‘…keep these words deep in your heart and in your soul.’ Deuteronomy 11:18 BBE
How do you get God’s Word ‘deep in your heart’? (1) By meditating on it each day. The psalmist said the way to succeed in life is by meditating on God’s Word ‘day and night.’ (Psalm 1:2 NLT) But you must slow down in order to do it. Ever watch a cow chewing cud? The more it chews, the more it gets out of it. So when God impresses a thought on you, think about it throughout the day. Make it your first thought in the morning and your last thought at night. Do this for 365 days and you’ll be amazed how you grow spiritually. (2) By allowing it to convict you of sin and cleanse you daily. ‘How can a young man [or an older one] keep his way pure? By living according to Your Word.’ (Psalm 119:9 NIV) His fellow monks used to ask Martin Luther why he spent so much time in the confessional. After all, he lived in a monastery, so what on earth could he have to confess? Chanting off-key? No, Luther was aware of his own aptitude for self-justification. And he knew God’s Word was the only detergent strong enough to get down into the deepest recesses of his thoughts, imaginations and motives and cleanse him. (3) By putting what you learn into practice. Your Bible knowledge may be a hundred times greater than someone else’s. But if you’re not a hundred times more loving, patient, joyful, gracious, forgiving, etc., what good is it? A head full of doctrine and a heart devoid of love will just turn people away from Christ. Today get your theology off the drawing board and start putting it into practice.
SoulFood: Num 22–24, Luke 8:26–39, Ps 108, Prov 3:31–32
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2023
