A Verse To Chew On

A Verse to Chew On is my take on a weekly devotional. It used to appear, as a page, on the ApronStrings Ministries web site. It will now be featured here every Monday...between loads of laundry. =]

If you are new to ApronStrings, you may be wondering why I call this what I call this, instead of just a weekly devo. I think I can explain that best by taking you through his week's verse...

"I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." Psalm 40:8 NIV

That is my desire, and I bet it's yours too. Whether we are married or single, empty-nesters or knee deep in Cheerios (or somewhere in the middle), a college student, career woman or a full time homemaker - if we are a follower of Christ, we want to do God's will. It becomes our common denominator, connecting as Sister~Friends, those of us lacking similar interests in other areas. But how do we do the will of God? Good question.

To do God's will we need to know what it is. God's will is synonymous with His Word, the Bible. We won't specifically find chapter and verse naming who we should marry or spelling out which job offer we should accept. But, as we become more familiar with the truths of God's Word for life in general, we will experience His leading in even the most personal areas of our lives.

The psalmist says, in our verse, that God's Law is written in his heart. This, in part, refers to the Big 10, (all those "thou shalt not's"), but it's not limited to those. I believe that this statement is referring to the Bible as a whole. And notice that it says that God's Word is within his heart, not just his head.

The Lord has given us a brain to read, comprehend and memorize the Bible. But for God's Word to really affect a change in our lives and to help us discern His will, we must get it from our heads and into our hearts. We must digest it - thus, A Verse to Chew On. =]

Joshua 1:8 puts it this way, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from you mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

What the writer refers to as 'meditate on', I call 'chewing on'. Meditating on a Bible verse is not some weird mystical thing that requires sitting in the lotus position. It is like savoring a bite of juicy steak or rich chocolate cake before swallowing it. When you chew on God's Word you slow down the reading process. You take the time to contemplate what it's saying and how you should apply it to your own life. It becomes part of you - committed to your memory. Not as an academic exercise, but because, out of spending time prayerfully considering it, you have digested it.

I will be posting a new verse each Monday - hopefully it will give you something to chew on all week and increase your appetite for more of God.

"It is my desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." Psalm 40:8

Thanks for joining me as together we "taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psalm 34:8)