Psalm 1:1-3  Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.  3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

I remember growing up in the church being told to be careful about meditation, it is associated with the cultish new age movement. This came as a surprise to me because God commands us in His Word to meditate on His precepts and Word. He told us that long before any new age movement. Now I know that there are certain cults and religious groups that use meditation as a means of contacting evil spirits or to reach a different state of consciousness.  But like everything else, there is nothing new under the sun.  Someone has taken what God has for His people to help them and perverted it into something else.

Meditation in definition is extended thought, reflection, contemplation. It is simply taking time and focusing on one idea and dissecting it to get all you can out of it. One definition means to mutter to oneself over and over the same phrase to help understanding. Meditation of itself is healthy if we focus and meditate on the right things.  God’s word declares to us to meditate on His word day and night. Think about, talk about, focus on and declare His word continually. If we will do this than He promises that we would be like a tree planted by the streams of water that is healthy and produces fruit and whatever we do would prosper.

I don’t know about you but I would rather meditate on God’s word about my life than what someone else says about me.  I really want to be healthy and produce fruit for God.

Confession: Lord, I take your counsel and Word and delight in it. I am determined to meditate on Your Word and nothing else. I take a moment right now and calm my mind to allow it to focus on what your word says about me.

Matthew 6:25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life^[b]?

 28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I don’t know about you, but so many times in life I find myself giving my time to things that are urgent and must be done now. I go about my life intending to do one thing but then a kid gets sick ,the car breaks down or the boss demands overtime. I call this “The tyranny of the urgent”. It seems if I am not careful I will be ruled by what is not always most important, but what screams the loudest.  Before you know it, I am at the end of my day, week, month and have not gotten done the things really needed to get done and intended to do. I was distracted and ruled by the urgent things in life.

In our text, Jesus tells us not to worry about the everyday necessities of life. He has promised to meet our needs and provide for us. Worry is a detractor from our soul. It will eat away at your joy and faith. He commands us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else would be taken care of. Instead, we will let everything else get in the way of our relationship with God and we are ruled by chaos and  not peace.

I heard a story about the pastor of the largest church in the world. He was interviewed by a Christian magazine. The question was asked, “how do you find the time to do everything you have to in a 24 hour day”?  He responded by saying, “the more I have to do, the more time I take at the beginning of my day and pray and read the Bible.” He understood that if He gave God his time first that God would cause everything else to work out.

To summarize: Reduce the unnecessary in your life

Confession: Lord, help me to seek you first and follow your plan for my day. I take this time to pray and read your word and allow you to speak into my life today and order my day according to your will. Help me do the things I need to do and you take care of the rest.

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Take some time right now and think about some Godly characteristics. What defines Him? How does He act and speak?  What does the Bible say about Him? What has your experience with God been?  A characteristic is defined as: pertaining to, constituting, or indicating the character or peculiar quality of a person or thing; typical; distinction: a distinguishing feature or quality.

What is God like? What sets Him apart and distinguishes Him?

As you take this time I believe you will have an opportunity to see the so many wonderful qualities that define our heavenly Father God.  He is gracious, merciful, compassionate, loving, strong, holy, pure, mighty and so on and so on and so on. We don’t have enough room to talk about all of His positive characteristics.  I want you to recognize that He truly is worthy of all of our attention, praise and life.

Now, in saying all of this, lets go back to the scripture text that is at the top here. Be imitators of God as His child. WOW! After thinking about how great God is, it is kind of intimidating to think that He encourages and commands us to be like Him. That can be kind of scary to a religious mind. Be like God? How is that possible?  It is impossible to a naturally minded person. We can only be like God by allowing His Spirit to come alive in our hearts and His word come alive in our minds and changing us into His very image and likeness.  He would not tell you to do something that He does not empower you to.

Throughout your day today, examine your heart, mind and actions and ask the Lord to help you become more like Him and walk in love as He has done towards us. Walking in love as Christ ,does not just happen. We have to be intentional and determined to do it through His spirit.  Many times it even takes determined faith to be an imitator of God.

Confession: Lord, I know you have commanded me to be like you. Help me today to recognize opportunities where I can change my heart to be like you. I want to serve you because you are so good and I want others to see you in me because I imitate you.