CHEW, CHEW, CHEW

Finally, brethren, whatever things

are true, whatever things are noble,

whatever things are just,

whatever things are pure,

whatever things are lovely

whatever things are of good report,

if there is any virtue and if there is

anything praiseworthy---

MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS.

Philippians 4:8

Hmmmmm.....I wonder as we read our way through Scriptures, how often we pause to meditate on a verse or even a phrase. There may be a phrase we have slid over for years, and it's there every time we read. When we've been in Sunday school and church for years, and come to know the Bible fairly well, we can be careless and miss out on some real treasures.

For me, another word for “meditate” is the word “chew.” I married a man who really knew how to chew his food. I noticed that with one bite of food, Brian gave that food several chews before swallowing. He said it insured getting all of the nutrients out of the food, plus enjoying the taste.

Isn't that what we should be doing in our Bible reading? We don't have to speed through a chapter or even a few verses. If the Spirit stops us at a certain place in our reading, He probably wants us to meditate (chew) there for awhile to get all the spiritual nutrients out of the passage possible. It can't hurt to stop in our reading and chew awhile!

Thank You for Your word, Father. May we glean all the good stuff from each verse we reading without hurrying through our reading. Holy Spirit, don't give up on us...keep teaching us. In Jesus name....Amen