Chew // Joshua 1:8

What do you think of meditation? Some think it has a negative connotation because of some eastern religious practices. Meditation just means a concerted effort to contemplate and reflect on something. As we see in today’s verse, we are encouraged to contemplate and reflect on God’s will, word, and way to guide and direct our lives. But there is something kinda cool about the idea of meditation that goes into its etymology — meditation means to chew on an idea, much like how a cow chews its cud. A cow takes a mouthful of grass and then chews on it to get the flavor and nutrients out of it. It will then swallow the cud to absorb gastric juices before burping it up and repeating that process. The idea is to extract every little benefit from it. Have you ever noticed you can read a Bible verse or passage over and over again and find new meaning from it? Well, that’s thanks to meditation! As we get ready to gather in the Lord’s house today, let’s make a concerted effort to reflect on God’s goodness, chewing and extracting every little bit from it we can. For God’s word is not like Fruit Stripe gum that loses its flavor in just a couple moments, but it’s long-lasting and nutritionally dense food for tue soul.