Spiritual Marinade
When I grill or cook meat I like to marinate it first. There’s virtually no limit to the flavors that you can soak and steep into a steak or roast. All that’s needed is time for the meat and the seasonings to hang out together, usually in a plastic bag or wrapped in the refrigerator. The longer they marinate, the deeper the more pronounced the flavors that are transferred.
And when I want my life to be flavorful and appetizing to the hurting world I live in … well, I don’t marinate … I meditate. And the very best seasoning to be found anywhere doesn’t come in a packet. It comes in a Book.
Meditation. It’s a Biblical concept that has all but been stolen by the New Age movement of the last four decades. It produces a mental image of a person sitting cross-legged on a mat with eyes closed and thumb and middle finger lightly touching in front of them while humming softly.
But it was Biblical long before it was cultural. In Joshua 1:8 we are introduced to meditation, told what to meditate on and given the results of that meditation. “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” New Living Translation
Meditating on God’s Word allows you to ponder, reflect, ruminate and deliberate on what you are reading. The flavorings vary … sometimes comfort, at times challenge, often peace. And hopefully conviction when it’s necessary. By taking time to meditate on what God is saying, it allows for deep penetration. Your life takes on the very flavor of God’s Word.
This is the spiritual parallel to the effects of digestion in our physical bodies. It’s God’s way of breaking down the words and concepts and instructions until they can be absorbed into our lives.
This week, because of the importance of Scripture permeating your life, keep this in mind. It’s more important for God’s Word to go through you (marinate) than for you to go through God’s Word (sprinkle). There’s more advantage to you making even half a verse an integral part of your life, than to have skimmed over fourteen chapters with no infiltration of Truth.
That Word can change you and everyone you connect with … if it’s soaked deep within your heart.
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