M&Ms (Memorize & Meditate)
Pre-Game Warm-Up
If you divided all the stars in the known cosmos and distributed them equally to every human on earth, we’d each have about 6 trillion stars to account for. Our God is Big!
If the Cray Supercomputer was going all out, full steam ahead on one project, it would take years to accomplish what the human eye accomplishes in seconds. Every cell (approximately 10 million total) in the retina computes 500 non-linear differential calculus equations 100 times every 1000th of a second (Can Evolution Produce an Eye? Not a chance! Dr. David N. Menton, April 1994, Vol. 4, No. 4). Our God is brilliant.
But of all God’s limitless attributes, the one that amazes me the most is the fact that He desires an intimate relationship with someone as undeserving and irresponsible as me. That single thought will keep me running for His heart until the day I die.
Psalm 8 expresses my deepest longings for His will, “Oh Lord, our God, how majestic is Your name in all the earth….When I consider Thy heavens and the works of Thy hands, the moon and stars that Thou hast ordained, who is man that Thou does consider him or the son of man that Thou does care for him. For Thou has made him a little lower than God. Thou has crowned him with glory and majesty….Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth.”
To think that Jesus would give His life to grant you and me the ability to know God intimately, far more intimately than I know my wife whom I’ve adored for more than 35 years! Beyond comprehension!
My dear friend, Jonny Musso, one of the legendary football giants of Bear Bryant’s Alabama teams, prays every day for the same intimacy with God that he feels for his wife in the times he has felt his love for her the most.
Tony Boselli, the all pro offensive tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars, at 6’7”, 348 lbs., tells me he loves to praise God, to sing his praises, to speak his praises, to meditate his praises as often as he can.
Ohio State football Coach Jim Tressell, Clemson Coach Tommy Bowden, Applachian State Coach Jerry Moore, Georgia Coach Mark Richt, (some current and some past) and countless other men tell me they find intimacy in their devotional times and prayer times as they pour themselves into God’s heart daily. While tenderly hugging and sharing faith stories with two American Presidents, I witnessed the same affection and the same quest for intimacy. I have found it in countless mens hugs, in pregame chapels, in the National Football League and professional baseball chapel across America. The presidents and the players alike all crave intimacy with God.
God says we’ll be blessed in that intimacy. In fact, He promises His blessing as you “meditate on His word day and night.” For me, as ADHD and strung out as I usually am, I find incredible peace and intimacy tucking the Psalms into my memory bank daily and meditating on them as often as I get a moment of peace; late at night, early morning, driving, aerobic training or flying. “M&Ms” stands for “memorize and meditate”. M&Ms are not only candy to the taste buds, but Memorizing and Meditating on God’s Word brings blessings and eternal richness that this world can’t contain.
When God ceases to be our handy vending machine and becomes our deepest desire, a world of blessings begins to pour itself into our heart and into our life. Open a pack and pour some into your heart today. Tasty!
Understanding God’s Blessings
Mark these Key Words: Blessed
Old Testament Viewpoint
Psalms, 1:1-3
Psalms, 1:1-3
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.
New Testament Viewpoint
Matthew 5:3-9
Matthew 5:3-9
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
OBSERVATION:
What is God saying?
1) The term “blessing” means to be happy, content, satisfied, and fulfilled. Name three choices or habits that hinder God’s blessings to you.
A. Pride
B. Self-suffering
C. Impurities (looking at or listening to unholy ideas; TV, music, iPhone, etc.)
2) To what five kinds of people does God promise to give His blessings in these passages?
A. Poor in spirit/humble
B. Broken
C. Gentle
D. Merciful
E. Pure in heart
3) What are your greatest delights in this world?
(Personal Answer)
4) What would it look like if you loved God’s Word more than that?
There would be ultimate dependency on His ideas and commands.
5) Why is memorizing and meditating on God’s Word well worth the time and effort?
It keeps God’s thoughts central in your life at all times.
6) Why does God desire the practice or memorizing and meditating on His word in our daily lives?
In order to live according to His laws and so that we will love Him with all of our heart.
7) Describe how meditating on God’s word brings intimacy between you and God.
(Personal Answer)
PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS:
What else of significance do you see God saying in this passage?
APPLICATION:
How does this passage relate to me today? What changes does it bring to my life?
LOCKER ROOM:
How’s your thought life been this week? When you are struggling, who’s the first person you call?
Memory Verse: Psalms, 1:1-2
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.
My Prayers
A Adoration: Father, today I praise You for…
C Confession: Father, please forgive me for…
T Thanksgiving: Father, today I’m thankful for…
S Supplication: Father, the people & things that I wish to pray for today are…
