Journal Entry ~ 09/05/19

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. - Joshua 1:8

God doesn't beat around the bush in this passage, and His truth confronts us head on.  The Book of the Law shall not depart from your lips - we are to be in scripture throughout the day. In order for His Words to be on our lips all the time, we need to be in scripture regularly, daily. We can come up with dozens of reasons why that is not possible.  Our lives are busy, we have others to take care of, I didn't sleep well, I'm too upset about what is going on in my life...  But God tells us we are to be in His Word daily.  

Joshua had just taken over a nation of people, and he was given marching orders to conquer a new land - who could be busier than that man? Certainly not me, a mere teacher and mother. And on the eve of a the conquest, God says to him, in all that is to come, don’t forget the most important thing is to meditate on my Word. 

I remember when I struggled to get into His Word every day. I was busy taking care of my family and my home, volunteering at the church, and serving Him in any way that He called me, but I just didn’t make spending time alone with Him in His Word a priority. I reasoned that I knew scripture well, I was in church most Sundays, and I was taking care of His kingdom. He knew how many things I had going on - surely He understood why I couldn’t find time in His Word every day. After all, He was the one who gave me all the responsibilities I had to look after...didn’t he?

Then someone said to me - God would never create a schedule too busy to allow quiet, devoted time for Him every single day. If you’re too busy, too tired, too overwhelmed to get into His Word every day, you’re living in your own agenda, not His. If you're not finding time to spend alone with God on a daily basis, you are not living in the center of God's will and you will not receive His full favor. 

I've had to learn the truths of that statement the hard way. At the time,I thought I knew scripture well, in fact, I served in a leadership role in my church. I used to arrogantly think that the suggestion to be in the Word every day was for new Christians who needed to learn the Word, but not for me - I knew His Word. I didn't need to be in it daily. What a fool I was!!  

He convicted me and challenged me, and my life will never be the same. The peace, the wisdom, the strength - all those things that define me now - come only from one place, and that is His Spirit found through the obedience of pouring over scripture every single morning without exception. Without exception. Nothing takes precedence over my time in His Word. My choosing to give Him the first fruits of every single day is an act of obedience that He has blessed so abundantly, it's difficult to even put into words. 

The sacrifice of our time in our obedience signals who and what is our priority, and when it is His Word, it glorifies God. Get into the Word. Every day, without exception. Don't phone it in, don't read someone else's devotion and think you can check it off the list. Get alone with your bible, and spend time with Him. Show Him who is king of your heart and Lord of your time. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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