Biblical Meditation

We had a guest speaker today in our spiritial formation class becuase Adrian is in Dublin. He spoke on Biblical meditation and I was really impacted, so I thought I would share some of what he talked about. I'm not going to be able to capture everything that was discussed, but here are some thoughts for your consideration.

Dave started off by saying that hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life.

"For most of us the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed that we will settle for a mediocre version of it. We will just skim through our lives instead of actually living them."
I dont know who that quote was by, but I think it's brilliant.

What makes your life crowded? What are you rushing to get done?
Dave challenged us to intentionally slow down. Get in the longest line at the grocery store then let someone go infront of you. Drive in the slow lane the entire time and dont speed. Find ways to train yourself to wait. I thought this was really interesting because I love to be busy, always having something to do, someone to see, another e-mail to write. People often equate being busy with being important. I know I've done it. But to be still and really spend time with God one on one - that is a real challenge. I think most people (myself included) are scared that they might find out something about themselves or about Him that they dont like, or that makes them uncomfortable.

The next thing he asked us is how do we see the Bible. I've actually been thinking about this lately. We went to the source to see what the Bible says about itself.
As it turns out there are 7 points of interest:

The word is a...
1)Lamp (Ps 119:105)
- Guidance
- Reveals
2)Bread (Luke 4:4)
- Sustenance
- Staple food in our diet
- Leaves you full and satisfied
3)Mirror (James 1:22-25)
- Shows us who we are
- Reflects Christ
- Reveals both the good and the bad so we can improve what we see
4)Scalpel (4:12)
- Cut through sin
- Used to heal
5)Sword (Eph 6:17)
- Weapon
- Protection
6)Hammer (Jer 23:29)
- Tool for construction and destruction
7)Fire (Jer 23:29)
- Refines
- Consumes
- Spreads

So the question is, if the written word of God is all these things then why do so many Chritians no engage with the Bible besides on a sunday morning?

I was very impacted by that statement. I believe that everything on this list is true, yet I dont set apart time everyday to indulge in the word of God. I do once and a while, I read a few chapters, do a small study on a particular subject. But God gave us the book as a whole. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says All scripture is God breathed and is useful for the teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Gods word is given to us not to inform, but to transform us from the inside out. How can it do this if we dont rest in it? God desires to change the way we think, that our minds become in line with the Holy Spirit.

Ruminant animals, like sheep and cows, have several stomachs. To eat they will chew some grass, swallow it, regurgitate it, chew it some more, swallow it over and over again, until they have broken it down enough that the food is actually absorbed into their blood stream. In the same way we need to meditate on the word of God until it is completely absorbed into out being.

If you're anything like me you can get pretty distracted when you read the Bible, so here is a process that Dave Suggests to help you meditate. Of course this is not the only way to do it, but I tried it and I really like it. And remember, this type of meditation isnt about clearing your mind or achieving some sort of higher state, its about filling your mind and soul with the word of God.

1) Choose a verse or passage.
2) Read it slowly several times.
3) Underline key words and phrases.
4) Write out the text several times.
5) Use the scripture as a means to pray.
6) Understand the context of the passage.

After his talk was done we went off to put into practice this meditation. I studied John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" -Jesus
I didnt get any revelations or hear Gods voice in a distinct way, but it felt so amazing just to slow down for 15 mins of my day and concentrate on God. Just be with him. To let the word wash over you. I really loved this exercise and am going to challenge myself to continue to practice it over the year (you can ask me how its going to keep me on track).
The Bible is God breathed. It is the transforming, sustaining, refining, weapon it claims to be. Read it. Know it. Live it.

Love you all