Okay church family, here is the, “church homework”, for this week.
I encourage you to FOCUS on Phil 4:8 and meditate on what is “TRUE” — MORNING, NOON and NIGHT! 🙂
Let’s see what the Lord will do in our lives in growing us to discern His voice!!
- “True” is that you are LOVED (Romans 5:8, 8:28, 8:35). E.g. Read John 10:28-30 (You will never be fumbled!)
- “True” is that you are FAVORED (Romans 1:5, 5:21; 1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Romans 12:6). Second Corinthians 9:8 says: “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
- “True” is that you are EMPOWERED (Acts 1:8, Ephesians 1:23, John 16:7).
- “True” is that you are PURPOSED (Acts 1:8, Romans 10:14, 2 Timothy 4:2).
- “True” is that you are COMPLETED (Romans 8:29-30).
- “True” is that you are FORGIVEN (1 John 1:9, 2 Corinthians 5:21, John 19:30).
- “True” is that you are FREED (Romans 8:10-11).
- “True” is that you are ENSURED “success” (Isaiah 55:11, Galatians 6:8-9; 2 Corinthians 9:6, 1 Corinthians 3:5-8).
- “True” is that you are COMMITTED to. “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
- “True” is that you are STRONG in Christ (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
Pastor Greg:
Here’s the results thus far of my doing the homework you gave us at church regarding Philippians Chapter 4, in two parts, Shalom I and II:
Shalom I
Written by Chuck
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Cognitive therapy:
God’s cognitive therapy, in brief, is getting you and I to experience this:
(F) Father’s caring love,
(R) Removes sin,
(E) Ensures growth by grace,
(E) Effects His ministry of reconciliation,
(D) Delivers abundant life.
Cognitive therapy is getting “Freed” up by God’s Word, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to thoroughly enjoy loving God and His people by participating in the Messiah’s transforming ministry of forgiveness-reconciliation-peace. Rabbi Yeshua said:
“If you are a disciple in My Word you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
Being freed up through God’s Word is only a developmental beginning. Applying the presence of God in our moment-to-moment conscious life requires a continuous focus on God’s transcending truths.
Focus is powerful:
Light can cut through steel when focused through a ruby or diamond.
Focus can be beauty enhancing.
Focus can enhance the aesthetic qualities of an object. The hidden beauty of invisible light can be revealed through the aid of a glass prism.
Meditating on God’s divine virtues is an effective way to ally and powerfully attune one’s self to the breathtaking beauty of God’s invisible presence in the here-and-now.
Shalom and the six divine virtues:
Rabbi Paul strongly encourages those who are disciples in God’s Torah (His Word) to regularly meditate on six core virtues that he promises will effectively guard your mind and heart with God’s peace (Shalom):
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:7-9).
1. Shalom:
The overriding virtue in Paul’s cognitive therapy (the theory that right thinking leads to healthy relationships and lifestyle) is peace (Greek: Eirene; Hebrew: Shalom).
Shalom is a personified presence in Paul’s teaching.
Shalom is a Sentry.
Shalom is the Holy Spirit (Qodesh Ruach).
The Holy Spirit acts as a sentry who vigilantly guards the hearts (karthia) and minds (noema) of all who are disciples of the Messiah.
The Holy Spirit is personified peace. He is Shalom!
The Holy Spirit is the “God of Peace” who is with us (Romans 15:33).
1. The Holy Spirit guards the believer’s neurological and spiritual being.
2. The Holy Spirit personally assures the believer’s well-being. In this secure relationship with the Holy Spirit the believer is to learn to be “wise in matters of good and innocent in matters of evil” (Romans 16:19).
3. Thereafter, the Holy Spirit, “the God of Peace,” guarantees He will (“soon”) crush Satan “under the believer’s feet” (Romans 16:20).
2. Truth:
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”
The virtue of truth here, indicated by the Greek word “alethes,” means both what is real, true, and genuine and what cannot lie.
