The Word Is Near You

Psalm 32:3-5 - When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah  I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 

Nearly every scripture has something to speak to us. Maybe not so much the "begats" or numbering or some chronicling! I've known for a long time, though, that even what we read one day will have another meaning the next time it is read. There is a message even between the lines and words that we don't know until God reveals them to us.

That is the very power of the truth of His Word. And taken into a heart and meditated on they bring life. His Word will not return void if one takes the time to read and take it in. His words are near you. If you hear His Words being spoken today, listen. If they elicit a move of your heart, respond. You are only a step away from the greatest gift given to man...salvation and forgiveness, which bring spiritual life.

In Deuteronomy 6 God tells His people that ...these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way; when you lie down, and when you rise up. Command may seem like a hard word, but when we are obedient it is an easy yoke. In this context command means to appoint, give charge to, send, as with a messenger, put in order. That definition alone speaks to a message between the lines. God appointed His words and those who hear and understand those words are then appointed to be sent as messengers to speak such words, words of life.

And order! His words bring order to our lives. God does not cause confusion; only the devil does with his deception. Things seem to fall into place nicely if we do God's will and do it His way. We can muck things up. He brings the order.

If our words are focused on the Lord, He tells us it is a sweet incense to Him...a form of worship. So our thoughts and our daily communication with Him is worship.

God truly means what He says all throughout His Word. Imagine the peace in this world if everyone believed in this amazingly awesome God, if everyone acknowledged their need for Him and rather than try to hide their sins (which are not hidden from the One who really matters) but confessed their sins, not to a friend, stranger or even a pastor/priest, but to God Himself that He might forgive them. Imagine. Bones growing old, His hand being heavy on us, vitality gone...all signs of life without God.

Life in Christ is a worldly yoke and burden removed. It is peace in a heart. It is freedom, life, joy, peace, contentment, fearlessness in times of trouble. Are we all there 100% of the time? Not necessarily. But the closer we draw to Him, the more His Words penetrate our hearts, the more we meditate on those words, the more we are at peace.

Meditate on His Word. Listen to the voices that speak them. Act on what you hear. His words are like living water, words that never cause thirst. They are like a garden fountain, a well of flowing water...water that comes from the wells of salvation (Song of Solomon 4:15, Isaiah 12:3). Our hearts can be like a well-watered garden, filled with His words.

Romans 10:8-10 - But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart"  (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

What Do I Have in Common With Joshua?

Joshua 1:8 - This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.

Now what could I possibly glean from Joshua, my groggy head was wondering yesterday morning? Joshua was a leader, next in line after Moses, chosen of God to lead His people into the Promised Land. I'm no Joshua! Or am I? Aren't we all if we are followers of Christ?

As I began to read words that were spoken thousands of years ago to a man we can only picture in our imaginations, my highlighter began to work. Then the pencil came out to underscore words. Words like I will be with you always, be strong and of good courage, observe my laws, meditate on them day and night, that you may prosper, and success, stood out.

I had a blog I'd been working on in increments over the weekend but this decidedly had to come first because it fell in line with what I'd already written, sort of as a prelude. So...Joshua. What in the world do I have in common with him, I had thought at first. Now I know.

God came through loud and clear in just the first nine paragraphs. Despite the fact I am not a man (!), I can be considered a leader. As a follower of Christ, God teaches us that He will be with us always, especially  He will never leave us nor forsake us. We find this in His Word, if we choose to look there. That message is for all who seek it. It's there for all who claim Christ as Lord and Savior. If we follow His commands, are obedient to His Word, listen to Him speak or even whisper through His Spirit or Word, we can be strong and courageous...warriors...if we trust the Lord and not ourselves in all things. The Word is our shield (Ephesians  6:16).

The LORD told Joshua in the first nine paragraphs of Chapter 1 to be strong and courageous three times. Once He even emphasized very courageous. He told Joshua that if He meditated day and night on the law that Moses commanded the people he/they would prosper, have success. The law was the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. These first five books are the foundation of the Christian religion, whether the sacrifices of so many years ago are obsolete or not. There is a correlation. Today we can see Christ in those sacrifices. Today the Word as a whole is to be our guide, God's commands to all His people who hunger and thirst after Him, after Jesus, and are obedient to His Word.

We are told to meditate on the Word day and night. We are to observe to do according to all that is written in it. The purpose...to be prosperous and successful...not in the world's way but in the way of God. He has greater things to give us through His Word and through Him if we truly seek His Word.

So, the other point that came as I meditated on these words is tomorrow's blog! He was a warrior as well as leader. He fought many battles and with God's strength won...because He observed the law that God had set before Him. Joshua did as God asked him. As a follow of Christ it is my obligation to reach others with the Gospel, to lead others to the knowledge of Jesus, of His saving grace. Sometimes that takes being a warrior. Sometimes the battle is not won right away. It takes persistence.

The Word of God is powerful, we are told. It divides the soul and spirit when it is truly received. It changes people. It pierces our hearts and shows our sin that it may bring about transformation in our lives...certainly not all at once, but enough that we might be recognized as different...a good kind of different. We are then in a lifelong process of purification and thankfully God does not quit working in us. Transformation is how I view success, prosperity and fruitfulness as we see Him work more and more in our lives.

It's all about God and His Word. Meditate on it and be successful...and fruitful.

Psalm 1:1-2 - Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.