Ephesians 5:1 says, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

2 Corinthians 2:14 says, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” What fragrance are you diffusing around others?

I often use Acts 4:13 as a prayer. It was written about Peter and John. It says that the rulers marveled and, “…they realized that they had been with Jesus.” I want to diffuse the fragrance from my relationship with the Lord to those who know me.

1 Corinthians 10:11 used the word happened. It amazes me to think back to the children of Israel. All that they went through was to be an example for us! Faced with Red Sea impossibilities? What did we learn from them? Exodus 14:13 says, “…Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord…” Psalm 131:2.

I started meditating on 1 Corinthians 10:11. It says, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the end of the ages has come.”

We have to go back to pick up the context. Paul was reiterating what the children of Israel had gone through. No one was left behind. They all went through the Red Sea. They all ate God’s special provision of manna.

Verse 5 says, “But with most of them God was not pleased…” They were idolaters, sexually immoral and they were complainers. The Lord knew from the beginning that they would disobey~yet He chose them as He chose us. He recorded their examples for us, to warn us to not be like them.

In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul wrote, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” The writer of Hebrews, called out instructions regarding who is to be our examples. Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.”

Complaining is an effective tool of the enemy of our soul. Why? Complaining opposes God’s ways and will. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

We are saved by God’s will. John 1:13 says, “Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” He orchestrates our life according to His will. Ephesians 1:11 says, “…who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”

We are predestined to adoption as His children. Ephesians 1:5 says, “…according to the good pleasure of His will.” Romans 12:2 is a command to not be conformed to this world. Rather to be transformed through the renewing of our minds, “…that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

As we abide in Him, He will prune away the saplings of our fleshly complaints. He uses the scalpel of His word to penetrate deep to expose, and remove our fleshly diseased fruit.

I was meditating on Philippians 2:14-15. Verse 14 says, “Do all things without complaining and disputing.” Do you seek to please the Lord? Numbers 11:1 says, “Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord…”

In the Amplified it says, “And the people grumbled and deplored their hardships, which were evil in the ears of the Lord…” Philippians 2:15 reveals that complaining will dim the light of our witness for Him.

In the Amplified it says, “That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation (spiritually perverted and perverse), among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars of beacons shining out clearly) in the (dark) world.”

How bright is your light when you are in the crucible fires of a hard trial? Romans 5:3 in the Amplified says, “Moreover (let us be full of joy now!) let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.”

I was totally hooked on sugar. I didn’t know until I had to quit how hard it would be. I literally sat on the couch biting my fingers to keep from screaming. Over time I successfully retrained my taste buds.

Hebrews 5:13 says, “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.” 1 Peter 2:3 says, “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.”

Before we were saved, we had worldly taste buds. At salvation, our palate is touched with the doctrine of eternal security. Our faith grows as we continue to hear God’s word. Romans 10:17. 

2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 1 John 2:27 says, “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you…” 

Are you retraining your taste buds through diligent study of His word? Are you applying it to your life to live it out for His glory?

I memorized Psalm 119:102. Then started working on 103. I noticed something as I linked the end of 102 with the first of 103. It says, “…For You Yourself have taught me, how sweet are Your words to my taste…”

Does reading, hearing, quoting God’s word taste sweet in your mouth? The end of 103 says, “…sweeter than honey to my mouth!” This verse reminded me of Psalm 19:10. David wrote it about God’s word. It says, “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”

Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him.” Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart…”

In 1973 my doctor took me off all sugar. I grew up on sugar! We had dessert after lunch and dinner. We drank Pepsi. My grandpa C got me hooked on his favorite candy bar ~ the Three Musketeers. We ate white bread.

I started to memorize Psalm 119:98. It says, “You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me.” My mind went to believers in countries that are hostile to the gospel. They have enemies because of the cross.

All believers have the enemies of our souls. In Ephesians 6 Paul gave us the whole armor of God because of them. Verse 12 says, “For we do not wrestle agains flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Then the Holy Spirit gave me another way. We often make enemies because of our fleshly reactive behavior. All actions are the fruit of our thoughts. We either dishonor the Lord with them, or our godly behavior exemplifies Him to others.

Hebrews 1:3 says of Jesus, “Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person…” The Greek word for express image is charakter. As we live out God’s word in our lives, our character will reflect His.

Psalm 119:148 says, “My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word.” Psalm 63:6 says, “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.”

The last thing we think about before we go to sleep, will carry on in us throughout the night. Have you ever woken up in a bad mood? You can attribute it to your last thoughts. That is what Paul wrote about in Philippians 4:8.

It says, “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.”

David understood how essential his thoughts were. Psalm 4:4 says, “Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.” He was being hunted by Saul to kill him. Verse 8 says, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

I love Romans 4. It is rich with experiential truths lived out in Abraham’s life. It was years from the time that the Lord promised him a son, before Isaac was born. Verse 18 says, “Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed…”

Verse 19 says, “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” Strong’s definition for consider: to take note of, perceive, consider carefully, discern, detect, make account of, observe fully.

Abraham did not ponder or question the fact that he and Sarah were beyond childbearing years. Do you have areas of spiritual deadness or defeat in your life? What are your thoughts concerning them?

Abraham believed what God had said, regardless of his circumstances. Our adversities, hardships, seemingly impossible situations are fully known by the Lord. He promises fruit-bearing years when we add meditating to our lives.

Psalm 119:15 says, “I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways.” Contemplate means to look into, and to pay close attention to.

Psalm 119:15 says, “I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways.” Meditate means to think about, consider, and ponder. These are great words to express how our heart thinks, feels, and chooses. We bring His word into our mind, roll it around in our thoughts, inculcate it, and deposit it into our heart’s belief-bank.

Proverbs 23:7 says that we are what we think about. Years ago the Holy Spirit taught me what to do when I recognized that my behavior didn’t emulate the Lord. I ask myself, “Marilyn, what do you believe about yourself right now?” Then I wait for the Holy Spirit to show me.

Our flesh reacts, but our spirit man responds to adversity in a Christ-like manner. When our thoughts are fleshly, our roots will shrivel. When we meditate on the Lord, our roots spread out to gather in the moisture from His word.

Meditating is an intentional discipline to bring God’s word from the printed page into our hearts and make them our own. Meditating interweaves His word like threads intertwining into the tapestry of our lives.