Truth is a specific efficacy (ability, virtue) that supports Shalom.
In psychiatry reality is precariously balanced on two measures: cognition (logic) and affect (emotion). There is no actual consensus as to what frame of reference or point of reference psychiatry should use to base its understanding of reality upon.
The philosophical problem is that an “ultimate frame of reference” can only come from an all-knowing source.
Only an omniscient being can actually claim to possesses truth and truth-conferring powers (truly know and declare what “Reality is”).
God is the only being who possesses such powers of perception and communication.
God alone is our only point of reference and frame of reference for all truth.
Therefore, reality must be defined as: “Being in harmony with God’s cognition (thoughts), affect (feelings) and volition (will).”
God’s truth “empowers” those who follow in His Torah (Teaching) to discern between good and evil.
The Messiah declares that He is God’s Truth personified in human form (John 14:6; 17:17). The Messiah also declared that those who speak the truth about Him are to “speak the truth in [His] love” (Ephesians 4:15).
3. Nobility:
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”
Nobility is another positive virtue that serves as a supportive element for what makes for a state of peace, first in the conscious awareness of the believer specifically and second, in the kingdom of God generally.
The Greek word for nobility is semnos.
Semnos is derived from the root word sebomai, which literally means to “fall back before” (seb). One acts nobly when prompting the mind to worship and adore God through the Messiah.
The regular exercise of awe and reverence toward God in one’s mind and behaviorally in one’s relationships with others promotes shalom.
The apostle Peter affirmed this when he told believers, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him” (1 Peter 2:9).
Contextually the noble person being referred to is not a person of “self-derived” nobility.
The word semnos indicates the person is made noble by association. The person is ascribed nobility by virtue of his or her association with another of higher distinction.
The Noble One of higher distinction who is being referenced to here is God Himself.
God has conferred on the believer adoption into His family. He has made all those who believe in the Messiah Yeshua a nation of royal priests.
Hence the One conferring nobility on you and me is God. He is King of the Universe. Yahweh is the Eternal One who is being worshipped by you and I as is indicated by the word semnos and its root word sebomai.
This makes the Noble Person a Sebomenos, a worshipper of the one true God.
Continued in “Shalom II”
Shalom II
Written by Chuck
Sunday, 26 April 2009
Cognitive therapy:
God’s cognitive therapy, in brief, is getting you and I to experience this:
(F) Father’s caring love,
(R) Removes sin,
(E) Ensures growth by grace,
(E) Effects His ministry of reconciliation,
(D) Delivers abundant life.
Cognitive therapy is getting “Freed” up by God’s Word, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to thoroughly enjoy loving God and His people by participating in the Messiah’s transforming ministry of forgiveness-reconciliation-peace. Rabbi Yeshua said:
“If you are a disciple in My Word you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
Being freed up through God’s Word is only a developmental beginning. Applying the presence of God in our moment-to-moment conscious life requires a continuous focus on God’s transcending truths.
Shalom and the six divine virtues:
Rabbi Paul strongly encourages those who are disciples in God’s Torah (His Word) to regularly meditate on six core virtues that he promises will effectively guard your mind and heart with God’s peace (Shalom):
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:7-9).
4. Righteousness:
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”
Righteousness brings life into conformity to what is right.
The Greek word dikaios supports peace by getting the believer to understand and do what is expected of him or her by Almighty God.
Dikaios defines the believer as one:
1. Who lives his or her life in keeping with God’s purposes (Ephesians 6:1);
2. Who lives before the Lord in faithfulness (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11);
3. Who obeys God’s commands (Romans 2:13; 3:10; 1 Timothy 1:9),
4. Who lives a good, upright, virtuous life (Romans 5:7; Philippians 4:8, Titus 1:8);
5. Who exercises fairness and justice in his or her daily living (Colossians 4:1).
God is dikaios in His nature and action. He is the Righteous One who always does what is right and will administer justice that is in accord with His perfectly just nature (Romans 3:26; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-6; 2 Timothy 4:8).
