Peace, Homie!

Check out today's Jon Courson Devotional..

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March 10

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you ...
John 15:7

The word ‘abide’ means to ‘be at home in’. The Psalmist didn’t say ‘Thy Word have I hid in my mind’ or even ‘in my memory’. He said, ’Thy Word have I hid in my heart,’ (Psalm 119:11).

Paul echoed him when he prayed in Ephesians 3 ‘that Christ may dwell in your hearts.’

Why does the Lord want Himself and His Word to abide in our hearts and not just in our heads? Because, affected by data, discussions, and information, the mind is incredibly fickle. I can change my mind 100 times in a single day concerning a single issue. So can you. But not so the heart.

Think back to your dating days and you know how this works. If someone dumped you, even though you knew in your head you were glad to be free of him or her you would still find yourself feeling for him or caring about her. Why? Because the heart holds on. That’s why the Lord wants His Word to dwell there.

How does this happen?

For me the most practical way knowledge moves from the head to the heart is through meditation and contemplation. Spending time in the Word — in morning and evening devotions, in corporate study, in times when I’m waiting in line or waiting at a stoplight allows it to sink in and permeate my inner man, to be at home in my life, to abide in my heart.

(Jon Courson; www.joncourson.com)

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This rings true with me this morning. As I think wayyy back to my dating days (umm.. just a few months ago!), I totally understand how the heart holds on even when the mind knows it's time to move on. So often, I study the Word from an academic position and forget to let the truths of God's love move into my heart. Lets focus this week on meditating on the truths that we know and push them into our hearts. Lets allow His words to be "at home" in us. Unlike Eastern Meditation in which you empty your mind of all thoughts and emotions, Biblical Meditation is the filling of your mind and heart with God's truth. Then, even when your circumstances are uncertain, even when your mind questions what's going on, even when people let you down, His Word abiding in your heart keeps you at peace.

Here are a few additional verses to go along with this idea...

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.." - Col. 3:15

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." -Isa. 26:3

"Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." -Ps. 119:11

"The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide." -Ps. 37:31

"Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart." -Job 22:22

"Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day." -Ps. 119:97

"and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." -Phl. 4:7