Psalm 1 ESV – Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
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.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
What kind of emphasis do we put on reading our Bibles? This Psalm talks about having our delight in the Lord and meditating on it both day and night. Is that my heart? Am I intentional about reading it all the time?
I used to think it was worthless for me to read my Bible first thing in the morning:
- I’m not a morning person, so my eyes hardly open
- I never retain anything that early
- I couldn’t feel any real effects on my life
I’ve changed my thinking the past year or so. There are two main reasons for it:
- Just because my eyes are hardly open and I might not retain too much doesn’t mean it’s not getting into my head. Secular advertisers spend literally billions of dollars every year on images and words for people that aren’t really paying attention – because it DOES have an effect
- What the Holy Spirit decides to do in my life isn’t something that I can necessarily feel
Anyway, I’m trying to read my Bible every morning and trust God for the effects. In fact, I read this quote by J.C. Ryle this morning:
“Think of the influence of the moon upon the earth, and of the air upon the human lungs. Remember how silently the dew falls, and how imperceptibly the grass grows. There may be far more doing than you think in your soul by your Bible-reading.” (J. C. Ryle, Practical Religion, 136)
How about you? Do you struggle with reading daily?