The Plan of God is to transform human beings from their sinful state to a righteous state through the dikaios of the Messiah.
This work of putting right the believer through the righteous work of Messiah is called dikaioo, “justification.”
God’s ultimate plan is to make the believer conform to the image of the Messiah Yeshua (2 Corinthians 3:18).
5. Purity:
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”
In meditating on shalom, on the restoration of the believer’s calm during the storms of life, Paul is practicing Peace:
“The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:5-6).
Rabbi Paul, whose name means “Little” (indicating one who practices Humility before God) is teaching us about his right and the right of every other believer to continuously abide in the Shalom of the Holy Spirit.
Abiding in the presence of God, the Holy Spirit provokes an overwhelming calming within one’s self.
This regular attention in audience before the King of Righteousness inevitably will affect moral purity in the believer’s life.
The Greek word for purity is hagnos, which indicates freedom from defilements. Confession cleanses the believer of defilements, not just over easy to discern sins but the subtle and nuanced ones.
It is a sin to displace God’s shalom with busyness and the anger provoking tyranny of the urgent.
If followers of God can regularly learn to set aside time to practice the Shalom of God there will be less transgressions and therefore, defilements.
The immature weak and anxious Marthas would finally grow up to become mature strong and confidant Marys. As Messiah Yeshua said:
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious about many things but one thing is needful and Mary has chosen it and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).
All believers start out their developmental journeys anxious about many things. It takes the Holy Spirit a great deal of time and effort to grow all of us up to the “one thing that is needful” that will never “be taken away from us.”
Cleaning up the defilements of the mind is more than an act of the intellect and the will. It is sacrificing to God one’s emotional life and letting Him replace that fallen emotional life with His perfect love.
This trade-in of our fallen worldly love for God’s perfect love, through receiving forgiveness and the gift of the indwelling life of the Holy Spirit, puts the believer in a state of “pure shalom.”
This is an emotional state that Rabbi Paul wonderfully describes as “transcending all understanding.”
The word understanding in Greek is nous. Nous means operation of the consciousness. Paul is saying God’s Shalom is capable of overwhelming man’s consciousness.
God’s Shalom is so distinctive and overwhelmingly powerful that Paul could wholly devote his mind to the shalom of God and never intellectually and emotionally exhaust its meaning.
This alone is what true pure consciousness is.
Pure consciousness is filling up the mind with God’s presence and being caught up in the unending joyous state of intimacy with God (Philippians 4:4).
What makes this exercise of meditation in God’s shalom even more incredible is that Paul is writing us about having these wonderful experiences while he was incarcerated in a dark, cold prison cell in ancient Rome.
6. Loveliness:
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”
The Greek word for loveliness is prosphiles (pros: toward, phileo: to love).
The word phileo indicates the sharing of common interests. Common interests engender friendship and “tender affection.”
The preposition pros indicates movement toward another-in-friendship.
Prosphiles is about relational loveliness and friendship with God and others. Such friendship, friendliness serves the cause of peace.
God’s Shalom requires an object-relations approach to others that cherishes others with high veneration, great affection, and constancy.
This high value for the lives of others is what it is to project loveliness into relationships. God’s Shalom is lovely.
When consciously aware of God’s presence the believer should ordinarily feel that he or she is wholly cherished, special, an audience of one.
(However, in the not so exceptional cases of extreme hardship and medical disability it is not medically possible for believers, except by God’s miraculous hand, to experience positive emotions such as those just mentioned. Medical anxiety, medical depression, medical delusions cannot be treated as if they are spiritual shortfalls alone. These afflictions often involve medical hardware (biochemical) problems and are rarely just simple cases of failed spiritual sensitivity. Our Messiah is also the world’s Great Physician. He is the Lord of all Science and Medicine; as well as theology. Therefore, these ailments oftentimes do require medical as well as spiritual assistance).
This word prosphiles, loveliness is quite special and is only found “once” in the entire New Testament (in this passage).
