Last week was a national holiday here. Golden Week occurs from the end of April through the first few days of May and is a week that has four national holidays. Many people travel during this time. We took the time to escape from the big city and visit my husband’s parents in the countryside. I love spending time here. I enjoy the fellowship with family. I also enjoy the slower pace and the long walks along the river and the rice fields. At this time of year, the farmers are flooding the rice fields and beginning to plant. I never get tired of seeing the reflections in the water. The view depends on the time of day. Sometimes you can see the mountains reflected and other times you can see the buildings that are in the area.
As I was walking and thinking about all I was seeing, I began to think about other types of reflections. The most important reflection would be what I know and meditate on about my God.
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
~A. W. Tozer
In the comments of a post by Whitney, she mentioned keeping a list of what she learns about God from her daily Bible time on her phone. I’m a notebook and paper kind of girl, but I don’t always have a notebook with me. I do find myself using my phone for things more often than not. So I started a note in my app on my phone called “One Thing” based on Psalm 27:4, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.”
When I was a much younger woman, I remember that an assistant pastor at our church encouraged us to get one thought from the Word each day. I have tried to maintain this habit for years, but I don’t always write it down. If I do, I might write it on the page for the day in my bullet journal. I liked the idea of having it in one place on my phone so that I can see it any time I want. I have found myself reviewing my “one thing” while waiting in line or sitting in the car. These are times when I would not have my notebook with me.
In closing, I would like to share one of my recent entries. Maybe you’d like to share one of your thoughts from the Word in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.
“ For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” ~Hebrews 4:12
“…make those verses our own through faith and obedience. For a stronger faith, focus your mental energy on the verses God gives you. That’s the best exercise of the soul. Where there is a command, obey it. Where there is a prayer, offer it. Where there is a truth, believe it. Where there is a message, repeat it. Where there is a promise, claim it by faith.” ~Robert Morgan, author of Reclaiming the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation.
Context can be everything. Even though we have lived in Japan for many years, we still think and act instinctively like a westerner.
Life in the 10/40 Window 