Facebook asks a great question every time we log in: What’s on your mind? It’s a question we should be asking ourselves, not necessarily as a conversation piece, but as a means of self-reflection. We can learn a lot about what we really value by examining what we’re constantly thinking about. It’s one thing to say we are devoted to this or that, but it’s quite another to learn what dominates our thinking.
The Psalmist describes the “blessed man” like this:
“His delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:2)
What is on his mind? The law of the LORD. Ask him in the morning. Ask him again at night. His mind is focused on God’s word and he delights in it.
Is that true of any of us? This past Sunday my pastor, Gordy Duncan, taught on this passage and used a great rhetorical device to help us think it through. I want to share it with you here.
Could it be said of you that your delight is in the law of the LORD, and on it you meditate day and night?
Or might it be more accurate to say that your delight is in ESPN, and on it you meditate day and night?
Or her delight is in Pinterest, and on it she meditates day and night.
Their delight is in their children, and on them they meditate day and night.
Be honest with yourself here. How would the Psalmist have written this sentence had he been writing about you? Or ask yourself this question. Do you fit the description of the man or woman who is blessed according to Psalm 1?
Your Bible is more than a religious object in your home. It’s more than an accessory to your churchwear. God gave us every word in Scripture, and it’s probably not a stretch to assume that he wants us to read it.
So is God’s word on your mind at all? How often do you meditate on it? Can you honestly say you delight in it?
Here is how the Psalmist describes the person who whose mind is focused on the Scriptures:
“He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.” (v. 3)