God desires that His children think His thoughts. The first three verses of Psalm 1 reveal that He will bless those who meditate on His Word daily. The Bible is God’s thoughts to us.

It is His Word in the minds of believers that makes our thoughts pleasing in His sight. In Romans 12:2, Paul talks about how the believer’s mind must be renewed – which enables it to be transformed to the will of God. Then, in I Corinthians 2:16, he says that we have the “mind of Christ.”

In Noah’s day, the imagination of the hearts of the people were only evil continually. People are no different today. Even though some may have a form of godliness, their hearts are unregenerated. They walk in darkness and are incapable of pleasing God in their thoughts or their actions. Romans 8:7,8 says: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

In this chapter, the only difference between the ungodly and the blessed man is the fact that the blessed man meditates on God’s Word. The Word not only enables him to be blessed, but it also gives him value. He delights in the Word of God.

The wicked have no desire to hear the Word of God. They despise it. Chaff is worthless – it is airy and light and the wind just blows it away. When harvesting crops in Bible days, the chaff would be gathered and burned. This is a picture of what will happen to the unregenerate on judgment day.

The wheat has weight and is the desired product. It will be gathered into God’s “barn” (Heaven).

Are you wheat or chaff?

Yesterday, I talked about how and why meditation is so necessary to receiving God’s blessing. It is also essential to the growth of the Christian. Psalm 1:3 talks about the extent of the blessing and growth to be received through meditation when it is performed daily.

The illustration of that blessing and growth is likened to a tree planted near a river. A tree in this case would have a constant supply of water, which would result in a lot of fruit.

The tree also would not lose its leaves prematurely because of the constant abundance of water. It does not need to fear drying up.

Daily meditation on God’s Word is promised to result in success in whatever you do. This success is conditioned by the doing of those things the Word says – as you learn of them.

It does not mean that God will bless all your plans – as some people suggest. Instead, it means that as you meditate daily on the Word and apply those Biblical principles, your plans will be molded to God’s plans. Only when they conform to His plans will you see success.

Do you want that kind of success? Daily meditation is the key. The joy of living a life following His plans is that there are no regrets.

There are many ideas out there about how to be blessed. Some of the strongest blessings are related to the Word of God. 

The above verse is a clear example of this principle. The Bible repeatedly lets it be known that God’s Book is essential to getting His blessing. Despite this, few people claiming to be Christians actually read it every day.

As the verse says, reading is not enough. The believer must also meditate on its teachings. It means to think about what you read and get out of it all you can – like a cow chewing its cud seeking to get all the sweetness out of it.

You also want to pray about what you read, confess sins when the text reveals them, and asking God to help you fulfill the responsibilities and duties mentioned.

Lastly, notice the word “delight.” When your heart is right toward God and His Book, you will delight in it and meditation on it will not be a chore. There are so many marvelous things in God’s Book that it will delight you if you let it. Your time spent in the Word and prayer will become one of your greatest joys.

In the first chapter of the Psalms, God, through David, reveals the kind of person He wants to bless. These blessings are not necessarily earthly or material blessings.

The word “bless” means happy. It is not necessarily the smart person, the handsome or beautiful person, and it is not the charismatic individual.

Instead, the brief chapter reveals that, first, there are some things the blessed person does not do. He or she does not hang out with people who God disapproves of. These people are put into three categories: the “ungodly,” the “sinners,” and the “scornful.” Each of them follows their own desires and plans – none of which God can approve of.

The blessed person does not associate closely with any of these people. Their advice and “wisdom” are contrary to God and His Word. It is because they are not enlightened by God and do not understand the Bible or the way of the Holy Spirit.

When the believer needs direction and advice, they need to go to the Bible for it or to a Pastor – if they really want to be one of those people who God blesses. God has given us Divine advice and guidance for every situation we will face in life. There are plenty of people online or on TV, etc., who want to give their advice, but it will not help you to draw close to God or live victoriously for God.

Proverbs 19:27 tells us: “Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.” This means do not even listen to advice or counsel that comes from people who do not know God.

If you want to be blessed by God, it becomes necessary to spend time in the Word every day to know what our Lord says about the things we face daily. When you do, you will learn the way He wants you to live for Him.

Do you want to become that person God wants to bless? Are you in the Word every day and in church where the Word is taught regularly?

In these verses about running a race for the Lord, Paul lets it be known that he does not live his Christian life to practice. He consistently makes every step count.

He was serious about living for the Lord and he did it every day. His life was not lived haphazardly or carelessly. He intended to win his race and be his best for Christ. He faithfully held “forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain” (Philippians 2:16).

In order to run faithfully every day, he needed to discipline his body. He determined that his body would not tell him what to do, but his mind would – guided by the Holy Spirit and the Word. An Olympic runner does the same. Getting careless with self-discipline could cost you the prize. It could cost you the crown you would like to have in glory. We must bring our bodies into subjection – and our thoughts – with His help.

In II Timothy 4:7,8, Paul declares near the end of his life – under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that he won the prize. He says: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

If rewards for faithful service are to be won, Christian, you need to be busy doing His will now. There is no time to lose. We need to run our race for the Lord, and with His help – today. Remember that rewards for past service can be lost and given to someone more faithful: “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward” (II John 8).

It would be a shame to lose what rewards were already gained by growing lax in our love and service for Christ as we get nearer to His coming. Will you be counted faithful when He comes to take us home to be with Him?

