In the Christian world there is constantly talk about growing spiritually — amongst friends, in sermons, Sunday schools, Bible studies, books, podcasts, etc. There is no shortage of advice, and much of it is good advice. But there is one recurring theme, I have observed, that is regularly mentioned as the most critical element of growth for a Christian: the importance of personal meditation in the Word of God. Again and again, Christians of every background seem to return to this same conclusion: the whole of the Christian life — success or failure, strength or weakness, joy or barrenness — is profoundly tied to our relationship with God’s Word.
If you are regularly in God’s Word with an open and receptive heart, and God’s Word is in you, you will have God’s enlightenment, direction, transformation, motivation, inspiration, power and grace to do His will. But if you are not in the Word, and the Word is not dwelling richly in you, you will be left to yourself—your knowledge, direction, wisdom, power, will, motivation— to accomplish God’s will. And we know, from experience, that you will fail miserably without his help, for without him we can do nothing.
What does Scripture itself say?
The Blessed Man — Psalm 1
Psalm 1 opens with these words:
“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. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
The word “blessed” means being in a state of true happiness. Is that not what every person truly wants? Beneath all our striving, all our ambitions, all our pursuits, we are seeking happiness, fulfillment, stability, and peace. True joy is not discovered by getting rich, having a top physique, being popular, accruing power, or seeking luxurious ways to satisfy the flesh (the counsel of the ungodly), but rather by delighting in and meditating upon the Word of God. For the blessed man, the Word of God is not a mere religious duty. It is not a chore or an obligation. It is delightful and desirable.
The Psalm says he “meditates” in the Word day and night. Meditation (to mutter) means to focus, contemplate, and think deeply over a prolonged period of time. Just as a camera lens focuses on one object, or as a person concentrates all their thoughts onto one issue, the truly blessed person has steadily focused his heart and mind on one thing: the Word of God.
We often assume our inner life is just simply who we naturally are, but the “real me” (my soul) is a developing person shaped by what we constantly allow ourselves to be influenced by. Jesus taught that our words and actions flow from the heart. This is why Scripture repeatedly warns us to guard our hearts and minds carefully and to feed them what is true, good, and healthy.
Our minds can only truly focus on one thing at a time. Therefore, the overall focus of our lives must continually be the Word of God. Of course, we have a life to live, so we cannot only be seated in a chair in front of our Bibles, but what is the heart’s ultimate desire? What is driving us to do what we do? What do we do with our “free time?”
What is the result of a life dedicated to the delightful meditation of God’s Word? We become like well nourished trees. Trees are stable, grounded, enduring, and fruitful. They withstand storms. They provide beauty and nourishment. The image is intentional. The question naturally follows: Am I spiritually stable? Am I flourishing? Am I fruitful? Is there consistency and strength in my inner life? These qualities are produced naturally as God’s Sap (Word) is flowing through us.
The Psalm concludes by saying, “whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” To prosper means to succeed, to advance, to push through obstacles victoriously. Biblical prosperity is true happiness- a state of blessedness. Regardless of what you end up doing, you end up being happy.
Abiding in the Vine — John 15
Jesus uses similar imagery in John 15. He describes Himself as the Vine and believers as branches.
The purpose of a vine is fruitfulness. Healthy vines produce grapes. In the same way, God desires our lives to be spiritually fruitful, flourishing, and alive.
But how does a branch bear fruit? The branch does not strain anxiously trying to manufacture grapes. Its responsibility is simply to remain connected to the vine — to abide.
Jesus says:
“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” John 15:3
And again:
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you…”
How do we abide in Christ? There is no ambiguity here: abiding is essentially synonymous with constant exposure to his Word. The life of Christ flows into us through communion with Him, and His Word is central to that communion.
Joshua 1
In Joshua 1, Israel stands on the brink of entering Canaan. They are about to face fortified cities, trained armies, and giants in the land. Humanly speaking, they are disadvantaged and weak.
What, then, would be their strength?
God tells Joshua:
“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.”
Israel’s ultimate strength would not be their swords, military strategies, or sheer numbers. Their strength would be their relationship to the Word of God. How different!
While the Canaanites trained for battle, sharpened their swords, strengthened their defenses, the Israelites were to carefully review the Torah and make sure everyone’s household was in sync with it. Their victory would come through obedience flowing from careful observation of God’s Word.
The principle remains the same today. Every day we wake up we are on the verge of a battlefield. This world is fallen, broken, corrupt and relentless. How do we get victory (holiness & happiness)? It is not through money, possessions, influence, luxury, or power over others. Christ is the victor. He is the only one who can win the battle. Who does he fight for? He fights for those who take his Word seriously; who demonstrate that they truly believe that victory comes through being in the Word and not by self.
