Why do we have terms like a ‘Bible-believing Church’ or a ‘Bible-believing Christian’? Why is an organization a ‘church’ if it doesn’t believe in the Bible and its authority? Same question goes for the Christian? Such terms haven’t come out of nowhere. They exist because many do not back up their professions of belief in the Bible as the word of God with matching devotion to it.
The Bible is the word of God! If you believe that, you should prove it beyond just an occasional consideration of its truths. Instead, you should “not let [it] depart from your mouth” but “meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.” That practice promises handsome rewards: “Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Those quotes as you might know, are from the Bible itself, Joshua 1:8. Here are 10 benefits you can expect to reap from a habit of daily Bible meditation.
1. PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION: As a child of God, His predestination for you is that you be conformed into the likeness of His Son, Jesus (Romans 8:29). This will not just happen. God’s instrument to wash your heart of old thoughts and transform your life is His word. That will come as you contemplate the Lord’s glory through daily scripture meditation: “And we, who with unveiled faces all contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Do you desire a transformation? Dwell on the word.
2. RICHNESS WITH THE WORD: Wealth is essentially an abundance of valuable resources. The Bible asks that you “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). This isn’t possible without an accumulation of scriptural truths in your mind. That accumulation can only come by reading and meditation. When you are faced with challenges like Jesus was after fasting for 40 days, it is from this rich reservoir that you can fetch to tackle them. This scripture wealth delivers you from being a feather-weight Christian; it gives you weight and equips you with arrows to use in your fight against evil.
This Scripture wealth delivers you from being a feather-weight Christian; it gives you weight and equips you with arrows to use in your fight against evil.
3. PERSONAL PURITY: The Psalmist asked in 119:9, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” He answers that it is “By living according to your word.” He goes on to say, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). Satan isn’t scared of our reputations; just look at Jesus! Temptations come to us all. What keeps one person pure in the midst of temptations when others get soiled is the word dwelling in the heart. The word can only dwell in the heart when it is read and meditated upon. Daily.
The word can only dwell in the heart when it is read and meditated upon. Daily.
4. GUIDANCE: Are you groping through life, confused about what life means and what your purpose is for being here? Do you crumble when it comes to making key decisions of life: what career to pursue, what vocation to be engaged with, who to get married to? The reason for all groping is darkness – the absence of light. Where does light come from? It comes from the word: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
5. FREEDOM: There are many and varied chains in this world that keep people in bondage. Even in the Church, wrong or faulty beliefs weave chains around the lives of many a person. Much of what is called ‘deliverance’, that equally passes for torture, is unnecessary. Jesus came to set the captives free and that work is finished. What remains is a knowledge of what Christ has accomplished. That knowledge is liberating. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Meditate on the word and get hold of the truth it contains and see your chains fall off. In talking about freedom from sin, Paul said, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with (rendered powerless), that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6). Do you also know that? The truth of the word will set you free.
Even in the Church, wrong or faulty beliefs weave chains around the lives of many a person.
6. DEPTH AND STABILITY: Jesus paid glowing tribute to John the Baptist when He asked a crowd, “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind” (Matthew 11:7)? John was no reed. Following the 400 long years of darkness in the land, a reed easily swayed by the wind could not prepare the way for the coming Messiah. The same weight is required of anyone who wishes to advance the Kingdom. The day before yesterday you believed in something and belonged to say, a particular church; yesterday you changed beliefs and moved to another; then today you swapped those for a third set of beliefs and association. You have even considered abandoning the faith altogether. What causes such vacillations is weightlessness. The weightlessness itself results from a paucity of the word in your life which can only be corrected by an abundance of the word. Daily meditation on scripture is sure to cure that. Paul said a proper ministry in the Church, which will no doubt involve teaching the truth and meditation on it, will bring stability: “Until we all finally believe alike about our salvation and about our Savior, God’s son … Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth” (Ephesians 4:13-14).
The weightlessness itself results from the paucity of the word in your life which can only be corrected by an abundance of the word.
7. ERROR FREE: All error comes from ignorance and deficiency. Erroneous beliefs, erroneous orientations, erroneous doctrines, erroneous conducts and practices, erroneous marriages, erroneous lives, the list is lengthy. They all are symptoms of the same disease of ignorance and deficiency. It is worse when there is a stubborn refusal to acquaint oneself with the truth. Jesus was blunt with the Sadducees, who thought their stance on no resurrection was something: “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). The errors in your own life and ministry have the same source. The cure is the truth. Meditate on scripture daily and free yourself from such errors.
8. INCREASE IN FAITH: Why do entities engage in propaganda? It is to create faith in people for their causes. Whatever lie you hear that is over time not countered by truth, you will eventually believe it. That belief will grow if the hearing continues. Do you desire to grow in the faith? If yes, the word is what you need. The Bible is clear: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Spend time hearing what God has to say by meditating on scripture and you will find your faith growing. The word is the fuel that feeds our faith and gives it growth.
9. JOY AND PEACE: Many erroneously think that joy and peace come from an abundance of possessions. Jesus debunked that when He said “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). You can be sure of getting joy and peace from God’s word though: “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble” (Psalm 119:1-2, 165). “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you” (Isaiah 26:3). What better way is there to fix your thoughts on the Lord and enjoy perfect peace than to meditate on His word.
10. PROSPERITY AND SUCCESS: Prosperity is mostly thought of as an abundance of money and material things. It is actually the condition of being successful or thriving. The verse first referenced at the start of this article promises both for those who will meditate on and obey the word. It is worth repeating: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your 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” (Joshua 1:8).
World Changers Magazine 