A man should be strict with himself.”
–Louis L’Amour (Down the Long Hills)
“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.”
–Psalm 119:15-16 (ESV)
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What is it that you find your mind thinking about? When you drive, where is your mind, your thoughts? Before sleep finally overtakes you, what are your last thoughts of the day? When morning comes is it the proverbial “good morning Lord,” or is it, “good Lord, morning”? What are your thoughts as you prepare for the day? I could go on and on with examples, but the question is, where do you keep your mind?
Contemplate deeply for a few minutes on the words of the Psalmist, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:2, NIV) The CEV puts it this way, “Instead, they find happiness in the Teaching of the LORD, and they think about it day and night.” I would now ask, how much time do you think about the Lord? How much time do you think about His Word, or pray unceasingly? Look at the same verse from the TLB, “But they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely.”
Who is this person? Go back to verse one. They are the individuals who shun sin, stay away from those in the system of the world, and do not walk in darkness. What do they do? They “walk not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.” In other words, they walk the way of righteousness, they stand firm in their faith, are courageous and strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13)
How important is it to keep our thoughts on the things of God? Andrew Murray gives us some thoughts to ponder. “It is in meditation that the heart holds and appropriates the Word. Just as in reflection the understanding grasps all the meaning and bearings of a truth, so in meditation the heart assimilates it and makes it a part of its own life. We need continual reminding that the heart means the will and affection. The meditation of the heart implies desire, acceptance, surrender, love. Out of the heart are the issues of life; what the heart truly believes, that it receives with love and joy, and allows to master and rule the life. The intellect gathers and prepares the food on which we are to feed. In meditation the heart takes it in and feeds on it.”
Resolve, in your heart and mind, to dwell upon the Word of God.