A Balanced way of Meditating on the Bible

Have you ever thought of God's word like a diet of food? Many Christians have heard taught that the word of God is likened to water. We read it and hear it and it cleanses us. Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

The Bible is also likened to milk. Milk is the diet of babies, as the basic foundational truths of the Bible are spiritual food to new Christians. 1Pe 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

The Bible is likened to meat. We obviously don't give babies meat but we feed it to older children that have teeth to chew it with. Even then, they must have it cut into very small pieces or they may still have trouble chewing it. And meat is usually a staple in the adult diet.

Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Now where's the candy?! Not that candy is an essential part of our diet, but through meditating on the word, I have seen some parts as candy, and some as veggies.

Our church had a program last year in which we were asked to claim a promise of God. I had the opportunity to have 2 different promises to work on during that program, but they both included meditating on God's word. Here are the promises I chose.

Jos 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Psa 1:1-3
(1) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
(2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

I began by pulling one thing to meditate on out of my daily Bible reading. I made my choice by simply reading until one verse or phrase stood out or seemed more important. This wasn't the first time I'd ever meditated on God's Word, but I learned a lot at this time of the program.

One of the first subjects I meditated on was Jesus' love. I read the story of the women at the well in John 4 and was overwhelmed by the thought that Jesus would have loved me just the same if I were that women. How happy that made me!

I continued to daily choose whatever verse I felt God wanted me to meditate on for the day. But they were not all about God's love! I specifically remember the day that I felt he wanted me to meditate on a verse in Pro 24:10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

I remember thinking that I wanted to have a verse that was more exciting! Like another verse about Jesus' love. But since this was the verse that the Holy Spirit impressed upon me, I obeyed.

Later that day or the following day, I ran into a situation with my finances that overwhelmed me. I really did want to give up and sit there and scream or something. But Proverbs 24:10 came to mind. God had guided me to that verse because he knew I needed it for this time.

At the end of this program we were asked to share the blessings we saw while claiming these promises. As I thought back through that path that God took me down with the verses he showed me daily, I realized that some of them were like eating yummy things like candy, but others like a kid eating his veggies.

Sometimes it takes a bit of character to eat those vegetables, but they are needed to build up our immune system. Likewise it takes a bit more character to meditate on verses about fainting in the day of adversity, or a verse about one of our weaknesses. But it is needed so that we will be strong in that day of adversity!