Power of godly meditation

When my mind goes to thoughts that are ungodly and I cannot force it to make a U-turn, this verse usually gets me out of that place…

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

Choosing right thoughts isn’t easy. I could blame ADD/scattered mind and its easily distracted tendencies. I could blame the many things around that pull my thoughts from focusing on any one thing. I know how that reality of “don’t think about an apple” works -- just the opposite of what I want to forget. There is only one way to have my thoughts please God (and me); I need to think about Him and His kingdom.

Today’s devotional writer says that the more we meditate on God and divine things, the happier we will become in our own minds. This is true and so is the converse; when I rejoice in the Lord, thinking about Him is easier and pleases both of us.

Meditation on God and the things of God sets my heart soaring, separating me from the stuff that pulls me down and puts me into the realm of blessing and inner peace. Sadly, as today’s devotional says, even though this Christian habit produces great and good results, there is probably no discipline more neglected. It is easier to read Scripture than ponder it, easier to listen to a good sermon than to digest it. It is also easier to respond to the needs of others than to go into a prayer closet and give our total selves to communion with God.

My wild and crazy thoughts calm down when I pray and after I pray. When I put my mind on God’s goodness and His ability to hear and answer prayer, the junk takes off for parts unknown and my heart draws near to Him. Only then is resisting temptation possible. It is also easier when my heart is yielded to Him

May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. (Psalm 104:34)

I can resolve to think and talk the way I should, but resolutions and determination do not work. The only success comes from habitual communion with Him. For a fact, if my communion and prayer are interrupted for whatever reason, a battle with sin is right around the corner lurking in wait for me.

In this world of continual temptation plus my lethargic conscience, I need to be continually awake and awed by the magnificence of God’s face, but I cannot see Him in the smoke and mirrors of everyday life, never mind in those days of trial and sorrow. I must shut myself away from all that and pray to my Father. He sees what I do and think about in secret. He alone is my power to resist temptation, and even resist indulging in the thoughts of temptation. When I deliberately choose to continually spend time with Him, my mind and life are changed in ways that I could never imagine or do apart from Him.

Lord, the key to this peace of heart is trusting. When I forget the marvels of who You are or neglect to dwell on Your character and grace, then my inner calm is messed up. When I trust in You, the results are definitely from You. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3) In that perfect peace, and only in that perfect peace, can my meditation be fixed on You and please You.

Motivated by grace

Why do people do what they do? A benevolent lady once told me that she did charity work “because it makes me feel so good.” The Bible indicates that behind all acts of the ordinary human soul lies the question, “What’s in it for me?”

This is definitely true of my sinful self. Apart from Christ, life and decisions are all about me, even if it doesn’t look like it to others. My classic illustration is the taking of a pie to a new neighbor. I could be welcoming them to the neighborhood in a sacrificial act that took time and effort. Or I could be trying to impress them with my pie-making skills (ha!).

When Jesus came into my life, that sacrificial motivation showed up along with Him. I found myself wanting to do things for others for their sake, even if it cost me something. I’m still amazed when this happens for I know how self-centered I can be.

… Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ… gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:13–14)

 Jesus Christ gave Himself to redeem me from the bonds of sin, that “what is in it for me” attitude. He died that my sins might die, that every self-centered thought, word and deed could be washed out of my heart and life. He died that I might belong to Him and live for Him.

Belonging to Jesus Christ is an amazing joy! He cares for me as His child, values me as His inheritance, engraves His name on my heart. He takes me from sin that destroys and freely grants me life and righteousness. Those who think being a Christian is too restrictive have no idea what it is like to be set free from sin which is the real bondage.

He also makes His people “zealous for good works.” Whatever motivated me before does not approach “zealous.” This word describes a person who will die for what they believe. By implication, this means I would rather die than not do the good that God has arranged for me to do.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

Zealous also means more than a nod of approval. It is being “red-hot” to do the will of God, to be involved in all that is right and true. Zealous goes beyond being quiet and inoffensive, of doing our part toward a good cause. It is about being ardent, fervent, filled with zest for the will of God in my own life and the lives of others.

