This last Sunday we considered the Challenge of Lot in our morning worship. He was a man declared “righteous” in the New Testament, but “Lot looked up and saw … so Lot chose for himself …” Genesis 13v10-11. Whereas Abram who is also declared righteous is acting in faith on the promises of God, Lot is acting in faith of his own feelings and perceptions. It is often said in our age, “follow your heart”, but this is only good advice if your heart is totally aligned with the promises of God.

How do I align my heart with the promises of God? It is by a combination of the Word and the Spirit. It is allowing the Holy Spirit to bring life to the Word of God and apply it to my heart and thinking. This is what the Bible calls “meditation”: the Psalmists often express in song the huge advantage of meditating on God’s law (e.g. “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1v2). Meditating on the Word of God brings real fruit in our life. The same is told to Joshua “meditate on [the Book of the Law day and night, so you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1v8. The rest of Psalm 1 gives the same message.

To meditate is far more than to grasp the theology, or to get the story, it is to listen to what the Spirit is saying to me through the pages.

May God enable you to be fruitful, and to play our part in being fruitful.

With love and blessing,

Roland