Faith: The key to spiritual growth

The human hand is an amazing creation of God. There are 29 major and minor bones in the human hand. The hands have 29 major joints, at least 123 ligaments, 34 muscles, 48 nerves and 30 arteries. The strength of the hand is in the thumb. Without a thumb a hand is severely limited.

Judges 1:7 records a pagan king named Adoni-Bezek who cut off the thumbs of the kings he conquered. Without a thumb a person could not grip a sword. Let’s use the human hand to illustrate an important spiritual truth. Let’s say that the index finger represents reading the Bible. The middle finger represents studying the Bible. The ring finger represents hearing the Bible taught. The pinkie represents memorizing the Bible. The thumb (the most important digit) represents meditating on the Bible.

The key to growing strong in the Christian life is to meditate on the Word of God. Psalm 1 is the most important psalm. It was not the first psalm written but it is the most important theologically. Psalm 1 verse 3 promises that the person who meditates on Scripture “…will be like a tree firmly planted by its streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he will prosper.”

Meditation means “to think deeply, to ponder, to devise, to contemplate.” A cow’s stomach consists of four parts. Cows chew the cud. A cow may spend up to eight hours per day chewing their cud. In a similar way, we must meditate on the Bible. We must read the Bible and study the Bible and hear the Bible taught and memorize the Bible but most importantly we must think deeply about God’s truth and how it applies to our own lives.

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. Psalm 119 focuses on the supernatural power of God’s Word. As we meditate on Scripture God’s strength flows into our lives. 2 Timothy 4:2 is God’s job description for every spiritual leader. The apostle Paul said, “Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season.” Martin Luther said, “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.” Unleash the power of God’s Word in your life by meditating on it!

Ezra was a great man of God. After the Babylonian Captivity a remnant returned to Jerusalem. Nehemiah is famous for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. God used Ezra to rebuild a people shattered by defeat and exile. Ezra serves as a great example for you and me in meditating upon Scripture. Ezra 7:10 says, “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.”

Ezra did three things. First, he studied the Word of God. We must diligently study the Bible. Every time you open the Bible God speaks. Every time we close the Bible God stops speaking. The apostle Peter described the Bible as “imperishable seed” and “the living and enduring Word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).

Second, he applied the Bible. We don’t study the Bible for more information. The purpose is not to win in Bible trivia! The goal is transformation. God’s Word is to be obeyed.

Third, he taught the Scriptures. We must communicate God’s truth. My daughter turned seven today. She is a like a sponge. She absorbs information. We must teach our children, our friends, our coworkers and our neighbors the truth.

Let’s meditate on Scripture together. Meditation involves reading, studying, memorizing, hearing it taught and, most importantly, thinking deeply about the truth. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 23:1. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” We begin by reading the verse and then pondering it. “The Lord is my shepherd….” Lord is Yahweh or Jehovah. God is transcendent (far away). He is the Creator. He is perfect and holy. He is omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful) and omnipresent (everywhere at once). This God Who is far away and transcendent is also our shepherd. He is near. He is close for the believer in Jesus.

Think deeply about this verse. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” For the Christian, God promises to meet your deepest needs. In the New Testament we learn that Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11). The Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep. We also learn that Jesus is the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). Jesus is the ultimate Shepherd.

We live in a tough age. Washington, DC is ripped apart by partisan warfare. The rhetoric grows more and more heated. Life gets busier and busier. The famous poem reads, “Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne. Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown, standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own.” The Christian rises above the fray by focusing on the truth. Jesus said, “Sanctify them in the truth, Your Word is truth” (John 17:17). As we meditate on the truth we grow spiritually. As we ponder the Scripture we see Jesus. Jesus Who died, paid the price for our sin and rose again. America today needs people who meditate on the Bible.