“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your Word.” ~Psalm 119:15-16
When we meditate on the words of God, they become a part of us. These words deal specifically with our souls and they’re written to transform us into people who reflect the glory of God. A daily diet of Scripture allows these holy words to enter our souls just like food enters our stomachs. It spreads through our entire system of blood and air and organs and nerves and functions. We assimilate it. And it becomes holiness and love and wisdom.
The same is true of prayer. It’s a complex act of speaking to and listening to the Creator of heaven and earth. It’s an act of submission. It’s a declaration of faith. It’s basking in the presence of our God, delighting in his love and grace, taking comfort in his mercy and forgiveness.
Reading God’s Word and praying to the Father are not intellectual exercises. It’s not a hobby or a pastime. This is life and death. It’s urgent. It’s right now. It speaks to every facet of our everyday lives. It nourishes us. It transforms us. It gives us the Holy Spirit strength we need to live as mature disciples in a hostile world.
Jesus made a habit of withdrawing “privately to a solitary place.” Our Lord spent much of his time in Scripture and prayer: listening to God, communing with him. As his followers, we too set aside a time every day for prayer and Bible reading. Thirty minutes. An hour. In the morning. During lunch. Before bed. The time and place are not important. Making this meditation time a daily priority is very important. It’s a vital part of attaining to “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
The focus for baptized believers — those saved by the blood of our Lord — is spiritual growth. Maturity. Discipline. Transformation. Christian accountability to God and to one another. Christian responsibility. The expectation for all our members at Legacy is that they each dedicate a quiet time with God every day in prayer and Bible reading.
It’s a way of being consistently present before the living God. And allowing his Spirit to get inside you, to change you, to move you. To make you more like him.
Peace,
Allan
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