Joshua 1:8 is the only place where the word “success” is found in the Bible. The requirement to achieve it is clearly marked: Meditate on the Word day and night so that you may do all that is written therein. It’s not talent or a matter of good genes. It’s constant meditation which takes time and effort. Knowing and understanding God’s Word demands our time and thought.
I laughed to hear how long it took for a check to clear years ago: Two weeks! Today, the money is immediately withdrawn. There’s no time to “float” a check. Weeks have been replaced by seconds. Communication took time. A letter had to be written. It was then mailed, opened and finally read. Even thoughts or ideas had time to germinate before action was taken. While we applaud the technology there are considerable things that are lost; mostly consideration. Face to face conversations that came with contemplation have been replaced by Facebook, which is nothing more than a cold and indifferent replica of relationship building. Tea or coffee now is a drive-thru at Starbucks rather than our kitchen table. Hence, we are officially too busy to meditate.
Solomon said to sleep on a matter before making a decision. Leaders took even more time if the matter was major, but now we are pressed to answer in sound bites. Snippet of words carry the weight of the message, which is not only a disservice to the whole, but they usually change the meaning and intent.
I rise to say that we must simplify our lives if only to have time to dwell on the words of Jesus. Paul wrote, 2 Tim 3:15 “…thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Our success in salvation depends on our time in the Word. Our success in life follows the same course which is why we must give ourselves to meditate on His Word day and night.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole