Chew That Cud!
Psalm 1:1-2 NLT
Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
The fruit of righteousness is indeed joy—the joy of living! As Children of the Most High God, we must put aside our former associations, and choose to follow after righteousness. Emulating those people we know who are Godly is a benefit to us.
Hanging with the unsaved and those who deride and mock believers will only serve to hinder our spiritual growth and knock us off kilter in our spiritual direction. This is one of the very first acts that God often asks of us when we first come to Him for salvation: “Break free from your former associations.” Sometimes it’s a struggle, because they are people we love. Other times it is a natural release to God out of devotion and trust! God surely loves the latter! His heart is blessed by the obedient babe!
Getting into the Word of God is food for the spirit! It’s communion with our Father! Just as a baby suckles at his mother’s breast and finds satisfaction and happiness, so shall we, when we feed hungrily on God’s Word! As the nursing mother receives much joy in nursing her infant, so God is joyous when His children are nourished by His goodness!
Meditating is an important aspect of devoting time to God. Daily we must continually ruminate on the words of scripture. To ruminate is to do what “ruminants” do: chew cud. A cow has numerous stomachs, so that she can digest and re-digest her food, and her body can squeeze every last bit of goodness out of her diet for optimum health.
Let’s chew on God’s Word for spiritual health. Memorize it, so that it becomes part of our very fabric, just as all the nutrition of the pasture grass becomes one with the body of a grazing animal.
Let’s delight in our Father, who blesses us with such great joy!
Psalm 1:1-2 NLT
Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
The fruit of righteousness is indeed joy—the joy of living! As Children of the Most High God, we must put aside our former associations, and choose to follow after righteousness. Emulating those people we know who are Godly is a benefit to us.
Hanging with the unsaved and those who deride and mock believers will only serve to hinder our spiritual growth and knock us off kilter in our spiritual direction. This is one of the very first acts that God often asks of us when we first come to Him for salvation: “Break free from your former associations.” Sometimes it’s a struggle, because they are people we love. Other times it is a natural release to God out of devotion and trust! God surely loves the latter! His heart is blessed by the obedient babe!
Getting into the Word of God is food for the spirit! It’s communion with our Father! Just as a baby suckles at his mother’s breast and finds satisfaction and happiness, so shall we, when we feed hungrily on God’s Word! As the nursing mother receives much joy in nursing her infant, so God is joyous when His children are nourished by His goodness!
Meditating is an important aspect of devoting time to God. Daily we must continually ruminate on the words of scripture. To ruminate is to do what “ruminants” do: chew cud. A cow has numerous stomachs, so that she can digest and re-digest her food, and her body can squeeze every last bit of goodness out of her diet for optimum health.
Let’s chew on God’s Word for spiritual health. Memorize it, so that it becomes part of our very fabric, just as all the nutrition of the pasture grass becomes one with the body of a grazing animal.
Let’s delight in our Father, who blesses us with such great joy!