And then there was this elderly couple, slowly and gently bending down to snag various intruders in their lawn from infringing upon the purity of their grass. At first glance, it seemed like typical, mundane yard chores they may have felt obligated to get done. It hit me as I studied their slow bending and careful stepping – what a beautiful, sweet moment this is! In all the typical, mundane components of the day, there was so much beauty on display in this scene.

Juana once noted, “I don’t study to know more, but to ignore less” – what a mindset that exudes wisdom, strength, leadership, and learning!

”Life is full of different seasons.”

Our seasons will vary and our lives will change. But we know that God Almighty and His Word will not vary and will not change – He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Regardless of what season you are in, seek the Lord!

There is a perfect unity in diversity in heaven. This unity in diversity, though imperfect on this side of heaven, is some of what the Lord’s prayer calls us as Christians to aim for. And, I believe, the more unified in our unique diversity we become, the more God Almighty is glorified.

Sanctification will not occur based on my doing, my drawing near, my trying harder.  Sanctification is God’s work, a spiritual matter done from Him, through Him, to Him, and for Him (Rom. 11:36).  But, as James 4:8 does remind us, draw near to the Lord, and He will draw near to you.  There’s something indescribable about God’s grace when His sons and daughters draw near to Him.  

Father God, sanctify me and my household for Your glory.

Father God, help me to be faithful to You, where You have me, with what You have given me.

God has given me Himself, Jessica, our daughters, our church, and my job. Being intentional in how I steward these is my responsibility. With God’s grace, He will sanctify me as He sees fit.

You, Lord Jesus, are a forever Priest in the order of Melchizedek. You tend to Your people with authority, with love, with wisdom, with compassion, with truth. You cannot help but tend to us these ways because You are Love, You are King, You are Wisdom, You are Truth.

So when, Christian, are you to meditate on the Word of God? As much as you are possibly able to, every day!

The instructions for us are quite simple – keep God’s Word a part of our conversations, tasks, relationships. But, why is it so complicated to follow through on?

Two reasons that throw off our household at times which also seem to be mainstream practices in Christian communities and in society today…busy-ness and convenience.

So what exactly did God instruct Joshua to do? 

One of the first tasks God gave Joshua was to meditate on God’s word.  The priority given to this task alone shows us today how important 1) God’s word is and 2) meditating on it is.

Have you ever eaten a sunflower kernel from inside its shell?

“We have some idea, perhaps, what prayer is, but what is meditation? Well may we ask, for meditation is a lost art today, and Christian people suffer grievously from their ignorance of the practice” (Packer, 1973).

That was over fifty years ago, well before the digital age of everyone possessing personal devices. What could be said about Christians’ practice of meditation today?

I asked, “how can I pray for you”? His response? Another evidence that his life has been and continues to be captivated by God’s grace. It was evident that he has a secured, eternal perspective on life; it was evident that he realizes he is not Home yet but is merely traveling through, and it is evident he desires to lean into the mighty Grace of God even in his old age.

Too often, we set our eyes on the things of the world that we forget that God reigns. Too often, the eyes of our hearts get set on certain aspects in life that cause our gaze to be on the created more than the Creator. That sort of worldy-gaze? It can be a good thing or cause; it could be a bad thing or cause. Either way, too much gaze on the created causes the ways of our God to grow dim in our hearts and minds.

We merely have issues with forgetting and remembering - God knows us all too well. I like how some folks declare that we have leaky hearts and that we have Gospel amnesia. It’s a part of our fallen, sinful nature. When we don’t remember and forget, our weakly flesh tends to lead us astray.

So what’s the remedy?

The very first words by God that are given to us involve the announcement and commencement of light while scattering darkness. 

Why do God’s first words involve light?

God’s Word is living and active.  Are these experiences what that means?  There’s something transformative about reading, discussing, and memorizing God’s word in the household together, “for the word of God is living and active…”  (Hebrews 4:12).

I just needed to keep it simple. I just needed to continue with the strong plan that worked so well.

"Jesus loves you. And, He is alive!" These were the first words whispered.