Go chew your cud !

We have a little challenge this week at our church, that is to read carefully through some of the Proverbs but while doing that to ask God to emphasize one each day in particular that you can work on. For example, “In the multitude of words there wanteth (lacks) not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” (Prov.10:19).    I will ask Him for help and wisdom to guard my thoughts and words choosing them carefully and not blurting out all kinds of things but wisely refraining.   How many times have we put the proverbial foot in our mouth, whereas if we took seriously to heart this adage we’d save a lot of grief to ourselves and those to whom we speak.

As a believer we know its vital to regularly read the Bible, it is part of that all important renewing of our mind process Paul wrote of to the Roman believers “And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. . .” (Rom.12:2) but it’s also critical we carefully contemplate what we read and seek His power to  apply these great truths.   This is precisely why the Lord commanded Joshua to “meditate therein day and night” (Josh.1:8).   Growing up on a farm we’d feed the cows their hay and they would be chewing on the cud for hours, regurgitating the hay. Experts claim cows do this around 30,000 times per day ! (wonder who counted? HA).  But when they do this chewing it produces saliva which in turn contains a natural antacid which helps them to digest, be able to eat more feed and in turn produce more milk !  So everyone benefits when that cow chews her cud !

That’s the idea inherent in the word “meditate” here ~ Chewing the cud !!  And so as you go through your day having “ingested” or taken in the Word into your mind and you bring it up over and over again instead of say, oh I don’t know – worrying !!! – the truth of Scripture serves as a buffer to life’s problems, it in turn produces the faith from dwelling on the “sincere milk of the Word” and you are, like a cow chewing its cud, much more content, much more productive, much more Christlike !  So next time you pick up your Bible to read it make sure you do a little meditating too – there, chew on that today !!