As I shared in our devotional yesterday, learning to live as a Disciple of Jesus is all about letting God transform your life from the very core of your heart. It is learning to become a little more like Jesus every day. Your life will not be transformed overnight but it will be transformed as you begin yielding to the teaching of God’s Word and letting God’s Word shape the way you think, the way you feel, the way you speak, and the way you act.
Yesterday we looked at the need to “train ourselves to be godly.” Today, we want to look at the first benefit we receive from walking with God through the habit of “reflecting on Scripture.”
II. WHAT ARE THE 4 BENEFITES OF REFLECTING ON SCRIPTURE
Let’s take a look at what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 5:25-27. He wrote this, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.”
In this analogy, God is telling husbands that the words that come out of their mouths toward their wives should have a cleansing characteristic to them. They should bless.
But the analogy is that this is how God cleanses the Christian as well, that is, through the Word of God.
Notice also what Psalm 119:9,11 says, “How can a young man keep his way clean? By keeping it according to thy Word…Thy Word I have treasured in my heart that I man not sin against thee.”
1. We Receive Constant Cleansing of our Heart and Mind
One of the benefits of reflecting on Scripture is that we receive constant cleansing of our heart and mind.
Think about this. Consider what would happen if you decided not to wash your sheets on your bed for 2 years. The first week you might not notice that your sheets are very dirty but it won’t be long before you would notice that your sheets have gotten really dirty. You now want to wash them but you have made a commitment not to wash your sheets for 2 years. After 6 months, what do you think your sheets smell like? What do you think they look like? The reality is that you really need to wash your sheets.
Now after 6 months you can’t stand it anymore so you take your sheets off your bed and go stick them in a bucket of water, swoosh them around just a little, but do not put any soap in the water. Then you hang them out to dry. After they are dry, they look a little better but they are still very dirty and smell really bad. Why? Wasn’t the water enough? No, you need soap as well. Soap and water move through the fibers of the dirty sheet at the deepest level and lift out those impurities and remove them.
Do you see what we are trying to say? As you and I live life every day, our minds and hearts get filled with things that shouldn’t be there. Some of them are thoughts and attitudes that come up in our heart. These kinds of thoughts and attitudes needed to be washed and cleansed by the Word of God. Has God brought some things to your mind just now?
You see it is God’s Word and our response to God’s Word that is critical for our lives if we are to be clean and if we are to train ourselves to be godly.
Take a moment and confess to God through prayer any bad thoughts or attitudes that came to your mind as you read this devotional. Let me encourage you to take time today to memorize Psalm 119:9,11 and begin the practice of reflecting on Scripture.
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As you pray remember God’s Work here in Northern Thailand.
As most of you know, we live in a part of the world where very few people have ever heard the message of Jesus. 99 out of every hundred persons living here do not know Jesus as their personal Savior. Even in the midst of millions who have never heard, God is at work. God is using many people and many groups to bring the light of the gospel. One of those groups is our English language school called Grace Language School. Please pray as we begin to make plans for registration of new student in just a few weeks.
Love & Prayers,
Pastor Michael