It was cold that evening as we sat by the open fire. Since I wore only a light jacket and began shivering in the cold, I moved to the side of the fire that was opposite the wind. The smoke from the flame came toward me, but I endured it since I needed the warmth.
We all sat and talked for most of the evening. I continued to endure the smoke in my face and all over me. Everyone sat there shivering. But I enjoyed the warmth of the flame.
The next day, as I traveled from there, I wore that same jacket. But that jacket held the smell of smoke and everyone around me wondered what was going on with this strong smell. That really got me thinking about how that consistent, prolonged exposure to the smoke left a strong smell on my jacket.
In Deuteronomy 6:5-9, there is clear instruction of how God’s word is to have a consistent prolonged exposure on our lives: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Such prolonged consistent exposure to God’s words will have a major impact in every area of our lives. In a former post, I wrote about a simple three step plan of Meditation and Time Alone With God. You can read that at this link. Every day, follow those simple three steps and that will be your initial move toward a more consistent and prolonged exposure to God’s word in your lives. Be warmed by the fire of God’s word.
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Consistent and Prolonged Exposure
4 responses to “Consistent and Prolonged Exposure”
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What I read (above)resonates with me. You’ve probably heard the example of being given a pile of different size rocks and pebbles along with a jar, with the instruction to place them all in the jar. The lesson is that unless the larger rocks are placed in the jar first, they won’t fit on top of the pebbles and smaller rocks. No room. The bigger rocks represent what is more important in life, the jar representing our own lives. I’ve been thinking that many of us, including Christians, fill our lives with things that aren’t necessarily sinful, but that fill our time and suck our emotional juice (sports, anyone?)so that we have little or no inclination or time to tend to the most important, our relationship with God. How much time do we spend watching our favorite sports or keeping up with the goings on of our friends as they post on Facebook? I will share your post here, Alexi, along with the link to the March post about the 3 R’s for Meditation in our Bible study group tonight. Good stuff! Thanks.
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Thanks for sharing. Glad its helpful.
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That is exactly what i need. Consistent daily exposure to God’s word, even if just a few verses.
Thank you again Pastor.LikeLike
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Although its not a cure-all, consistent meditation of the Word of God will have a major impact on our lives – guaranteed.
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