7. Graciousness:
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”
Shalom continues to provide transcendent insight into what really matters in the eternal scheme of things: relationships.
Relationships that dwell in peace, in shalom are what God is affecting. In every day life it can become disheartening to observe (immature) believers fighting over the most ridiculously small things.
(At least ninety per cent of those who are true believers today are “very immature;” this does not cancel out their salvation, any more than babies making messes cancel out their relationship with their parents. What makes a believer a true believer is their eternal DNA. The Holy Spirit is God’s DNA. No matter how good persons may think they are, if they fail to receive the Gift of the Father that is received through faith in the true Messiah Yeshua, they will not be made perfect on the day of resurrection and they will not dwell forever with God as their Father. In the meanwhile, immature believers continue to be anxious about many things and make big messes; this does not nullify their adoption. Once the Holy Spirit takes residence in your heart you are sealed. You will in good time be perfected. God does not have miscarriages. God does not have abortions. The DNA of God is immortal, invincible and incorruptible. His Seed cannot die. However, it should also be noted that the most miserable people on this planet are not unbelievers. They are believers. Those believers who are behaving disobediently and are not in right fellowship with God are constantly living under the unhappy disciplining hand of God. They are hounded painfully by the interventions of their Righteous Father who will give them no sense of true peace until His discipline yields the peaceable fruit of His righteousness in their lives. Some true believers go to their deaths miserable for the reason of their foolishly and wastefully resisting the wise discipline of our heavenly Father; cf. our articles, “Lot and the City of Fire” and “Heart of David”).
In such cases, it is not a sharing of God’s interests that is present. The immature, bitter, selfish warring believers are defining themselves by their worldly interests.
These believers are temporarily out of right fellowship with their heavenly Father.
The world’s pursuits and disobedience do not bring Shalom.
The world’s pursuits bring enmity, anger, hostility, and discord.
True Shalom brings right thinking.
True Shalom brings gentle consciousness that is grounded in God’s intellect, will and wondrously joyous emotional life.
Rabbi Paul, the Little One, the Humble One is exhorting believers to:
1. Get a grip on their daily thought and behavioral life;
2. Make their life’s central point of reference God and His Shalom;
3. Enter into God’s own cognitive and affective domains;
4. Maintain an eternal perspective;
5. Enjoy forever being satiated with God’s awesome Shalom through abiding in His Spirit.
True Shalom produces God’s truth, nobility, righteousness, purity, loveliness, and graciousness.
The Greek word for graciousness is euphemos (eu: good, phimi: affirm, say).
Euphemos is affirming, saying what is good, as opposed to what is bad in one’s communications within and without the mind.
There is no battle for the mind when God’s Shalom is in charge.
Shalom is present when the battle has been fought and won. Shalom is about good-will and good thoughts toward others.
In the eternal scheme of things shalom among believers is inevitable. Seeing others as God sees them in eternity makes it easier to assign incredible value now to others and speak goodness to them now.
Graciousness supports shalom because it effects righteous treatment to all whom one comes in contact with; this includes efforts to forgive and reconcile with one’s enemies (loving one’s enemies), as well as friends.
What is Excellent and Praiseworthy:
Paul no doubt could have mentioned several more virtues than the six he mentioned. It was sufficient for him to describe for us what he knew to be the dominant virtues associated with shalom.
In summarily addressing all the divine virtues Paul uses the twin Greek terms of excellence (arete) and praiseworthiness (epainos) to describe the whole spectrum of God’s virtues (for more information about God’s divine virtues and attributes cf. our articles, “Perfect Parent I and II,” in the archives).
Paul is declaring that God’s Shalom has transformational power.
God’s Shalom effects complete transformation of every believer’s thinking processes.
The end result is a mature believer who is preoccupied with what is intrinsically excellent (the intellectual, volitional, and emotional life of the Perfect Man, the Messiah) and extrinsically praiseworthy (the behavioral and interpersonal outcomes of abiding in the Holy Spirit).
