Christian Meditation

"His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:2

"I understand more than all my teachers, because I meditate on your instructions." Psalm119:19

Christian meditation isn't passive rest, it's actively practicing the presence of God, whether that's focusing on Scripture, or who God is.

Christian meditation is simply thinking about God, or mulling over the things of God

Rick Warren, in The Purpose Driven Life, describes meditation this way:

"Meditation is focused thinking. It takes serious effort.You select a verse and reflect on it over and over in your mind . . . if you know how to worry; you already know how to meditate".

He also says

"No other habit can do more to transform your life and make you more like Jesus than daily reflection on Scripture . . . If you look up all the times God speaks about meditation in the Bible, you will amazed at the benefits He has promised to those who take the time to reflect on His Word throughout the day".

In Satisfy Your Soul, Bruce Demarest writes,

"A quieted heart is our best preparation for all this work of God . . . Meditation refocuses us from ourselves and from the world so that we reflect on God's Word, His nature, His abilities, and His works . . . So we prayerfully ponder, muse, and 'chew' the words of Scripture . . . The goal is simply to permit the Holy Spirit to activate the life-giving Word of God".

What should Christians meditate on?

"Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Philippians 4:8

The purpose of Christian meditation is deeper communion with the living God

The most important aspects of your life are your walk with God and your friendship with Him. You communicate with God spirit to spirit.

Meditation helps you to develop your spirit and prepares the way for communication with God. When you still and quiet your soul you find it easier to connect with God, it's easier to hear Him.

I usually start with prayer. First I thank God, and then I repent of any sin and ask the Holy Spirit to lead me as I meditate.

Aids to Christian meditation

• A quiet unhurried atmosphere
• A relaxed mind and body
• Discipline - it helps to set aside a regular time
• Perseverance

When you first start to meditate you'll probably find you're distracted by everyday things. Don't focus on the distractions, learn to let them go. If you stop being bothered about them they'll begin to fade away.

Easy ways to include Christian meditation in your day.

There are natural times during the day when you can easily give your mind to God's Word in Meditation.

• Train yourself to think about God's word at the start of the day.
• Use part of your lunch break to stop and think on the things of God.
• Make sure that God's Word is the last thing that occupies your mind before you go to sleep.

Lectio Divina

Formal Christian meditation began with the early Christian monks who practised reading the Bible slowly. The monks carefully considered the deeper meaning of each verse as they read it.

Slow and thoughtful reading of Scripture, while pondering its meaning, was their meditation. This spiritual practice is called divine reading, spiritual reading, prayerful reading of the Bible or lectio divina.

Sometimes the monks found themselves spontaneously praying as a result of their meditation on Scripture, and their prayer turned to simple, loving focus on God. They called this wordless love for God, contemplation.

St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa practiced contemplative prayer for one hour at a time, twice a day. She found this very difficult for the first several years. She had no one to teach her, and taught herself from the instructions given in a book.

St. Teresa started with the practice of "recollection". Recollection means to keep your senses and intellect in check and not allow them to stray. You restrict your attention to the love of God. It's called recollection because the soul collects together all the faculties and enters within itself to be with God.

Because St Teresa found it difficult to concentrate, she used devices such as short readings from an inspiring book, a scene of natural beauty or a picture to remind her of her focus.

In time, your mind will become effortlessly still.

Madame Guyon

Madame Guyon was a French mystic and writer. As a 19-year-old, she was influenced by an encounter with a Franciscan priest who had just emerged from a five-year retreat. She asked him why she was having such difficulties with prayer, and he replied:

"It is, Madame, because you seek without what you have within. Accustom yourself to seek God in your heart, and there you will find Him".

Where do YOUR thoughts dwell most often?

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8

Time spent dwelling on thoughts of God, who He is, what He’s done, who you are in Him… lead to much TREASURE  ♥

The Message version put it this way…

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

What are you growing in your life’s garden?

What harmonies are being created as you go through your day?

I hope this has inspired you to meditate. Meditation really will help you to draw closer to God and become more and more aware of His presence with you.

The effort of finding a specific time each day to focus on God's Word is well worth the rewards.

You could start by meditating on who you are in Christ or take a look at the Scriptures in build your faith

Take a look at the free coaching resources and tools or feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

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