Meditation

"Meditation that is truly Christian is guided by the gospel, shaped by the Scriptures, reliant upon the Holy Spirit, and exercised in faith."

Meditation

This week's devotions are written by my son, Bryant Forshee, Lead Student Pastor for Cross Church, Springdale, AR campus.

- Pastor Danny

Take a moment and read these two passages of Scripture:

"This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do." (Joshua 1:8, CSB)

"How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord's instruction, and he meditates on it day and night." (Psalm 1:1-2, CSB)

These two verses have a common thread, specifically, a common word in them: meditate. For the next few days, let's look at this word. Now, some of us may be familiar with this word, but for others, it may be foreign. We may have feelings of happiness and favor toward this word, or it may seem unapproachable or daunting. Whichever way you view the word "meditate", let's ask the Holy Spirit to give us all humility, a teachable spirit, and wisdom to grow in this spiritual discipline.

Robert Morgan in his book, Reclaiming the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation: Find True Peace in Jesus, defines meditation as "the powerful practice of pondering, personalizing, and practicing Scripture." Personally, meditation has never been easy for me. Prayer, reading the Bible, worship, and going to church are disciplines and practices which I understand well; however, meditation to me has always seemed a little boring and unachievable. Thanks to Morgan's book and another book that was given to me by my dad over Christmas (which I will reference in the next paragraph), meditation is a discipline that I am now trying to implement in my life everyday!

The definition by Robert Morgan is pretty simple and easy to understand. It has a nice alliteration to it, and in my mind, it makes meditation seem doable. I think Morgan's definition along with this quote from Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines, by David Mathis, really help explain what meditation is:

"For the Christian, meditation means having 'the word of Christ dwell in you richly.' ... [Meditation] is feeding our minds on the words of God and digesting them slowly, savoring the texture, enjoying the juices, cherishing the flavor of such rich fare. Meditation that is truly Christian is guided by the gospel, shaped by the Scriptures, reliant upon the Holy Spirit, and exercised in faith."

Whether you read it quickly or slowly, go back and reread what Mathis wrote, and intentionally read it slower and think about what he is saying. Meditation on the verses throughout the Bible helps us slow down in a busy and fast-paced world, puts our mind on the things of God, and allows the things of God to continue to be on our minds as we go about our day!

HOMEWORK: Here is what I want us all to do today: Think about one of your favorite bible verses! Now, take into consideration Morgan's definition of pondering, personalizing, and practicing scripture, and try it today. As you get frustrated or you don't think you're doing it right, consider Mathis as he reminds us of Colossians 3:16 and encourages us "to feed our minds on the words of God."

Today, take time to meditate on a verse from the Bible that means a lot to you.