The intrapersonal and interpersonal life of God, the Messiah, dwelling in and among His people is what is in view in affecting true “forgiveness-reconciliation-peace” in the world.
Almighty God has promised that forgiveness through faith in the Messiah Yeshua will ultimately effect true reconciliation with God and each other for all who will believe in His Torah (His Teaching, His Gospel, New Covenant of Grace).
Then the God of Peace will usher in His kingdom of Eternal Shalom!
CHM
Greg, thank you so much for the past 15 years of your messages at Calvary. You have always been a huge influence on me regarding the gospel. I know you are very proud of greg jr and his athletic accompolishments and so am i, thank you for the book 10 Choices i am now in the process of reading. I know that if i let the lord guide me and follow his words i will be ok, once again again thank you and god bless you. Dan Luper
05-01-2009
I spent some prayer time on my homework. My original thoughts were too long. So here is the “edited” version.
Thinking Right– Philippians 4:8
Enemy # 1 • Whatever Consumes Your Thoughts The Most.
In a studying Philippians chapter four; Paul talks about standing fast in the Lord. In the first verse of chapter four we are told to “stand fast in the Lord.” It is important for followers of Christ to be steadfast, mature and spiritually stable.
If we are going to be effective and fruitful believers then we need to be standing fast—stable in the Lord. .
We stand fast—we’re stable—by pursuing peace in our relationships.
We stand fast—we’re stable—by rejoicing in the Lord.
We stand fast—we’re stable—by being known for our gentleness and by understanding that the Lord is at hand—he’s always near—he’s in control.
We stand fast—we’re stable—by praying with thanksgiving instead of worrying.
In verse 8 where we see Paul bringing to a conclusion his thoughts on the stable Christian.
I believe what we find here is the key that opens the door to bringing all of these other things into our lives. I believe that practicing what Paul shares here in verse 8 makes all the other areas possible.
Look at verse 8 and then you’ll see why I believe this is true.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things.
Focus on the word meditate again at the end of this verse.
The word meditate is translated think in the NIV and KJV. The NASB says let your mind dwell.
It means to reckon, to count, to compute or calculate.
This word deals with reality.
If I reckon that my bank account has $25 in it, it has $25 in it.
I could just skip reconciling my bank account and pretend that I have $25 dollars in my account but unless I actually look at the figures I’m only deceiving myself.
When Paul says meditate on these things he’s telling them and us as believers, to deal with the facts. Deal with the facts, not guesswork.
Right thinking is needed If we are going to stand fast spiritually.
If we’re going to be spiritually stable Christians we need to make sure our thinking is right.
We need to make sure that we’re dealing with the facts, not guess work.
The Bible tells us that God’s word is truth, even though Heaven and earth will pass away, God’s word will remain.
The steadfast and stable believer must be disciplined in his or her thinking.
What we think is important. What we let occupy our conscious minds.
If our thinking is wrong our actions are going to be wrong.
Oswald Chambers said…
To think is an effort; to think rightly is a great effort; and to think as a Christian ought to think is the greatest effort of a human soul.
He’s right.
If we’re going to be stable Christians, we need to think right and that is going to require some effort on our part.
We live in a world full of wrong thinking.
Paul lists for us the types of things we are to think about.
When we think about the right things our thinking will be right.
Paul tells us we are to think about whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, or of good report.
If there is any virtue or anything that is praiseworthy those are the types of things we are to meditate on, to think about to dwell on in our minds.
Let’s look at these together.
We’re to think about whatever is true.
It is so important that we understand that our standard for what is true is found in the Word of God.
God’s Word is truth.
If we are to be equipped to discern truth we must be in God’s Word.
If we’re going to dwell on—think on those things that our true we must begin in God’s Word.
In our culture truth is relative.
There are no absolutes.
People are more concerned with feeling good than what is true.
