I want to be prosperous and successful. Don’t you?
Specifically, I long to see success in my spiritual life. I want to experience spiritual growth and abundant fruit. I want to look different next month than I do today—I desire for more of Christ to be seen in me.
My assumption is that you do too!
How to Live the “Successful” Christian Life
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. -Joshua 1:8
Prosperity and “good success” is the promise in this passage. It is a conditional promise, and the condition is that we do according to all that is written in the Book of the Law, God’s Word. So if we are intentionally obedient to God’s Word, then we are promised a prosperous way.
If you have been a Christian for more than a week, you know that obedience is a struggle. We cannot go out and just “be good”—it doesn’t work. There is a way and a purpose for which God has designed our growth to occur, and we learn His way in His Word. That is why the promise hinges on the first part of this verse, where we see the command. Do you see it?
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. -Joshua 1:8
The direct command is not to be obedient, though that is certainly an expected by-product. The command is in the first part of the verse. At first glance it looks like two commands:
- This Book shall not depart from your mouth
- You shall meditate on it day and night
I believe this is actually one command, restated. Let me explain how I got there.
How to Meditate
The Hebrew word for meditate is “hagah” which is also translated in a variety of ways, including speak, imagine, study, mutter, utter, roar, talk. To meditate is not something to be done quietly in your head. What we meditate on should be on our mouths. Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks! (Matthew 12:34) Like the movie you can’t stop talking about because it was that good; or the giddy teenage girl in the midst of a huge crush where everything reminds her of him (and she is going to let everyone know about it!)
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall SPEAK it (MUTTER it, STUDY it, UTTER it, TALK it) day and night…
So, it is the same command: Meditate on the Word. As we meditate on it, it will not be able to leave our mouths, because when the Word of God penetrates our hearts it will affect the rest of us. It is only then we will have the ability to be obedient, because we will know His way, His plan—and we will want to do it. It is then we will make our way prosperous, and then we will have success.
I’ve seen this hold true in my own life, haven’t you? The more I understand God’s ways, through the studying of His Word, the better equipped I am to live out this life as He intends for me to, and the more my heart longs to be right in the middle of His plan for me. And as I am obedient to follow His Word, I see fruit. I see life change. I see Christ in me!
This is the success we are promised.
An Invitation to Abide
Joshua 1:8 is just one of the many passages in the Bible which communicate this truth; that the Christian life is best lived as we center our lives on the Living Word of God. Transformation happens as we remain; as we abide in Christ; as we do not depart from the one who loves us most.
Do Not Depart exists to encourage and equip you to abide the Word. Our desire is to give you the inspiration and tools you need to spend time in the Bible in such a way that you (like that giddy teenage girl) can’t help but see Him everywhere you go—so much so that you just can’t stop talking about Him.
Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. -Psalm 119:97
What are you meditating on? What can’t you stop talking about?
What encourages you to meditate on the Word of God?
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Katie, thank you for so clearly and passionately showing us how obedience is the “expected by-product” of meditating on God’s Word. As I read your post I was reminded of Jesus’ teaching in John 15. If we abide in Jesus and His word abides in us we will bear much fruit and the Father will answer our prayers (John 15:5-7). And Jesus Himself is the Word made flesh! (John 1:14)
I love this! I was just thinking about the word ‘meditate’ today and was thinking that I’m not sure I know exactly how to do it, but knowing the Hebrew word for it makes it more clear.
There is so much more to it, as well! Just not enough room in one post to explain it! I think that when it says “this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth..” they literally meant it! The average Jew did not have a copy of the law. They had to memorize it, in order to have it with them!
“Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks! (Matthew 12:34) Like the movie you can’t stop talking about because it was that good; or the giddy teenage girl in the midst of a huge crush where everything reminds her of him (and she is going to let everyone know about it!)”
What a wonderful word picture! It is so true. Whatever will fill our mind with is what we will be talking about. What encouragement to fill our hearts and mind with God’s word so that we will be talking about Him easily and freely. Thoroughly enjoyed reading your thoughtful post.
This thought came to me, when I was studying Psalm 1—how we are to delight in His Word. It is related. What we delight in, we meditate on!
Katie,
I love this! My word for this year is Abide. I feel apart of that is meditating on His word so that I can abide in His presence.
I am currently trying so hard to Mediate and abide in Romans 8. These words are beginning to take shape and I am beginning to see new truths.
I am also finding this true this week in my Run2Him study. Ps 27 was a song we sang Sunday. So I woke singing it Monday then I opened my Bible to read and it has been on my heart ever since.
Thank you Lord!
There is a strong Biblical case for memorization being the way we are to meditate. The average person this was originally written to did not have their own copy of the law, so for them to know it, they had to memorize it!
It is an amazing thing, to have His Word in our heart. It really does overflow to our mouths! And, what a way to abide in Him!
Great thoughts, Katie! I couldn’t help but think while I was reading the first part about how success may look different in God’s eyes than ours. Either way, we should spend time meditating on God’s word, trusting that his way is the only way. :)
Bible meditation is a spiritual disipline near and dear to my heart. I am amazed how much God reveals to me through a verse when I take the time to dwell on it. His Word is so rich! Currently I am working on memorizing Psalm 103 at a pace of a verse a day. All day long I read my 3×5 card with my verse of the day, meditating on what it says. What it means to me, and how that can be applied to my daily life. By the end of the day, God has brought out so much from that verse that I would have missed out on had I simply read the same verse and never meditated on it, As someone once said, “Reading the Bible without meditating is like eating without chewing.”
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