Ready: “How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” – Psalm 1:1-3
Ready:
Crucial to athletes’ success is listening to their coach and implementing the coach’s instructions. And this can’t be a once-in-a-while thing. If athletes want to get better, they must consistently practice the discipline of listening to the coach and doing what the coach says. Progress requires practice.
Psalm 1:1-3 says that spiritual progress involves engaging in a similar practice. At the heart of resisting sin and instead prospering spiritually is meditating on the Lord’s instruction, found in the Scriptures. The psalmist is pointing to the practice of consistently listening to God and implementing what He says through reading, studying and reflecting on His Word.
Why is this practice so crucial?
First, because God makes Himself known through the Bible—and ultimately through His Son Jesus, the one to whom all of the Scriptures point. That’s why Jesus is called “the Word” in John 1. We cannot know the Lord, understand His heart or grow in our relationship with Him apart from the practice of consistent time in the Scriptures.
Second, the Bible shows us what is true: about God, about us, about this world and about how God intends for us to live. Every day we’re bombarded by voices telling us what we should think, believe and value. To know what is actually true, our minds and hearts must be saturated with God’s Word—and this requires regular time reading and studying the Bible.
Third, through the Bible God directs us in how to live. According to디모데후서 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness.” God through His Word teaches us, confronts sin in our life and shows us how to think, speak and act according to His good design—whether in our sport or other areas. God does this so we can thrive in who He created us to be.
Make the practice of reading and reflecting on God’s Word a priority in your daily life. The Lord graciously works through His Word, enabling you to increasingly become “like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.”
Go:
How does Psalm 1 encourage you to consistently seek God through His Word?
What is one next step you can take to grow in the practice of reading and reflecting on God’s Word?
Workout:
Overtime:
“Lord, thank You for Your Word. I desire to grow in practicing reading and reflecting on the Scripture. I want to listen to You, delight in Your Word, and implement Your instruction. Amen.”