The world around us is filled with distortions and lies—like the guy that sees himself behind the wheel of that great new car he saw on TV. The advertiser wants to make you think you need what they have.
But we need to be careful that our thinking is correct and that it is grounded in the truth.
There are so many ways we can be led astray in our thinking.
To be guarded from them we must know the truth of God’s Word.
If we have difficulty in our marriage we may think like the world does—that I deserve better than this so I should just get out and move on.
Maybe we buy into the victim mentality of our society and deny the truth that we are really responsible for our own actions—we will stand before God someday and answer for our own actions.
If we aren’t grounded in the truth of God’s Word our thinking can easily be wrong and then the behavior that stems from that thinking will be wrong also.
Warren Wiersbe says,
“Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny!”
We need to be the kind of believers who are eager to hear God’s Word, who are eager to study God’s Word for ourselves and are eager to practice the truths of God’s Word in our own lives.
Because when we know God’s Word we’ll recognize wrong thinking and we’ll know what to do about it.
Noble refers to thinking on things that are sacred as opposed to those things that are profane or wicked—thinking on things that are dignified and wholesome.
We’re to think on things that are just—things that are worthy of respect and right—right in God’s eyes—according to God’s standard.
We’re to think on things that are pure—things that are wholesome—things not morally impure.
We’re to think on things that are lovely—the idea behind this word is that these things promote peace rather than conflict.
We’re to keep our thinking on things that are kind and gracious.
We’re to think on things that are of good report—things that are highly thought of—even things that the world in general would think well of.
And Paul says that these are the things that are virtues and praiseworthy.
If it has virtue, it will motivate us to do better; and if it has praise, it is worth commending to others.
There may be things that are true that aren’t fitting to dwell on or meditate on.
Wiersbe notes that; There are many things that are not respectable, and Christians should not think about these things.
This does not mean we hide our heads in the sand and avoid what is unpleasant and displeasing, but it does mean we do not focus our attention on dishonorable things and permit them to control our thoughts.
What kind of things are we allowing to control our thinking?
You might need to ask yourself if your music directs your thinking in ways that honor Christ.
What about your television and movie viewing habits?
What kinds of books and magazines do you read?
What kinds of things do you use the internet for?
Are you feeding your mind with things that are healthy and appropriate to meditate on?
Are you filling your mind with things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report—are those things virtuous and praiseworthy?
Or are you feeding your mind with untrue, wicked, unholy, shameful, vile, corrupt and ugly things?
You and I don’t like to use those kinds of words to describe the things that we think about that may not be so pleasing to God.
But we do need to examine those things we think about that way, and we need to honestly ask God,what do you see when you search me?
What is it Holy Spirit that I allow in my life to grieve You, or quench You?
So how do I empty myself of all the stinking non-biblical thinking? How do I empty myself of ME?????
If I’m like a container full of air, how do I get the air out?
[ air= thing leaven, think pride, cause it puffs up!]
I allow myself to be filled with some thing else. Its a conscious, cognitive action.
I fill it with the Word of God, and I confess my sin, and ask Him to fill me Lord!
Wash my mind with the water of Your Word.
How do we meditate on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report—those things that are virtuous and praiseworthy?
I mean, what does that look like practically?
Why, we do it by practicing Colossians 3:16.
Colossians 3:16 – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
I’m convinced that when the follower of Christ is faithful to get into God’s Word, God’s Word will get into them, and it will flow out of them.
We must allow God’s Word to become a deep part of how we live.
We need to do as Psalm 119:15 suggests and meditate, think on, study, God’s precepts, his commands.
Psalm 119:15 – I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways.
If we are to be stable as believers—standing fast in the Lord then we need to love God’s Word and spend time in it, reading it and studying it and memorizing it.
Then the Word of God will be like living torrents of water flowing out of us. Watering and blessing those around us.
We need to be like David in Psalm 119:162; “I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil”.
Is it a valuable treasure to me?
Is it precious? Do I value it more that anything?
Because were my heart is, there my treasure will be also!