Better than Chocolate, Part 3

So, we’ve already talked about how much the writer of Psalm 119 delighted in and meditated on God’s word. Now it’s time to apply that to you. How can you in your ordinary, busy, everyday life grab on to this better-than-chocolate attitude? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Set aside a certain time of day to read the Bible. Maybe you have good intentions. You really want to read the Bible…you really meant to read the Bible….but it was a busy day. Choose a specific time, like before breakfast, or just before bed. And then, no matter what, stick with it. Even if you have a busy day, don’t let anything steal that time.

Bring along some tools to help you. I like to have my Bible, a notebook, and a pencil. Sometimes, when you’re reading and thinking carefully, something important will grab your attention, and you won’t want to forget it. Maybe a verse was encouraging on a hard day, or maybe it gave you some insight with a problem. Write it down!

Pray before you read. Ask God to help you focus your mind and teach you from His word. Maybe you’re like me –  I struggle a lot with wandering thoughts. It can be hard to actually pay attention to what I’m  reading! Don’t try to conquer this on your own. Ask for God’s help.

Keep in mind, these are just a few ideas about how to learn from God’s word. There’s so much I didn’t even mention. Let these get you started.

I hope you learn to find delight in God’s word. It’s even better than chocolate. Taste and see!

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and  your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart…”

Jeremiah 15:16

Better Than Chocolate, Part 2

“OK, I’m convinced,” you say. “God’s word is important. But I still don’t know how to get much from it.” Don’t worry. We’re going to look at what an extreme delighter in God’s word did that helped him love it so much.

Besides using the words love and delight a lot, the writer of Psalm 119 also used the word meditate. Before you start wearing a turban and sitting with your legs crossed, let me give you a definition of meditation:

“To dwell on anything in thought; to contemplate; to study…”

Basically, it means to think about something – but it’s not a lazy thinking. You’re thinking about it over and over, seeing what it means, trying to understand how it should affect your life. So, don’t just read God’s word and forget about it. Take a little time. Think about it.

If you’re going to meditate on God’s word, you have to do something else the Psalm 119 writer did – remember. It’s pretty obvious. You can’t think about something if you can’t remember it. Are you tucking important parts of God’s word away in your heart? If not, you’re not going to be able to pull it out when you need it.

The final thing he did was ask. This writer didn’t trust himself to learn and understand God’s word correctly — he needed help. In verses 19 and 20, he cried out,

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law…hide not your commandments from me!”

This sounds like a desperate cry for wisdom and understanding – and that’s how we should approach God’s word, too. We can’t understand it on our own. Instead, we need to ask God to teach us.

Ready to get in God’s word?  Come back later for practical tips on how to get the meditating and delighting started.