In these two verses, Paul compares the Christian life to a race. In a race, he says, everyone runs, but only one is going to receive the prize.

This fact makes the competition more interesting. If you are going to run, it is not worth it unless you are serious about trying to win. As Christians, we know that there are rewards in Heaven that will be given for faithfulness and doing our best. Potential winners have no time for being lazy or daydreaming. Instead, they need to be focused on the goal and putting forth a lot of effort to achieve it.

Paul urges every believer to run like you mean it – like you really want to win the prize from the Lord. After all, we are not running for a crown that only lasts for a little while, which was the case of Olympic runners in Paul’s day. The believer’s crown is incorruptible and eternal.

Runners who want to go for the prize will also pay a price to do it. They seek to be “temperate in all things.” It means that their running becomes the most important thing to them. They restrict their diet, get a good night’s sleep, and practice most every day.

This brings us to the question of how well are you running (serving) the Lord? Could you be doing better? or more? Are you doing the will of God for your life?

Although sin may be pleasant for a brief time, it always carries a sting with it. Afterwards, there will be some guilt, regret, sadness, and some disappointment. Sin can never satisfy in any lasting way.

A guilty conscience (which can be seared – be made insensitive) can make people irritable, quick-tempered, hasty, rob you of sleep, and unhappy. A show can be put on, but underneath the veneer there is dissatisfaction and some inner turmoil.

Once saved, the Christian has the privilege of not only being forgiven their transgressions in God’s eyes but also has the assurance of eternity with God in Heaven. In addition, there are the things in his or her heart that truly can make a person happy.

The indwelling Holy Spirit can produce in them the nine qualities mentioned above. Those nine things are: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.” All desirable characteristics. Even better, there is no law against having any of them. Of course, along with these fruit, there is also the best benefit of having a close fellowship with God.

The last phrase of the verse should also be noted. Although any true believer can have these qualities the Spirit of God gives, it must be remembered that they are contrary to the natural workings of the flesh and mind. Therefore, it should not be surprising that the requirement is: “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

In the midst of his trials, David proclaimed that God had been his help all along. God never forsook him or proved Himself unfaithful. He kept His promises.

His experience with God made him determine to stay close to God, proverbially close enough to be in His shadow. Of course, God has no literal shadow, but the idea is that if you are in someone’s shadow – then you are very close to them.

David had an expectation of what abiding in God’s shadow might bring. He knew that it would bring rejoicing. Staying close to God is not a sad experience – it is a most joyful one. Believers who have little or no inner joy are those who do not walk close to God.

He even declared, in Psalm 119:62: “At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.” While most people sleep, David determined that because of his love for God and His Word, that he would even praise Him at midnight. Just two verses later, he talks about praising God seven times a day for His Word. This was not a duty to him – but a joy.

As he walked close to God, David found another blessing. He learned that God would uphold him. David did what God wanted him to do. And when he did, God gave him the strength to do it.

Are you walking close enough to God to be in His “shadow,” and are you experiencing His joy and strength? You can!

During this time of year, many churches will have meetings that are often labeled “revivals.” Although the word “revival” is not used in the Bible, the word “revive” is, and it means to be restored to health or life, be quickened, to restore to life, to grow, and to sustain life.

The very word suggests that there has been a drifting away from those things that make Christians spiritually healthy. The meetings are intended to apply means whereby those attending can be strengthened and brought back to strong spiritual health.

Because the world has a strong pull on believers that can cause them to lose their “first love” for Christ, special meetings are employed to help restore them to a right relationship with God. The desired result is to weaken the world’s grip on believers and bring them back to a close walk with God and a refilling of the Holy Spirit.

As is illustrated in Acts 4, the filling of the Spirit is to glorify God and empower witnesses for the spread of the Gospel. While some like to think the filling of the Spirit is for speaking in tongues, there is no mention of this in Acts 4. They asked for the Spirit’s fullness for boldness to speak and not be ashamed.

Although revival meetings should help believers to be what God wants them to be, they often fall short. Rarely do these meetings actually see a God-given revival. Each believer must seek to draw nigh to God, which requires personal confession of sins, time spent in prayer, surrender to the will of God, and action to start doing His will faithfully.

True revival is something that only God can do, which is why the text verse asks: “Wilt thou not revive us again?” While God must do it, believers are responsible to prepare their hearts so God can revive them. Do you need to start seeking personal revival?

There are many kinds of mothers in the world. They come in many sizes, various conditions of health, different styles of dress, education levels, beauty, and income levels. Whatever the differences are, every one of us has a mother – though some may not know who their mother is.

The above verse reveals that King Lemuel’s (another name for Solomon) mother taught him much. She not only gave him instruction on how to live right, but she also set a strong example of what a godly woman should be.

She follows her instruction of her son concerning where to concentrate his energies – not on women or wine – and then follows this with instructing him as king to judge the people righteously. This is followed by instruction on how to find a good and godly wife (remember that Solomon ended up with 700 wives) – which he did not follow (which later led to his spiritual downfall).

It is quite probable that this was written by Solomon’s mother – Bathsheba. She was a woman who was wise and godly. She understood what was most important, and it can be believed that she also taught her son to worship and serve God.

Today, when mothers ensure that their children are in church regularly and teach them the Bible and how to live by their example, the chapter closes with this thought in verse 30: “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.”

Thank God for His faithfulness and willingness to help women raise their children for Him. His grace continues to be sufficient in every way. Mother’s, we honor you today and thank you for your lessons taught.