I cannot be like this by my own effort. My selfish motivations might kindle lavish energy, but only the grace of God can make that energy pure and unselfish, as Spurgeon says, “a fountainhead of holy impulse.” My part is to renounce “me, me, me” and let Him do His redemptive work, obeying this impulses from His heart in loving service to others. 

Self-control

My husband is generally self-controlled when it comes to food. He can say no to cinnamon buns and cake, and no to a second helping even if he doesn’t yet feel full. I’m not as good at this discipline, but learning. Last night, we both gave in.

Our weekend was filled with good things, accomplished chores, quality family time, fun and games, and an excellent church service. On Saturday, we went to a store well known for delicious pies that are also over-size. A lattice topped strawberry-rhubarb called to us and we figured our neighbors would come and help us eat at least the first half. However, they were occupied with grandchildren yesterday, and instead of having a small slice each, we had a big one. I might not need food all day today.

An occasional slice of pie (slab, hunk, wad, gob, mass, chunk) probably will not kill us, but for me trying to live a self-controlled life, it was another oops that easily leads to lack of discipline in other areas. We all know the excuse, “Tomorrow, I will start eating healthier.” That mentality also translates into, “Tomorrow, I will be more obedient to the Lord.”

Today’s devotional has me back in Titus 2 with this passage that talks about obedience and being self-controlled.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ... (Titus 2:11–13)

First thing that I notice is that living a self-controlled life is a product of God’s grace and salvation. Other verses say it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. That is, if my life is controlled by the Spirit, then I will not fulfill the desires of the flesh – which includes eating too much pie, and self-indulgence in other areas that fall into those categories of ungodliness and worldly passions.

Self-control is important. It is to be modeled and taught. The verses before today’s passage say so three times…

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women… to be self-controlled… that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. (Titus 2:1–8)

I skipped a section that includes other things the older women are to teach the younger, however my experience is that few older women have all of these in place, so how can I pass on self-control to anyone if I don’t practice it myself? Without it, not only do the next generation fail to learn, God’s Word can be mocked as well.

The cost for self-indulgence is high in other areas too. It messes with my health and personal relationship with God, but can also ruin my effectiveness as His follower. Can I take seriously the preaching of someone who is a hundred pounds over-weight? Can I expect anyone to listen to me if I am feeding my every whim? It could be eating whatever and whenever, but what about a closet full of shoes, or a mouth full of gossip, or time wasted playing computer games? What good is following Jesus Christ if it does not change our selfish habits?

When my husband says no to something he could have but chooses not to have, I am impressed and convicted. Being self-controlled is even a bit contagious. Yet of all the traits Christians are supposed to have, this one might be the most elusive, at least in affluent countries like ours where full pocketbooks ensure full pantries and refrigerators, and the mall reaches for our dollars.

I’m eying that pie differently today. Maybe the neighbors spent extra calories playing road hockey with their grandkids and will help us finish it so it won’t go to waste, but since there are two ways to spell waste/waist, my options are not limited to simply eating the thing.

God has a hitching post…

When training horses, I soon discovered that if my horse did something I didn’t

want, like pulling back when I tied her to a post, and was successful at breaking the rope, she never forgot that one success. But if she did something I did want, she never remembered that one success and I had to keep repeating the lesson.

I had the same experience with my dogs. Now I sadly realize I’m not much different under the training of the Lord from those animals …

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11–14)

By the grace of God, I am a Christian. For just over forty years, He has been training me to turn from ungodliness and sinful desires so I might be self-controlled and live a noble and holy life as I wait for Jesus to return. I know that Jesus Christ died to redeem me from sin and make my life pure and a blessing to Him. I know that I belong to Him and ought to be eager to obey Him, but like that horse, the wrong way of doing things is far quicker to pop up as an automatic response than even remembering the right way to do things. I am a tough and stubborn student.