In Matthew 4, Jesus battled with Satan in the wilderness. Each temptation is answered with the same phrase:
“It is written…”
One of the Scriptures Jesus quotes is this:
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
The Word is our weapon. Paul calls it: “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
We need Scripture ready at hand for moments of direct temptation. But we also need it for indirect temptations — the subtle lies and thought patterns constantly shaping our culture: materialism, sexual immorality, entitlement, greed, pride, selfishness, apathy, and unbelief.
Without Scripture saturating our minds, we slowly absorb the worldview of the age around us.
Joshua 1:9 says the Word should not depart from our mouths. Scripture should shape our conversations. We should speak it to one another naturally and regularly. But this only happens when the Word first fills the heart, because “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
And notice the purpose of meditation: “that thou mayest observe to do.” Meditation is not merely intellectual. The goal is obedience.
Without obedience there is no blessing. Yet many believers struggle to obey consistently. Why? One major reason may simply be neglect of meditation upon God’s Word. If God’s commands are not saturating our minds, we easily forget them, minimize them, or drift from them.
Deuteronomy 6
Deuteronomy 6 expands this vision even further:
“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up…”
The word “diligently” carries the idea of sharpening a blade through repeated strokes. God’s truth is to be repeatedly impressed upon the heart through continual exposure and conversation.
Notice how comprehensive this is. Scripture is to shape family life, work life, mornings, evenings, leisure, and conversation. The people of God were to become so identified with the Word that it became inseparable from their identity.
In every possible way, we should take advantage of reminders of God’s truth — verses on walls, reminders on phones, memorization habits, conversations centered around Scripture, songs rooted in truth. We are forgetful people and desperately need continual reminders.
This takes time. It takes intentionality. But the rewards are immeasurable.
John 6:63
God’s Word does not merely contain instructions we are supposed to obey. It also contains the power we need in order to obey.
Jesus said in John 6:63:
“The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
And Peter at the same time confessed:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”
Hebrews 4:12 declares:
“For the word of God is quick [alive], and powerful…”
The Word of God is living. It is active. It carries divine power.
Even when we do not fully understand everything we read, God’s Word still works upon us. It convicts, strengthens, illuminates, and transforms.
Romans 10:17 says:
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Faith is not generated apart from exposure to the Word. Hearing alone does not automatically produce faith, but faith never arises independently of taking in God’s truth.
This principle applies not only to salvation but also to sanctification. If God used the Word to awaken spiritual life in us initially, why would we imagine that growth afterward occurs through some entirely different means? The same Word that brought us to Christ is the Word that continues to transform us into His image.
Paul tells the Thessalonians:
“…the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
God is actively working within believers, and His Word is one of the chief means through which He does so. The Spirit of God works through the Word of God in the people of God.
John 17:17
Jesus prayed in John 17:17
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
Sanctification is the process by which we become increasingly like God. And according to Jesus, truth is the means by which this transformation happens. Truth is reality as it actually is. The more we come to see reality clearly — God’s holiness, the seriousness of sin, the beauty of Christ, the certainty of eternity, the glory of heaven, the terror of hell, the promises of God — the more we are changed. Sin and weakness thrives in deception. Holiness and power flourishes in truth.
Psalm 19 describes the transforming effects of Scripture beautifully:
- “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul.”
- “The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”
- “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart.”
- “The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
The Word produces repentance, wisdom, joy, enlightenment, and purity.
We Become What We Behold
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18:
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image…”
We become like what we consistently behold.
The Word of God is the only perfect object in this world. The only perfect counselor, the only perfect mentor, the only perfectly balanced influence in existence. Every human influence — pastors, teachers, parents, friends, authors — is incomplete and flawed.
But the Word of God is a perfect revelation of God Himself.
As we consistently focus our minds upon an accurate analysis and meditation of God’s Word, we are in a real sense rightly beholding God Himself. And as we behold Him, we are gradually transformed into His likeness.
Consistent exposure to social media, network television, media advertisements, and just plain old life interacting with other people—even in the Christian world— does not produce godly transformation in us. It’s humorous to actually think about it that way, but how easily do we somehow assume that it will!
Conclusion
The Christian life is not sustained by Christian podcasts, sermons, church attendance, attending Bible studies or a quick perusal of the Daily Bread. It is sustained by personal, continual communion with God through His Word.
Scripture is not peripheral to the Christian life; it is central. We will come to the end of our Christian journey and we will say one of these two things:
- All of my success was because of His Word living and working in me.
- My failures are because I neglected his Word in my life.
Read the Bible every day. Memorize it regularly. Surround your eyes with his Word wherever you can. Pray the Word thoughtfully. Teach the Word— this is super helpful is getting it engrained in you. Write out Scripture. Listen to the audio bible. When you don’t feel like more Bible, get more Bible anyway.
Brother Lee 