Don't Chew That

Lately my little boys are all about mints and life-savers, but yesterday after giving them one I noticed they immediately chewed it up and wanted another. I said, "You know guys if you sucked on that it would last a lot longer. You're not supposed to chew this candy."

I'm not sure if they grasped the concept, but God seemed to use it as an illustration for me. A similar thought was impressed on my heart as I thought about God's Word. Friend, when it comes to reading your Bible is it something you move through quickly so you can get on with your day? Do you do your devos, cross it off the list and proceed with what comes next? 

When we "chew" through the Bible, we may get it done quickly, but we'll end up in the same situation as my little boys with their candy - we'll be wanting more!! And we won't have enjoyed or benefited from what we've already been given.

Now I'm not going to instruct you to suck on God's Word, but Joshua 1:8 does tell us to meditate on it. "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." And Psalms 1:2 says, "But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night."

The word meditate, according to Webster, means to spend time in quiet thought. The Hebrew word for meditate, hagah, translated means to ponder, mutter, speak, study or talk. This is an action that takes time and requires effort. Meditating on God's Word is something we must be intentional about throughout the day not just during our devotional time.

And friend, my little boys will enjoy their candy more if they suck on it and we will experience the same when we meditate on God's Word. That enjoyment will include the benefits of God's Word working in our lives and transforming our hearts! 

The following verse from Psalms says, "He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers."

Friend, I pray today you and I will be encouraged to linger over God's Word instead of simply chewing it up so that we can appreciate it and experience it fully. I'd love to hear how you do this...please share in the comments.