometimes we couldn't, if we pray constantly and try hard, the knowledge of the Word will become bread of life in our heart and we will soon walk in the truth.
We might be faced with conflicts or worries in many situations of our lives. But then, with the Word we learned, we need to think about what the Lord would do. We need to think about what the shepherd, who was established by God to lead us, would do in the same situation. By doing so, a message delivered during the service about similar situations may come to our heart or Bible verses in our heart may influence our thinking. We can also find the answer that God wants through the messages that we listened to.
When we try to resemble the Lord in this way, God will see the efforts and dedication and give us grace and strength and the Holy Spirit will help us. Then, our hearts will be transformed and we can achieve the heart of the Lord day by day.
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