Tag: time

Psalm 63 (Part Nine)

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night (63:6 NIV).

The fourth vital experience of the believer is meditation. Notice carefully the particular kind of meditation. It is not seeking an emptiness of the mind, the contemplation of peaceful scenes, or a visualization of success. David remembered and thought about God himself. Surely we ought to meditate on God’s word (Joshua 1:8; Psalms 1:2; 37:31; 119:11, 15, 23, 48, 78, 97, 99, 148) and on God’s works (Psalm 77:12; 111:2; 119:27; 143:5; 145:5). But here the emphasis is meditation on God himself. It would be strange to want to read texts and emails from a person we love, to think about what he or she does, and yet neglect to think about the person who communicates and acts.

Part of our problem is our concept of God. The living God is not an advice columnist, a therapist, a doctor, a deliveryman, or a repairman. God is personal. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He wants us to approach personally, and not acting like we’re ordering something off a website on our cellphone. We ought to think on the awesome God as the One who loves us and gave himself for us (Galatians 2:20).

How can we begin to meditate on God himself?

  • Think of him as he is, a personal being, and not some supernatural force. God speaks, interacts, feels, and desires us to talk to him.
  • Think of how God reveals himself as Father for us (Matthew 7:11; etc.) You may need to correct your thoughts about fatherhood to conform with the goodness of our Father in heaven.
  • Think of the way God encourages us to draw near to him boldly (Hebrews 4:16; 10:22). When we meditate on God, it must always include faith in him.
  • Set your desire on him. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night (Psalm 73:25 CSB).
  • Refresh your heart with thoughts of God’s unfailing love for you. God’s love for his chosen people is like the sun shining in its strength. O that our hearts were like the full moon, reflecting his love! People “are afraid to have good thoughts of God. They think it a boldness to eye God as good, gracious, tender, loving: I speak of saints…”! (Owen, Works, Vol. 2, p. 35)
  • Set apart time to meditate upon God. You can’t talk to someone unless you invest time to talk with them! That should be obvious, but we need to unclutter our hearts and lives of unnecessary activities and thoughts, to make room for God. If we can invest time in our families, friends, and other people, shouldn’t we make time to meditate on the living and true God a priority?

You see, the uncomfortable truth is do we desire God? Everything in our life, words, and actions, including the use of our time, comes from our hearts, the core of our beings. God wants our hearts.

Grace and peace, David

On the Pilgrim Way (Part Three)

Hebrews 6:12

So that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance (CSB).

I grew up in northeast Ohio. Summers there are very warm to hot, filled with thunderstorms, and mosquitos. I enjoyed going fishing with my dad in the evenings. When we went, we made sure we used mosquito repellant. Our “bug spray” of choice was “6-12”, which was pulled off the market in 1991. Without it, we could not have gone to the ponds and small streams that are ubiquitous in northeast Ohio. So “6-12” is ensconced in my memory.

Our text is a “6:12” that we need to remember, though it is much neglected. It sounds too difficult to our self-indulgent flesh: So that you won’t become lazy. Laziness is pandemic; only a few escape it. Few desire to avoid its embrace. Laziness can feel very appealing, especially when we’re stressed, tired, and aging. Exertion is difficult. Diligence (6:11) is hard work, as said in the previous article on these verses. We tend to view it as the opposite of comfort. I have an alarm set on my fitness watch to tell me to get at least 250 steps an hour to avoid sitting for too long. It just went off to remind me to get up and walk. We need this part of Hebrews 6:12 as an alarm to avoid spiritual laziness. We need to pray, rather than to be lazy. We ought to read and meditate on God’s written words instead of being lazily distracted. We need to turn off the television or similar media devices and exert ourselves to be with people.

You see, laziness disrupts a pilgrim way of life. Laziness soothes us with smooth words. “You work so hard; you have so many responsibilities. ‘Couch potato Christianity’ is very acceptable for someone like you who is so overwhelmed.” I write these words, not as a workaholic, but as a pastor who wants us to grow in diligence about our own souls and the good of others. We will not help others if we are lazy. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:10 NIV). This requires prayer, time, and work, all of which are contrary to laziness.

Certainly, we all need to make proper investments in rest and relaxation. But I rarely have to convince people about their need to have “R&R”. The writer of Hebrews warns us all about being careless and overinvolved is ourselves. What will we do? Will we look for opportunities to serve one another in love? Or will we excuse ourselves yet again from the partnership with other believers? “Spray this 6:12” on your soul; it will help keep the mosquitoes of spiritual laziness off you.

Grace and peace, David