Last night I meditated on 1 Thessalonians 5:18 which says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  Grumbling and complaining is a fleshly reaction to a situation.  Gratitude is a response from our spirit to the Lord.  Same situation, but two different actions.

Philippians 2:13-14 says, “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  Do all things without complaining and disputing.”  The Amplified uses the words grumbling and faultfinding and complaining.

An attitude of gratitude aligns our will and thoughts with His.

Yesterday morning I wrote out Psalm 63:6 in my journal.  It says, “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.”  Then the Holy Spirit took me back to verse 5.  It says, “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.”  When He put the two together, He broadened my understanding of meditating.

My margin says “fat” for marrow, and “abundance” for fatness.  Last night I meditated on fat abundance.  I wanted to know what He was saying to me.  My soul (mind, will, emotions) shall be satisfied with fat abundance.  How?

Psalm 107:9, “For He satisfies the longing soul…”  111 John vs 2, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”  Psalm 1:3, speaking of meditating, says that whatever we do shall prosper.  Joshua 1:8 says that we may prosper in all things.

Isaiah 55:11 says that the Lord will cause His word to prosper in the thing for which He sent it.  The word we meditate on causes us to prosper spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

Our health or lack thereof is affected by our thoughts.  Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…”  Meditating changes our thought processes.  It REWRITES the old programming from our past!

Where are you emotionally on a scale of 1 to 10?  One being emotionally fragile, and 10 being emotionally robust.  Great question.

I was meditating on the beauty of holiness from Psalm 29: 2.  It says, “Give unto the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”  A note in my Bible says: the splendor of holiness is a greater beauty than even the glory of nature.

I thought about Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, Old Faithful, waterfalls, sunrises and sunsets, etc.  Then I thought about how His holiness is more beautiful than those.  Circuits hit overload.  I went to Psalm 8:4 in my mind.  “What is man that You are mindful of Him?”

That took me back to a mediation on Ephesians 2:7 which says, “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

To contemplate the beauty of His holiness certainly took my thoughts higher.  In fact so high, it made me wonder how I could ever allow the crassness of my flesh to taint my thoughts and actions.

Psalm 103:1 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul!  O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty.”

This meditation is like a burning bush experience.  I must take off my shoes.

Last night, as I crawled into bed I began meditating on “inexhaustible riches.”  The Holy Spirit helped me understand something I never thought about before.  The words inexhaustible, unfathomable, immeasurable, boundless, and incalculable are rooted in the eternal.  There is nothing on this earth that can be attached to these words.

This immediately gave me a higher understanding of 2 Corinthians 4:17-18.  As we go through our trials we are to focus on the things that are eternal, not be distracted by the temporary things of this earth.  Verse 18 says, “While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.  For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

This is His higher way of endurance.  We look to Him to meet every need according to His eternal riches.  A quick fix and a way out (temporary) appeals to our flesh.  His higher way through with rich insight (eternal) feeds and strengthens our spirit.

Last night I meditated on the last part of Philippians 4:19.  According to His riches in glory.  According to His riches means that they are inexhaustible.  No matter how much He gives, His riches are never diminished.

My mind kept going back to Romans 11:33 which says, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out.”  The question has to come: do You meet every one of my needs through Your wisdom and knowledge?

Colossians 2:3 Amplified says, “In Him all the treasures of (divine) wisdom (comprehensive insight into the way and purposes of God) and (all the riches of spiritual) knowledge and enlightenment are stored up and lie hidden.”

Ephesians 3:8 Amplified says, “…the unending (boundless, fathomless, incalculable, and exhaustless) riches of Christ (wealth which no human being could have searched out).”

I feel like my circuits are blown.  Great meditation!

I meditated on Philippians 4:19 from the Amplified, just the words: liberally supply (fill to the full).  The next morning I went back to my reading in Jeremiah.  I love how the Holy Spirit links events and verses.

Jeremiah 31:14 says, “I will satiate My priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord.”  In my margin satiate means filled to the full.  Then verse 25 says, “For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.”

Last night I meditated on “every need” from Philippians 4:19.  We have myriad needs.  Think about how many times you might say “I need to…” during your day.  As I was meditating on “every need” several phrases from songs came to mind: I need Thee precious Savior; I must needs go home by the way of the cross; I need Thee every hour.

Here’s a verse that I refer to often.  Hebrews 10:36 says, “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”  The Greek word for endurance is hupomone.  It means: constancy, perseverance, continuance, bearing up, steadfastness, holding out, patient endurance.  We must actively resist weariness and defeat.

His promise to supply every need reminds us of how intricately He wants to be involved in our lives.  His is a moment by moment empowering.

Last night I was meditating on “I press on” from Philippians 3:14.

I press on: through every distraction; through each temptation to be weary; through every thought that begins to wander into a futile dialogue.  No matter what the obstacle, we press on to press through.  We keep on going beyond what is trying to stop us.

A runner in a race looks forward, never allowing anything on the sidelines to distract.  One moment of breaking focus impedes progress.  We are to run with perseverance.  Beware of sideline issues, and goal defeaters.  Hebrews 10;36 says, “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”

Pressing on is a mentality, or mind set.  It is a way of thinking and processing that actively resists weariness and defeat.

Last night I meditated on “an excellent spirit” from Daniel 6:3.  Daniel’s actions were blameless because his motives and thoughts were blameless.  Those he was in charge of looked for an occasion to find fault.  They scrutinized every thing he did regarding the king’s kingdom and found nothing.

This morning I read Psalm 15 in the Amplified.  Verse two says, “He who walks and lives uprightly and blamelessly, who works rightness and justice and speaks and things the truth in his heart.”

Psalm 51:6 says, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”

An excellent spirit is a heart of integrity.

Last night I was meditating on “go and bear fruit that will remain” from John 15:16.  Today I am speaking at the rest home.  I asked the Lord how to encourage these dear people how to still bear fruit, especially the ones who cannot speak or move on their own.

He took me to James 1:12 which says, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”  Enduring temptations and trials because of our love for Him.

I remember one lady in the rest home.  She had been beaten senseless by a robber who came into her house in the night.  She could not communicate by words, just sounds.  She would “quote” John 3:16 when we did it as a group and weep.  She wept as we sang “Jesus Loves Me.”  She was not bitter.  She loved the Lord with all her heart.  Near the end of her life, I would go to room and quote Scripture for her.  She would be thrashing, but would still at the sound of His word.  She was faithful to the end.  Her love for the Lord carried her through her deep trials.

Psalm 92:14-15 says, “They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

Last night I was meditating on Ephesians 2:4.  The Lord rich in mercy.  Psalm 145:8-9 says, “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy.  The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.”

We are to be as He is.  Roman 13:14 tells us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.  I never linked His mercy before with my forgiveness of others.  Our flesh won’t forgive.  We have to align our heart with His mercy towards us.  We did not get what we deserved.  He took our sins upon Himself.

Forgiveness is extending the same mercy we have received towards those who have hurt us deeply.