A LIFESTYLE OF MEDITATION
What images comes to mind when you read or hear the word meditation? My guess is that many of us have the mental picture of a person sitting cross-legged on a floor, eyes closed, and face serene. I have seen this exact scene a few times on the television. Many Eastern religions involve the practice of meditation. Christian meditation differs from the practices of those religions by filling our minds with God’s truth, instead of emptying our minds. Meditation practices must be tempered with sound doctrine. We can find it a real challenge to dedicate time to meditate. The harder it is, the more important it is to do it.
Read Psalm 119:11-16 Focus on the Word
The basic theme of the Psalms is the law of God. The original Hebrew version of the psalms was written in rhymes, and the word psalm means “praise”. The word “law” occurs 25 times in the psalms and other forms of that word appear 22 times. The law is not a substitute for God but a guide to doing His will. The basic point of the psalms is that obedience to God’s law is the way to happiness. God’s word in one’s heart brings joy and protects the believer from sin. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and it is written as a song of praise for God’s law. It celebrates the law as God’s gracious gift to His people, not as a heavy burden imposed on them. It is written undoubtedly out of extensive meditation on God’s mercy. Meditate means “study”, which can be accomplished by reading God’s word, memorizing scriptures, and then applying them in our daily living. So a very good method to strengthen our relationship with God is to meditate on His written word until meditation becomes spontaneous. Meditation through memorization will become a vital part of our Christian journey only if we make it a priority. Keeping God’s word in our hearts is a deterrent to sin. This alone should inspire us to memorize scripture, but we need also to put God’s word to work in our lives. God’s guidelines help us follow His path and avoid paths that lead to destruction.
Read Mark 1:35-39 Fellowship Through Prayer
Leading up to these scriptures, Jesus and His disciples entered Capernaum, where Jesus put in a full day’s work. He taught in the synagogue, where He cast out an unclean spirit (vv 21-28). Then they went to Simon and Andrew’s house, where Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law (vv 29-31). When darkness signaled the Sabbath’s close, people brought sick and demon-possessed individuals to the house where Jesus was and He healed many of them (vv 32-34). Likely He was exhausted (yes, Jesus in human form could get tired). So after a short night’s sleep, Jesus arose very early, while it was still dark and found a quiet place to pray (v35). Ask: Where are some places that we can go to pray? Also what are some of things we can sacrifice or give up to permit time to pray? (Any quiet place- and give up TV, recreation, leisure reading, hobbies, etc.)
Simon Peter and his companions (other disciples) hunted for Jesus. Jesus was praying for the will of His Father. He trying to seek God’s will about where to preach- staying in Capernaum with its unending demands or broadening His ministry throughout all of Galilee (vv 38-39). The Romans divided the land of Israel into three separate regions; Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. Galilee was the northern most region, and area about 60 miles long and 30 miles wide. Jesus did much of His ministry in this area. Remember He and His disciples had to walk everywhere. This area was an ideal place for Him to teach since there were over 250 towns concentrated, with many synagogues, in Galilee. So Jesus was giving us a clear pattern to follow when He would get off by Himself and pray before He made major decisions, especially involving significant journeys! If Jesus does this, it has to good for us.
Truths and applications for our living practically leap from this scripture passage. Among these are: 1) Jesus’ ministry for His Father grew out of His relationship with the Father. Our effectiveness as God’s servant depends on the depth of our relationship with Him. 2) Prayer was a channel for the divine resources Jesus needed for His work. Prayer and Meditation enable us to tap into God’s resources that enable us to serve Him productively. 3) Prayer nourished and empowered Jesus’ life of faith.
Read Psalm 1:1-3 Fruit of Time Well Spent
Interpreters have described Psalm 1 as a gateway or threshold psalm for the entire Book of Psalms. It summarizes the whole book and the psalmist had meditated extensively on the wisdom of studying and obeying God’s law. The psalmist began with a joyous, enthusiastic exclamation that some have rendered “oh the happiness (or blessedness) of”. We are told that we should enjoy the joy of obeying God and refuse to listen to those who discredit or ridicule Him. Do you have any friends or relatives who tear down your faith? We are told in Psalms to pick our friends carefully. We can’t do much about our relatives. God doesn’t judge people on the basis of race, sex, or national origin. He judges us on the basis of our faith in Him and our response to His revealed will. Those who diligently try to obey God’s will are blessed. (I know this is not new and we tend to hear it a lot but there are times in our lives when a reminder is very important.) Only two paths of life lay before us- God’s way of obedience or the way of rebellion and destruction.
Verse 2 presents a sharp contrast to the negative descriptions in verse 1. It again tells us we can learn how to follow God by meditating on His word. Let’s review together how we can meditate. What does verse 3 say to you, individually? (Spending time reading the Bible, and thinking and studying what we read. Memorizing scripture and having them ready for when needed.) (Verse 3- The more we delight in obeying God, the more fruitful we are.) If you want God’s blessing, make friends with those who love God and His word. The phrase “they prosper in all they do” does not mean immunity to failure or difficulties. It does not mean success in everything that is not in God’s will. What the Bible means by prosperity is when we apply God’s wisdom, the fruit (results) we bear will be good and will receive God’s approval. To achieve anything worthwhile, we must have God’s Word in our hearts.
Thoughts to help meditation, Copy and Paste:
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http://62cbam4wj-1n3n8-6cvefw6y51.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=SPOONFULREVELATION