Meditation

​Dennis the Menace and I would have got along great when it comes to our dislike of bathtubs. He didn’t like to get clean, I don’t like the time it takes to wait for a tub to fill up.  I’d rather be in the shower, get clean and get going.  Maybe that’s my problem—I’m always in a hurry to get to the next thing.

The Japanese have the ultimate jacuzzi.  It’s called the ofuro and man is the water hot!  It’s not a place to wash, you do that before you ever climb in the tank. It’s a place to sit and let the steaming water work its magic.  It’s a place to think and relax.  It’s a place to burn away the tension of a long day.  It’s a place to find rest and be renewed.  It’s a place where one can socialize or be left to wander the inner halls of thought.  
 
Meditation
Joshua 1:8--This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to reciteit day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.
 
One of the reasons why we don’t grow spiritually the way we ought is that we have eliminated or diminished time for spiritual ofuros.  God’s approbation should be our motivation to honor the spiritual thoughts He bestows us in the Bible—not to be legalistic or because we have to but rather because it is good for us.  I have found it to be true in my life, that whenever I establish periods to meditate over Scripture and apply it to my life an amazing peace transpires that carries me through the tides of time.  Meditation is like oil.  It lubricates the physical, emotional and mental gears so that they turn smoothly without freezing up.  If soaking can be so invigorating perhaps it’s time to be more patient about letting the tub fill up!  If your day looks especially challenging, decide to set aside more time early on to ponder God’s truths.  Then watch what happens!  You won’t be disappointed!
 
Inspiration
Meditation is an intense spiritual activity, it means bringing every bit of the mind into harness and concentrating its powers; it includes both deliberation and reflection . . . A great many delightful people mistake meditation for prayer; meditation often accompanies prayer, but it is not prayer, it is simply the power of the natural heart to get to the middle of things . . . Prayer is definite talk to God, around which God puts an atmosphere and we get answers back. Meditation has a reflex action; people without an ounce of the Spirit of God in them can meditate, but that is not prayer.—Oswald Chambers in Biblical Psychology
 
©1998 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)