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.

Better than Chocolate

Last time, we thought about how important it is to get a daily “beauty treatment” for our hearts. Now, I want to dig a little deeper into how we can do that.

One of the most important things in this beauty treatment is reading God’s word. So, what’s the deal, you’re wondering. Why is it so necessary?  Let me introduce you to someone who can answer that better than I can – the writer of the famous 176-verse Psalm 119.

This guy didn’t just read God’s word because he had to. It wasn’t some sort of duty he endured. He loved God’s word. He was passionate about God’s word. At least 9 times, he used the word delight in talking about his feelings towards God’s law. Another 10 times, he used the word love. Compare it to the way you feel when indulging in a rich  chocolate fudge brownie. Yeah, he loved it that much. He said it was “sweeter than honey.”

Maybe this isn’t the way you’re used to thinking about the Bible. “It’s too hard to understand,” or “I don’t really have time,” you say, “And I think the Psalm 119 guy went a little overboard.” Do you know why he loved God’s word so much? Because he saw its value. He had experienced for himself how superbly helpful it is. For example, he said that it was good for these things:

• Direction. It helps you know what to do with your life, how to live, and how to cope with difficult situations. (v. 133)
• Protection from sin. Because the writer knew God’s word, it helped keep him from doing wrong (v.11)
• Hope. Over and over, he said that God’s word gave him hope in difficult situations. (vv. 43, 49,74, 81).
• Understanding. In fact, he said that God’s word gave him more understanding than his teachers! (v.99)

And those are just a few of the treasures to be found by getting into God’s word! But, as you might have guessed, a quick-fix read-a-few-verses isn’t enough. Check back next time to see how the writer of Psalm 119 was able to get so much from God’s word – and how he was able to love it so much.

Beauty Treatments

It’s another normal morning. You wake up and happen to glance in the mirror in your bedroom. Uh-oh. Sleepy, heavy eyes stare back at you, and you’re not sure whether that tangle on your head is hair or a bird’s nest. It’s time to take drastic action. In about an hour, you emerge from the bathroom with brushed hair, bright eyes, and a fresh coat of strawberry lip-gloss, ready to face the day.

Most of us wouldn’t dream of starting the day without checking out  our personal appearance. It’s just what girls do. But how many of us start the day without attending to something even more important – our heart?

I know that I don’t always wake up with my heart in the best condition. Instead thinking something like, “Another day to live for the Lord! How can I please Him and bless others today?” I think something more like “Here I go again with another busy day and lots of homework. Can I just stay in bed?” And I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only one who thinks that way, either. That’s why our hearts need a daily beauty treatment  even more than our bodies.

So, what kind of beauty treatments do our hearts need? Here are a few suggestions.

Grab God’s word first thing. Find a place and set a time for an extreme beauty makeover. Is there sin dirtying up your heart? Confess it to the Lord and let Him cleanse you. Is your mind tangled up with ungodly thoughts? Straighten them out with the truth of God’s word. Is worry and dread of the day weighing you down? Pour out your heart to God and ask for His strength. After you’re finished, you will be much more prepared to face the day.

Are you convinced that your heart needs beauty treatments? We’ve just gotten started –  check back later for more ideas!