Mensa Otabil - Stay in the Word of God (10/02/2025)
We’re looking at the first Psalm in this first full week of the year 2021. Verse two says, «But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night.» Verse one tells us what not to do, whom not to associate with, and where not to get your counsel—the people you’re not supposed to sit with. But verse two tells you what to do. If you’re not doing what verse one advises, then verse two shows you what you should be doing. It indicates that we must spend time with the Word of God. That means that’s where we get our counsel from; that is what we will sit in, stand in, and walk in. The Word of God must be our delight; it must be our pleasure, and it should be something we truly spend time with this year. I want to encourage each of us to spend time in the Word of God. There are five things we must do when we delight in the Word of God.
The first is that we must read it. Simply pick a passage of Scripture and read it. Read the passage; read a chapter, or even more than a chapter, but at least read one chapter of the Bible every day—just read it. Secondly, study it. Studying means spending time examining it more closely to see how the verses relate to each other and how that chapter connects to other parts of the Bible. Who is the one speaking? What is the message all about? Spend time looking at that more closely. So, read it, study it.
Third, think it. After you’ve read the Bible and spent time studying it, spend the whole day reflecting on the Word of God. Even while you’re working, don’t allow the Word of God to depart from your thoughts. If you’re driving to work, let your mind dwell on what you’ve read or what you’ve heard from the Word of God that day. We must read it, we must study it, and we must think it. As we think about it, it becomes part of our thinking pattern. It shapes how we reason and how we approach various issues. Just reading and studying isn’t enough to make the Word of God a part of your thinking; it becomes integrated into your thought patterns when you spend time reflecting on it. So, in your spare moments or quiet times, think through what you have learned.
Number four, speak it. This means it must become your language. Share what you have heard or read in the Word of God with someone else. Tell them, «You know what I read today in the Bible? It was fascinating!» When you face situations, see how what you learned from the Word of God influences what you say and how you address those situations. So, you read it, study it, think it, speak it, and the last one—probably the most important—is to do it. If we only hear the Word of God and read it without putting it into practice, the Bible says we are like a man who looks at a mirror and forgets how he looks. You don’t want to forget the Word of God, and the way not to forget is to act on it. If God says not to do something, then put it into practice and don’t do it. If God says not to look at something, then put that into practice and don’t look at it. If God says not to go somewhere, then practice that by not going there.
So, practice the Word of God: read it, study it, think it, speak it, and do it. Five things—that’s your assignment. I know you will do it. So, let’s pray together. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, help me to delight in your Word. Teach me to think your thoughts, speak your words, and do your works. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» Well, that’s how we live a blessed life.