Paul believed in a great redemption. He says, “Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness (wickedness).” Redemption is a wonderful word that means sinners are ransomed, purchased from slavery to sin and set free to serve God. This came at an immeasurable price. Jesus was obedient, suffered and died that I might be released from bondage. In love, He freely gave Himself for us. I loved my horse, but I would not do that for her.

The marvel of the gospel is that redeeming sacrifice of God the Son. Without His death and resurrection, there would be no stopping sin. It would rule my life just as it rules the world of those who reject God’s offer, reject God’s Son, and even mock God as well. Without redemption, the self-effort of those who desire to be “good” people might last a little while, but eventually sin and selfishness take over and we act like animals.

Paul’s words about God’s appearing were not a private vision. He declared the grace of God to everyone whose eyes and heart are open to see and embrace it, adding up to millions of people. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ manifests the grace of God more gloriously than has been done by creation or providence. Because He lived, died and rose again, He clearly revealed the love and mercy of God, giving us a vision of the Father character and of His gracious heart.

My horse didn’t understand why I did the things I did to train her, just as I often do not understand why God deals with me the way He does, but I do know that when He teaches me, even with repeated lessons, He displays amazing love and patience. He persists because He cares. He knows that I am stubborn and forgetful too, yet He wants the very best for me. He proved that in sending Jesus to redeem me, but He also proves it by keeping me tied up close to Him.

(Image source)

Rock of Ages, cleft for me…

My name is a derivative of Elizabeth which is Elisabet in Greek and Elisheva in Hebrew. That biblical name means “my God is an oath” or “my God is abundance.” I’ve also read that it means “consecrated to God” which is a blessing to me. As a derivative, my name comes from that name and meaning, and I’m glad for it.

Names were very important in Bible times. They indicated the character and life direction parents wanted for their child. New Testament apostle Peter began with the name “Simon” but he didn’t keep that name.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). (John 1:42)

Curious, I looked up these three names in an online name dictionary. Simon means, “he has heard” which does describe Peter. It took time for him to learn how to act on what Jesus told him, but he did listen to God and eventually became the person described by the other two names. Cephas is Aramaic for "rock or stone," and Peter is a Greek word that means the same thing. The one who heard became a rock!

Is this coincidence? My studies have shown me otherwise. For instance, many literary devices are used in Scripture. For instance, the story of Joseph in Genesis is constructed in chiasms, a word not found in many dictionaries. It is an X –shaped structure where the beginning and ending of a story or poetry use the same thoughts, even the same words. They could be diagrammed like this: A, B, C, D, E, D, C, B, A. The pivot point is always key information in the story.

One of these chiasms starts in Genesis 43:26 with “Joseph’s brothers return to Egypt from Canaan and bow to Joseph” then ends with 50:18 where “Joseph’s brothers return to Egypt from Canaan and bow to Joseph.” The “B” sections are about Joseph weeping over his father in 46:29 and 50:1. The C sections include “the order of the first born” and so on.

The author who recorded Genesis may have chosen this literary device, but because the entire Bible is filled with them, it could be that they appear because of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit on the writers. That is, God who is a God of order, structure and beauty, influenced even this as the Scriptures were written.

Going back to the names of Peter, they do tell a story. Peter did hear Jesus. He was up and down in his understanding of what he heard, and also up and down in his obedience, but he did become a rock, a pillar in the early church.

His story also reminds me of another story Jesus told about hearing and obeying. From it, I get the impression that our God loves using words and uses them to repeat certain themes and images…

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:24–27) (italics, underlining is mine)

Even more word play is used to describe that Jesus Himself is the Word of God, the one who “spoke” the universe into existence, and the One who “became flesh and dwelt among us.” He also listened to and obeyed His Father. God is called the Rock of ages, a Rock of refuge, and the One who hides us in the cleft of that Rock.

While these word plays may seem inconsequential to some, I find them wonderfully descriptive of a God who cares about both beauty and details. My faith is given a boost because Jesus changed Peter’s life and because of the way He uses words to change my life. As the psalmist says,

He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. (Psalm 62:6)