The Week in Words

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I'm very late with The Week in Words today. Wes and I returned from our little getaway weekend last night about 9:00, after having a totally relaxing time together. We shopped, went sightseeing, and went out to eat both Friday and Saturday, then enjoyed visiting another church on Sunday morning and getting to sit down and enjoy the service without having to do a thing! If you're in ministry, you know I'm not complaining, but simply stating the fact that sometimes it's nice not to have to do the work of putting together a church service. We took a few pictures, and I'll share bits and pieces of our trip with you later in the week.

Now for my quotes this week . . . 

I can't for the life of me remember where I saw this (reminding myself to write down the source when I keep quotes!), but it was online somewhere. I liked it because it's so practical.
"He, who every morning plans the
transactions of the day, and follows that
plan carries a thread that will guide him
through a labyrinth of the most busy life"
- Victor Hugo
I'm currently reading two non-fiction books about Christian womanhood, one of which is It's a Wonderful Life, by Terri Chappell, wife of the pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church in Lancaster, CA. As I was reading her chapter on nurturing the soul, this passage jumped from the page . . . 
Meditate means "to ponder or to reflect." God commands us in Joshua 1:8 to meditate on His Word continually. "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." It's easy to justify our lack of meditation: "I can't meditate day and night! How do you think about things that long?" May I say that if you can worry, you can meditate! I've never heard soemone say that they had a hard time worrying! If you can mull over problems and personal situations with which you are dealing, you can mull over the promises of God! ~~ It's A Wonderful Life, Terrie Chappell, pp.62-63 
How true! We choose what we think upon, and how much better to choose meditating on God's Word than meditating (yes, worrying is meditating!) on our problems! This statement has helped to challenge my thinking patterns this week. If I can worry, I can meditate on God's Word!

Comments

  1. nannykim7:11 PM

    Good quote about meditation! It really will transform us. I remember reading one of Elizabeth George's books about controlling our thought life. If every time we were fearful we thought about a passage or a promise of scripture that deals with the subject then we would really be meditating on it. I sometimes put a passage up near one of my mirrors to think on during the week. I have a poor memory and this helps me to meditate more.

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  2. Susan11:02 PM

    Putting verses on mirrors is a great idea! I've known people to write them on 3x5 cards and put them on the window sill above the sink or on the fridge, too. Having Scripture visible helps us meditate on it. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!

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  3. bekahcubed6:02 AM

    I know what you mean about the pleasures of being able to just enjoy a service, without having to do anything. Glad you enjoyed a nice getaway!

    I liked that second quote you shared. I know it's definitely true for me. I'm ALWAYS meditating on something--the question is whether I'm meditating on God's word or my own thoughts.

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  4. Anonymous6:32 AM

    I like both quotes. Jim Berg makes the same point about worrying being a form of meditating in his books. It's too bad that seems to be our brains default mode! But thankfully God enables us to change our thought patterns by "mulling over" His Word.

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  5. Susan9:58 AM

    Bekah ~~ I'm a "meditator" too. My husband has the ability to totally empty his mind and think about nothing - but not me!

    Barbara ~~ My husband has one or two of Jim Berg's books (I think I've seen some at my dad's too), but I've never read them. Maybe I should get one out and read it!

    ReplyDelete

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