Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily devotional. For the near future, we put our Luke series on pause as we have some stand-alone summer devotionals. I hope you find them helpful.
‘The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.’ (Psalms 19:7-11)
Lesson: Our soul - our inner self - is refreshed and kept healthy through biblical meditation because the Spirit uses His word to meet our deepest needs.
How do we refresh the soul? When we lack peace or lack zeal and energy, how do we refresh our inner-person? There are many good things that we can do such as exercise, meeting with friends, working, Eating and drinking what is good, listening to music… these are all God-given healthy methods for inner health. However, an often overlooked method for refreshing the should is the use of God’s word. If we use God’s word, we are promised that it will: ‘refresh the soul…make us wise…give joy to the heart… give light to the eyes…give great reward.’ Listening to the advice of psychologists can be useful, but listening to God’s ‘advice’ is vital!
How does the word of God do these things? How can we receive the blessings that are promised here?
Firstly, we are to meditate on God’s word. This is about reading a short portion slowly, repeatedly, prayerfully and worshipfully. Asking simple questions is at the heart of the practice. Here are some examples:
What does this say about the gospel?
What does this say about God?
What does this say to me?
Etc.
This is like eating and digesting it as illustrated by the phrase:
‘They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.’
Secondly, we are to obey God’s word. Many of our inner and outer storms are caused by our own lack of wisdom and obedience. Meditation must lead to obedience as we read:
‘By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.’
Response
Are we convinced that nurturing our inner well-being necessitates meditation on and obedience to God’s word? Will we place this as a higher priority compared to other—albeit valuable—psychological or ‘wellness’ methods? Why not take some time to meditate over today’s text even now?
COMMUNITY GROUP NOTES AND STUDY
Until September I'll not be producing a group study. However, if you meet with your group why not simply use one of the devotionals as a basis for your discussion together?
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