All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Over the years there have been times when people asked me, “Why should I meditate or memorize God’s Word?” Today I can give an answer — an answer which begins with this story: a few weeks ago, the ten-foot waves were pounding the shore of California’s Big Lagoon Beach when Howard Kulijian and his family went out for a walk with their dog, Fran.
When Kulijian tossed a stick toward the water, Fran raced down to fetch it. It was then, just as the dog got to the shoreline, a “sneaker wave,” that is, a wave larger than all the others, swept in and carried the dog away from the shore.
Kulijian’s son, 16-year-old Gregory, forgot about the signs along the beach that warned about those sneaker waves and ran after the dog. Kulijian ran after Gregory and Mary Scott, Kulijian’s wife, followed them all.
As of this writing the bodies of both father and mother have been recovered and Greg is still missing. It was a terrible tragedy, a tragedy I can understand. You see, if one of our dogs was in a life-and-death situation, I believe any of our three children, motivated by love for their pet, would have put everything else aside and rushed in to help. Pamie would have followed the children, and I would have gone after them all. That’s what most families would do.
That’s what they would do unless … unless the posted warning signs had become part of their thinking, paramount in their minds.
If you review Scripture, you will find many of the sins committed by God’s people happened because their wants and wishes pushed aside God’s words of warning. That’s what happened to Adam and Eve, Samson, David, Ananias and Sapphira, along with so many others. When they reached a crossroad in their lives, a crossroad which would, to a large extent determine their relationship with the Lord, they took the wrong path, their path and the results were catastrophic.
Why meditate and memorize God’s Word?
Because in your life you will probably get to a similar crossroad. At that time you will need to know, in no uncertain terms, what God wants you to do. The possibility you will walk the right road is increased if you are intimately familiar with His Word, which equips us for the crossroads of life.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, all around us we see tragedies. Some are earthly tragedies like that which happened to the Kulijian family. Others are spiritual disasters, where people have taken their road rather than Your will. You have given us the Holy Scriptures, so we might be prepared for the evil eventualities of this world. Move those words from the paper into our minds and hearts. This we ask in the Savior’s Name. Amen.
Pastor Ken Klaus
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