Psalm 1:1,2 - Head or Heart Religion.

Psalm 1:1,2 - Head or Heart Religion.

Psalm 1:1,2 (NIV)  Blessed is the man who does not walk in the 
counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat 
of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his 
law he meditates day and night.  

  Meditation means "to think deeply and continuously about 
something." For a Christian, this means remaining in the presence of God and 
pondering each truth He reveals about Himself until it becomes real and 
personal in your life. This takes time. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus 
accused certain would-be followers of calling Him "Lord" and yet never 
doing what He told them (Lu 6:46). They had the correct truth in their 
heads, but it had never translated into obedience. When you meditate on 
Scriptures, the truth moves from your head to your heart and results in 
obedience. As the Psalmist said: "Your word have I hidden in my heart, / 
That I might not sin against You" (Ps 119:11). 
  When you know God's Word in your mind but not in your heart, 
it means that you have learned the principles and concepts and 
doctrines of God, but you have not come to know Jesus personally. You can 
reject a doctrine, or ignore a concept, or challenge a principle, but 
it is much more difficult to ignore a Person. You can have 
Scripture in your mind and still sin against God. There are those who can 
recite long passages of Scripture and yet live ungodly lives. However, 
you cannot have Scripture fill your heart and continue to sin 
against God. When God's truth is allowed to touch the deepest corner of 
your soul, the Holy Spirit will transform you into the image of Jesus 
Christ. Don't just read your Bible, meditate on God's Word and ask Him 
to change your heart. [Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and 
Richard Blackaby re Psa. 1:2] 

Those whom God blesses are not delighted with what pertains to 
sin and the world; they delight in the Word of God. It is love for 
and obedience to the Bible that brings blessing on our lives. The 
people God blesses not only read the Word daily, but they study it, 
memorize it, and meditate on it during the day and night. Their mind is 
controlled by the Word of God. Because of this, they are led by the Spirit 
and walk in the Spirit. Meditation is to the soul what "digestion" 
is to the body. It means understanding the Word, "chewing on it," 
and applying it to our lives, making it a part of the inner person. 
[Wiersbe's Expository Outlines] 

All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with 
Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts 
and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, 
that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. 
The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in 
doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know 
Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an 
appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will 
become hateful to us.  As Christ lived the law in humanity, so we may 
do if we will take hold of the Strong for strength. {DA 668} 

All of God's revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to 
us through obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens 
heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become ours.  [In His 
Time; My Utmost For His Highest re Mat.11:25]