Comments by Joan Boney ...
Meditating in the Word of God is life to us. It is like a blood transfusion. We take in HIS blood by doing this. HE is our life. We must do this in a "worthy" way. We give the Word of God proper attention, making time for this crucial act which is life to us. We must handle the Word of God properly, with great respect, applying the Word to our lives. We make an effort toward the Word of God. If we handle the Word of God unworthily, Paul says we are guilty of the body and the blood of Jesus. I Cor. 11:27. Like those who considered Jesus as worthless and consented to put HIM away, we do this if we fail to consider the Word of God important in our daily lives. The Word of God should be like that pearl of great price. Often we have to hunt for that Word, seeking the specific scripture that touches us that day. Then we give it the proper attention and time and thought and apply it to our lives. The Word of God must be treated carefully with great respect. I have seen people who even think themselves to be pastors and fail to respect the Word of God, adding to it wrongly and misusing the Word of God. I consider the Word of God to be a "fearful" thing, to be handled properly. Some toss the Word of God about carelessly, thinking nothing of wrongly adding to the Word or taking away from the Word. Some use the Word in wrong places by their own flesh and allow it to be hated and trampled under foot of man.
Unless we eat HIS flesh and drink HIS blood we have no life in us. His flesh, His blood is the Word of God.
We must seek that word daily ... treat it properly when finding it ... apply it in a proper way ... and treasure it above all else on this earth. Nothing is as important to us as THE WORD. How can you cast it aside as nothing in order to focus on this life and the cares of this life? Is that not what they did when they crucified Christ, counting Him as nothing?
So we who really care rise up early if we have to do so to get that food. We sit up late when needed in order to seek that Word. There is nothing else like it to us. There is no one more important to us. We put a effort daily to find it and eat it.
Paul says some mishandle the Word of God and "for this cause" they are weak and sickly and some die. (I Cor. 11)
You must not deceive yourself. It is not the hearer of the Word that is blessed. It is the doer of the Word who is blessed. It is the one who puts his faith in God minute by minute. And to do that takes personal effort toward the Word of God.
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Meditation: Joan Boney
Psa. 1 ... Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
leaf shall not wither when we stay by that "river of water", drinking from that "river of water" ...
To wither is:
- to cease to flourish
- to fall into decay or decline
- to cause harm of damage to
- to fail because of neglect or inaction
- to become dry and shrivled
I have an acquaintance who is like a bird trapped inside a house. That bird flies into a wall and then flies into another wall ... and then another wall ... This woman is full of activity and thinks herself to be profitable because she is busy all day without "wasting" time. But her whole life is a waste. Yet there is no way she could understand this. When she was given an opportunity to a single scripture, she thought it nothing and cast it aside and went on her own way. She considers herself godly. She is member of a church, Catholic. The scripture I gave her: Jesus said: Mt. 23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven (Even the Catholic Bible has this verse in it. Amazing!)
But she is blind and doesn't know it. And I cannot help her. So she keeps beating her head against a wall to no real benefit though to her she benefits. She is without real understanding which comes from properly heeding scripture. But she would have none of scripture when it was given. Had she heeded that one verse it would have changed her life. But to her it was nothing, though she thanked me for sending it to her. All I see from her is her own destruction. Prov. 4:19 ... The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
Wicked is defined as those who cause harm or trouble. We see such constantly as we hear them speak. They smile and try to appear to be good people but they open their mouths and evil comes out. And they have no idea they have spoken evil. But we know. And we can't communicate with them. Don't each of us see this? It just won't work. Light and darkness cannot co-exist. Between us is that great gulf which is created by God to separate HIS people from them. We must not be distracted by them. We keep ourselves to God by the Word of God as we eat HIS flesh and drink HIS blood with deliberate purpose daily. We go one way which they can't see. They go in a way we can't go It won't work.
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Meditation:
Pam Padgett
Numbers 15:1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto
the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land
of your habitations, which I give unto you,
give - cause or allow to have; provide or supply with
It isn't what I work out for myself or provide for myself that is good ... but that which God has chosen for me and gives to me
If I try to provide for myself I could land up going the wrong way, with the wrong things, or with what is dangerous for me. I don't even know what I need and how much I need ... uncertain,
inadequate
That which God provides for me is good, safe, and sufficient for my life now and in the future.
That which God gives to me is what I need, lacking nothing, and is perfect
Don't try to provide for myself by my own wisdom ... turn to God, trust in God and HIS provision as HE leads me in the way I am to go.