Meditation
There are a number of Scriptural references to meditation. The Old Testament often refers to meditating on the Law. There are also references to meditating upon the Word, upon life, upon what to say, but Christian meditation is different from other forms of meditation. The world meditates by emptying the mind, which is a dangerous practice. It's a bit like going on vacation and leaving the house door wide open. It is open to having trespassers, which is a dangerous thing both for the house and the mind. In the same way that a burglar can enter your house and rob you, so too can demons enter your mind and cause havoc.
Meditate upon the Law
There is no requirement to meditate upon the Law in today's Christian life. The Law as such was both fulfilled and done away with in the New Testament, which speaks of the new covenant with God. We are no longer required to sacrifice animals, tithe, or do a whole host of other things that were required by the Law.
Meditate upon the Word
I have not been able to find a single Scripture that instructs us to meditate upon the Word. The nearest thing I have found is Col 3:16 Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Having the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, if you study it carefully, actually means to have Jesus dwelling richly within you. The word "Word" in this case is logos and it is the logos that was made flesh and dwelt amongst us. Getting Jesus to dwell richly within us is achieved through developing a relationship with Him. There are many ways of developing that relationship, such as through prayer, praise, worship, just spending time with Him, through reading/studying Scripture and through meditating upon Him.
So how does one meditate on the Word (Jesus)? I find it really beneficial to relax in my comfy chair and reflect on all He has done for me, starting with my salvation or whatever comes to mind. This leads to other thoughts about Him and very soon my mind is consumed with His awesomeness and the appreciation of who He is and what He is. Meditation involves an active process of remembrance and pondering and my experience is that every moment spent in such meditation is immeasurable in worth.
Meditate upon Scripture
It is a good thing to read and meditate upon Scripture, but there is a cautionary note to this. Because some people believe the Bible to be the Word of God they see it as the total authority of God and limit God to what is in the Scriptures. I have seen people sell up everything to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel" only to end up broke, disillusioned and wondering what went wrong. It needs to be realised that when Jesus told the disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, He was talking to them, not every Christian. The Bible is not a promise book, nor the final authority. Jesus is the promise of God and the fulfillment of that promise. God is not limited to the book, but the book gives us some valuable insights as to who God is. You cannot for example quote Scripture at God and demand He keep His promise. That's not how it works. If you read my article Faith that works, this will give you more insight to what I am saying.
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Meditate upon the Law
There is no requirement to meditate upon the Law in today's Christian life. The Law as such was both fulfilled and done away with in the New Testament, which speaks of the new covenant with God. We are no longer required to sacrifice animals, tithe, or do a whole host of other things that were required by the Law.
Meditate upon the Word
I have not been able to find a single Scripture that instructs us to meditate upon the Word. The nearest thing I have found is Col 3:16 Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Having the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, if you study it carefully, actually means to have Jesus dwelling richly within you. The word "Word" in this case is logos and it is the logos that was made flesh and dwelt amongst us. Getting Jesus to dwell richly within us is achieved through developing a relationship with Him. There are many ways of developing that relationship, such as through prayer, praise, worship, just spending time with Him, through reading/studying Scripture and through meditating upon Him.
So how does one meditate on the Word (Jesus)? I find it really beneficial to relax in my comfy chair and reflect on all He has done for me, starting with my salvation or whatever comes to mind. This leads to other thoughts about Him and very soon my mind is consumed with His awesomeness and the appreciation of who He is and what He is. Meditation involves an active process of remembrance and pondering and my experience is that every moment spent in such meditation is immeasurable in worth.
Meditate upon Scripture
It is a good thing to read and meditate upon Scripture, but there is a cautionary note to this. Because some people believe the Bible to be the Word of God they see it as the total authority of God and limit God to what is in the Scriptures. I have seen people sell up everything to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel" only to end up broke, disillusioned and wondering what went wrong. It needs to be realised that when Jesus told the disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, He was talking to them, not every Christian. The Bible is not a promise book, nor the final authority. Jesus is the promise of God and the fulfillment of that promise. God is not limited to the book, but the book gives us some valuable insights as to who God is. You cannot for example quote Scripture at God and demand He keep His promise. That's not how it works. If you read my article Faith that works, this will give you more insight to what I am saying.
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