Anchor Verse:

 

Joshua 1:8 -> "8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

 

Hello everyone, I hope you are well! Today, we have the breakdown and analysis of a fairly well-known verse in the Bible, Joshua 1:8. This is the first verse/chapter analysis I have done in a while, but going forward, I believe this will be first of many posts I will be doing, in such a manner. Anyway, please see the analysis below :)

 

Why is it important to meditate on God's word?

 

How do you sacrifice everything for a person you do not know? Or to a person you are not familiar with? It is the same thing with God! Thankfully, John 1:1 informs us that God is His Word; the Word and God are one. Because of what He has left for us, we can get to know Him. Why is this important? God is not interested in mindless legalism (I myself have found this out and still struggle with it), but rather, He wants to have a relationship with us. We can deduce this from the numerous verses that tell us about how God desires proximity with us. James tells us to, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”  1 John 1:3 talks of us being in fellowship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and so forth. In this intentional connecting, fixing your thoughts on a particular verse, prayer point, or quality of God, we find Him! Truthfully, seeking and finding God will end up being the root to everything else we do for or in relation to God. Dying to ourselves (Matthew 16:24-25), fulfilling the Great Commission and telling others about Jesus (Matthew 28:19), and the way in which we can endure (Hebrews is all about this!). None of this will seem worth it if you can’t personally connect with God. So coming back to the bottom line (well top line of this section actually) it is essential to take the time to mediate on God’s Word. It allows you to have deeper revelations of His Word, and therefore, of Him. We can learn His nature, characteristics, and priorities, from meditating on His Word.

 

Prosperous and Successful

 

If I’m being honest, the link between prosperity, success and God’s Word didn’t seem so obvious to me at first. But isn’t that the whole point? That God touches our lives, and that the Word we read has an effect on our lives? Granted, we shouldn’t be comfortable with only coming to God when we desire His blessings, but ultimately, inviting God into everything we do through things like decision making or the use of Jesus’ name in prayer does not return void; we don’t say it just for fun. So when the Bible tells us that through the filling up of our spirit’s with God’s Word, we become prosperous and successful, shouldn’t we believe it? Practically, look at it like this. Say you’re at a job, school, internship, anything remotely important to you. When you are indeed careful to do everything that is written in His Word, you know right from wrong (Proverbs 14:12). You can discern what conversations to pitch into, when to approach people and when not to (we’re not here to make people sick of us now (Proverbs 25:17)), and even make wise business decisions. All because as you read the Word, you have been transformed through the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2) to be more and more like Jesus. I can absolutely attest to this. When people ask me how I managed to get the opportunities I do, or how I always get blessed with the people around me, it is always the same answer - God. At times, I feel that don’t say it as it is (especially if I don’t know the person well) but I’m sure, for the people I do tell, they get sick of hearing the same answer! As I mentioned, what God’s hand can provide is a plus, but if God did nothing, we have a reason to be thankful.

 

 

Careful to do everything written in it: realising our actions have consequences

 

In Deuteronomy chapter 12, God is directing the Israelites in the way in which they should worship. He describes this to be so important that He states what is written in Deuteronomy 12:28, which holds similar words to that of Joshua 1:8. It reads, “Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.” The paragraph above this depicts your personal benefit, but this verse addresses the implications of our actions on an unborn generation. Young people reading this may initially feel detached, arguing that they are far from kids, a family etc. so I think it’s important to bring it to our attention. Our actions have consequences. Not just for us, but for the ones coming after us. Doing what is right, now,  leads to a blessed and peaceful life. Sowing seeds of sin, disobedience, hatred, and recklessness will not only affect us, but our children (Galatians 6:7). The Bible tells us to flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness. 2 Timothy 2:22 reads, “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Living this out can feel very isolating and difficult, but keeping in mind what is written here can help our endurance. “What I’m doing will help generations to come.” “Choosing God means choosing peace for that future family to come.” Take this point as a caution, but also as a source of encouragement. God has given us the privilege to have a hand in the prosperity of our future families, in this way; choose righteousness!

  

Anddd to conclude, meditation in our faith is not like others. I heard in a song that said instead of emptying ourselves, we are trying to fill ourselves up, and it is exactly that. The aim is to learn and understand more about the nature of God, and in doing so, we draw nearer to Him! Psalm 16:11 clearly spells out what is found in His presence, and these are the things we can be expectant of. Meditate on Joshua 1:8 this week, and be blessed. I love you with the love of God!

 

R x

 

Verses Used!

 

• John 1:1 -> "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
• James 4:8 -> "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
• 1 John 1:3 -> “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”
• Matthew 16:24-25 -> 24 “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
• Matthew 28:19 -> “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"
• Proverbs 14:12 -> "There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death."
• Romans 12:2 -> "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
• Proverbs 25:17 -> "Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house— too much of you, and they will hate you."
• Deuteronomy 12:28 -> "Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God."
• Galatians 6:7 ->  “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
• 2 Timothy 2:22 -> "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
• Psalm 16:11 -> "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."