The pastor stepped back and said to him, "Look at this tree we're under. What does it remind you of? What are the qualities this tree suggests to you?" He looked at the tremendous Douglas fir, towering up into the heavens above, and said, "Well, the first thing is, it's strong." The pastor said, "Yes. Anything else?" "Well," he said, "it's beautiful." The pastor replied, "Exactly! Beauty and strength. Those are the two things you admire about this tree. And those are exactly the two things you want in your own life, aren't they? Beauty and strength?" He said, "Right." "Well," said the pastor, "tell me this: What makes this tree beautiful and strong? Where does it get its beauty and its strength?" He stopped for a moment and looked at the tree, then he said, "Well, from the roots, I guess." The pastor asked him, "Can you see the roots?" "No," he said, "You can't." Then he said, "I get it! That is the hidden part of life, but it is the secret of this tree's beauty and strength, isn't it?"

Joshua 1:8 says that

Joshua 1:8

"This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night that you may do according to all that is written therein. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success."

1. DON'T LET GOD'S WORD DEPART FROM YOUR MOUTH - DO IT EVERY DAY.
Each year the graduating seniors of a major Christian college were asked "What will best assure success in the Lord's service?" The major answer given the last two years, though wording has differed, is characterized by one student's expression "greater depth to the personal time I spend with the Lord."

When one meets the Lord face to face in a consistently daily manner at a quiet place with an open Bible and an open heart to pray, that one's life inevitably reflects Christ. This is the time when we grow in our relationship with our Lord.

2. MEDITATE ON GOD'S WORD DAY AND NIGHT - "WHAT IS THE WRITER SAYING?"
The Hebrew word for meditate is interesting---it means to mutter. We mutter under our breath, talk to ourselves, interact with issues. I think of the practice of the Jews even today who read the Scriptures aloud to themselves. You can see them at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, repeating the Scriptures aloud to the Lord and to themselves. That explains God's warning to Joshua here in verse 8 to not allow the book of the law to depart out of his mouth. There is a sense in which we are to engage in dialogue with our Bibles, and that goes way beyond a casual reading through the Bible in a year, or hearing a sermon once a week. This is talking to our Bibles. This image is of soaking in the Scriptures---intense, regular, personal engagement with the Scriptures---with the desire to be directed and controlled by God's revelation.

3. DO ALL THAT IS WRITTEN THEREIN - "HOW DOES IT APPLY TO MY LIFE?"
The reason we meditate on God's word every day is so that we will do what it says. Meditation leads to application. Thinking about something leads to do it. It has been said that most 'christians do not need to learn any new truths. They simply need to do what they already know.'

4. THEN YOU WILL MAKE YOUR WAY PROSPEROUS AND THEN YOU WILL HAVE GOOD SUCCESS.
You can be assured of significant changes in your spiritual life if you have your daily quiet time with the Lord. There is evidence that six weeks of daily meditation will not only benefit you spiritually, it will also produce psychological and physical by-products which others may notice.

A few years ago a university on the west coast conducted a study of 60 university students. One half of them lived their usual life and the other half started a 15-minute quiet time for six weeks. Both groups were carefully studied. Some of the results after six weeks: Perception increased 40%; recall ability increased 40-50%; the use of non-prescribed drugs reduced from 1/2-1/5. Their anxiety scale dropped more than 20%. Self-acceptance was two and a half times greater. Their breath rate improved two to one with a significant decrease of blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Overall, the meditating group had a 3-5 second faster reaction time.