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Joshua 1:8 - Meditate Continually on God's Word.Joshua 1:8 (NLT) Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.INTRODUCTION Many people think that prosperity and success come from having power, influential personal contacts, and a relentless desire to get ahead. But the strategy for gaining prosperity that God taught Joshua goes against such criteria. He said that to succeed, Joshua must (1) be strong and courageous because the task ahead would not be easy, (2) obey God's law, and (3) constantly read and study the Book of the Law - God's Word. To be successful, follow God's words to Joshua. You may not succeed by the world's standards, but you will be a success in God's eyes - and his opinion lasts forever. [Life Application SB] COMMENTARY PEARL Read the Manual If you're the type of person who likes to read product documentation, you're in the minority. Only about 25 percent of people take time to read such manuals - and men will read them more often than women. Actually, the majority of people prefer learning from their mistakes instead of reading how-to materials. One reason is that most manuals are poorly written; another is that users are impatient. As a result, most people don't use all the features of a product. After Moses died, God called Joshua to lead Israel into the Promised Land. The Lord even promised, "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:5). That promise, along with today's verse, had a condition: Read the manual. God told this military leader to "meditate in it day and night." That doesn't sound like cursory reading. The Lord wanted him "to do according to all that is written in it." When these conditions are met, "then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." Life is too short not to read God's manual, the Bible. In the warfare you experience on Earth, you will only be prepared to stand against the enemy by studying the Word. It's been called "the sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17), provided for you as essential weaponry against Satan and his evil host. Dear Commander of the Lord's army, I fall on my knees before You, ready to follow Your every word. [The Most Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts] COMMENTARY The creative energy that called the worlds into existence is in the word of God. This word imparts power; it begets life. Every command is a promise; accepted by the will, received into the soul, it brings with it the life of the Infinite One. It transforms the nature and re-creates the soul in the image of God. The life thus imparted is in like manner sustained. "By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4) shall man live. The mind, the soul, is built up by that upon which it feeds; and it rests with us to determine upon what it shall [127] be fed. It is within the power of everyone to choose the topics that shall occupy the thoughts and shape the character. Of every human being privileged with access to the Scriptures, God says, "I have written to him the great things of My law." "Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Hosea 8:12; Jeremiah 33:3. ED126-127 PRACTICAL APPLICATION I can remember hearing great sermons and in-depth Bible teaching and wondering how the teacher found all those great nuggets of truth in God's Word. That's why I wrote my first book more than 40 years ago: to help people like me. Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods shares 12 methods of Bible study, such as the chapter summary method, the topical method, and the verse-by-verse method. One of my favorites is the devotional Bible study method. If you were to summarize the devotional method in one word, it would probably be "meditate." For many, the word "meditate" is a bad word. They associate it with Eastern or New Age religions. When some Christians think of meditation, they picture people folding their bodies into pretzel shapes and contemplating the lint on their navel. That may be Eastern or Buddhist meditation, but it's not Christian meditation. The Bible uses the word "meditate" 29 times in the New International Version to describe a believer's devotional life. God wants you to meditate. He promises that if you meditate on Scripture, he'll bless you. Joshua 1:8 says, "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" (NIV). So how do you do it? If you look up a synonym for "meditation," you'll probably find the word "rumination." Unless you happen to be a farmer, you probably don't know that word. Rumination is what a cow does when she chews her cud. She rolls her cud over and over in her mouth. Here's how it works: Cows eat the grass, chew it up, and send it to their stomachs pretty quickly. There it lies in the stomach, soaking up all of those acids and chemicals. Then, after a while, the cow burps it back up with a new and renewed flavor, chews on that grass and some other grass, and then does the whole process over again. Cows repeat this several times. They get every ounce of nutrition out of the grass. Biblical meditation is kind of like that; it's thought digestion. God wants you to get every ounce of spiritual nutrition out of his Word. He wants you to chew on it, digest it, and then chew on it some more. Give it a try today. Don't just read God's Word, but take time to chew on it - to meditate. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY Joshua 1:8 - Meditate Continually on God's Word. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230108-0930.html http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220729-0849.html http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190831-1326.html Hebrews 4:12 - Power Greater Than Nuclear. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240529-1122.html Romans 1:16, 17 - Power of the Gospel. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200924-1151.html John 17:17 - Holiness from God's Word. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201007-1438.html Psalm 119:11 - When Temptation Calls. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210714-1105.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |