40 Days of Spiritual RebootSample

Welcome back to another theme of focus over the next five days. A lot has already gone through our minds and we are enjoying God’s Spirit teaching, moving and renewing us. Even these last two weeks itself has been a joy to follow hard after God. Write to me at pstjeremy@gmail.com or comment below if you have observations, thoughts or questions arising out of this 40 days of renewal.

Today we begin the new theme of ‘meditation’. Meditation is focused thinking. It is when our minds latch on to one thought or reality and ponder on it. We think about it, feel it, question it, probe it, love it, fear it, understand it and sometimes make huge decisions based on it. Focused thinking is the practice of giving mental attention to something usually over and above the daily activities and conversations. This is ‘something thats been on my mind’ as we say. However, meditation is the deliberate choice of content that we give mental attention to, for the express purpose of become familiar with that reality, or that person or that truth.

Scripture does not command us to meditate but it gives us many examples of people who were commanded to do it or those who just did it out of love for God’s word. Meditation is a discipline, it is a practice and it is a learned skill. The only meditation that we do effortlessly and automatically is ‘worry’. That too is meditation. And if you take an honest look at how you worry, you’ll understand that you already know how to meditate.

One more thing I must say before getting into todays content. Meditation is both ‘still’ and ‘constant’. By this I mean that we set time aside for focused thinking in quiet stillness. And we also give mental attention through the day on the subject as we go about our business. The latter is more do-able I guess but it isn’t a discipline. It is more preferable because it seems to save time and you can multi task. However, we must not give in to the ‘easy way’ and cheat ourselves of the benefits of this spiritual discipline. So it is important to sit down in quiet unbroken attention and meditate of God’s word. This is even more critical with scripture because it contains ‘God’s truth’ that cannot be messed with. Which is why meditation is preceded by memorisation lest you forget key words or emphasis and think wrongly about God’s word. So correct interpretation leads to proper memorisation which then leads to fruitful meditation. People who claim to think about stuff that ’the Spirit' put straight into their mind, or is an extension of their thoughts on scripture or is a faulty interpretation ("this is what I think it means")… these people are walking on thin ice. This is how heresy is born. This is what misleads thousands of sincere believers. It is wrong!

Begin a life of meditation on God’s word by…

Firstly: Identifying passages of scripture based on theme, doctrine, character of God, promise to hold on to, times of fear, uncertainty, decision etc. These are available on the net as well. And you can use bible helps. Have a list of your very own scriptures that you want to focus on for the coming month or so.

Secondly: Write your verse/s down on an index card or post-it and read it over several times. Commit it to memory as much as you can in one sitting. Then place it on your pin board or in a place where you will see it very often over the next week. As you break it down into sub-thoughts, chose to ponder on the meaning, authors intention, and ‘factness’ of the verse of scripture. So that by the end of the week you have thoroughly meditation on a substantial passage. This again is critical, because people tend to take one verse and alienate it from its context leaving them with all sorts of fairytale outcomes.

Thirdly: In the next days devotion, pray over what all you’ve been thinking about and ask God questions about the text or matters arising or about making it true in your own life.

Fourthly: Talk about it. Nothing is more effective than externally processing your thoughts and feelings about this truth about God by bouncing it off a friend, a spouse, a discipler or a marketing agent who calls you during your quiet time.

OPEN YOUR BIBLE

2 Timothy 3:10-17. Write down your thoughts and learning from the passage.

COME CLEAN

Turn the learning from todays word into prayer.

Convinced that it is God’s word that sanctifies us, pray that the effort you are going to make on meditation might result in deep cleansing of the soul and strengthening of the inner man (spirit).

If you can have a listen to ‘Thy Word’ by Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant.

TODAYS MEDITATION

1 Chronicles 16:11 - Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

Lets begin with an easy short verse to get started. I will develop the content and complexity of the passages through this week.