“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe 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
For the Christian success is found in how well one keeps the word. Biblical success starts in the Bible. Joshua's Bible was the Pentateuch, that is the writings of Moses - the first 5 books of the Bible. For us it is the entirety of scripture from Genesis to Revelation. But how exactly are we going to see biblical prosperity and success? God tells us here, just as He told Joshua before he entered into the promised land. There are three godly habits we must practice in order to achieve biblical success. Number one: we must make it a habit of reading and hearing God's word, this is what is meant by "This Book shall not depart from your mouth". The discipline of hearing the word being spoken and taught-sitting under solid teaching, and reading it out loud for ourselves will increase our faith and help us grow. The Bible says that 'faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom 10:17) The idea is that we keep God's word close to our lips and ears - that we are faithful to study and know it for ourselves. Number two: If we are "to do according to all that is written in it" we must first think and meditate on all that is written in it. God's word isn't limited to the ears and lips but it should penetrate into our hearts and minds, there we must store it and constantly ponder it. David a man after God's own heart put it like this "Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You." It is like having a bank account you can't take anything out unless you put something in. You see the more we meditate in God's word the more saturated we'll be and thus the more rooted we will become. "Day and night" it says but the idea is that of something done throughout the day, in our rising and in our going. If we have been faithful in hearing and the studying it we can ponder it throughout our day and allow it to germinate in our hearts and minds. Number three: Once we achieve a healthy diet of the pure milk of the word we can then begin to eat meat by observing all that is in it - by being doers and not hearers only. When we follow through on God's precepts we will go from hearing and thinking, to doing, and from doing God's word to seeing God's word actualized in our life. Joshua was successful and won many battles because he observed, interpreted, and applied the word. Where do you find success?
- HOW DOES BIBLICAL EDUCATION LEAD TO BIBLICAL APPLICATION? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
- "A Bible that's falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't" -Charles Spurgeon