Learning to Meditate on Scripture: Developing a Discipline for Spiritual Growth

Reading the Bible can be a challenge. This I have learned through years of encouraging people to develop this discipline in their life, not to mention learning and re-learning the discipline for my own life. I have learned that reading the Bible changes from one stage of spiritual growth to another. As I have grown in my relationship with the Lord, Bible reading has developed into reading a number of different ways for encouragement, understanding, and insight.

One of the most important ways to read the Bible, that seems seldom mentioned, is to read larger passages in a single reading, i.e. read a whole book in one or two sittings. This gives a much broader perspective of the content of the particular book, as well as encouraging the reader of the readability of each book. To begin this approach to reading Scripture, begin with the Gospel of Mark. This sixteen-chapter book will only take approximately 45 minutes to complete. The epistles of the New Testament are also great books to approach in this way. Then, as your comfort level grows with this approach, larger books in the Old Testament can be read in two or three sittings. New understandings and insights are sure to come from this plan of reading.

Second, reading Scripture for personal meditation should be practiced by every Christian. When a person approaches the Scriptures to meditate, an expanded time of interacting with the Scripture should be given so Holy Spirit can use the verses and passages to bring heightened illumination and deeper application for personal repentance and renewal. Colossians 3:16 instructs to “let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly.” This is a mandate to spend time allowing the Word to saturate our minds, hearts, and lives by lingering over it in thought and reflection. This practice will immediately result in great value for any person who practices meditating on the deep riches of God’s Word. Proverbs 2:1-8 serves as a great guide for learning how to meditate on God’s Word. While there is no one right way, I will give a brief overview of how a time of meditation could flow as guided by this passage in Proverbs:

First, in all Scripture reading, the most important truth to glean does not begin with “what is the application of this passage for my life” or “what do I think this passage means for me.” First, one must seek to understand “what does this passage say?” or “what does this passage mean?” Once the clear meaning and message of a passage is present, then the Spirit of God will make specific personal application to life by convicting of sin and righteousness.

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. —Pro.2:1-8

Choose a passage that is not too lengthy, 5-20 verses, so you can spend time in each verse. As you come to the Word, begin to pray verse one and ask God to make your mind and heart receptive to his words. Pray that his Word, as the seed of life, would find good soil in your life to grow deep roots. Read through the entire passage for familiarity with its content. Then, go back to the beginning and begin to read each verse, sentence, or phrase and work through these questions. As you work through the questions, it is a good practice to record answers in a journal.

Begin with these questions about the passage: Do I understanding what this passage about? Who wrote it? Who was it written to? What is it saying? How would it apply to its target audience? What result was the author trying to accomplish by writing this passage?

Once these questions have been answered, read through the passage reflecting upon these questions:

1. Have I accepted these words as God’s revelation?
2. Have I stored up the commands of this passage in my heart, “turning my ear to wisdom” and “applying my heart to understanding?” What do I need to commit to memory in this passage? What area of my life is this passage dealing with? What area of unbelief in my life is God beginning to deal with in this passage?
3. Have I prayed for insight and understanding? Ask Holy Spirit to convict you of any hidden sin in regard to this truth you are studying, immediately confess and repent of it as he brings conviction. Record any specific actions that God instructs you to take.
4. Am I seeking this truth as an “eternal treasure” for my life? Ask God if there is any motivation, desire, or habit in your life that is preventing you from desiring a full and complete application of this truth in your life. How is God leading you to embrace this truth as an eternal treasure for your life?
5. How has my fear for God heightened and my awe of God increased? Do I know and understand God’s character better? Am I developing a deeper love for him because of an increased knowledge of him? How has my worship of God increased as a result of lingering on this passage?
6. Ask the Lord for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Have I thanked him that he gives these to those who ask?
7. Thank the Lord that he is our shield and guard, watching over his saints as we strive to live the Word in this world for his honor and glory.

The Bible, Part II: Origin, Reliability, and Authority

In our study of the Bible, we study its origin, reliability, and authority, and we deepen our understanding of Scripture and its application in our lives. Listen now…

The Bible, Part I: First Tenet

The Bible is LifePoint’s first tenet of our theology, and this week we look at five scriptural affirmations that the Bible is the ultimate authority in our lives. Listen now…

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Glorifying God and Enjoying Him Forever

I am most certainly not prepared to say that I have acted, or even, am now acting, up to my own principles; still, I am not bragging in saying that I have probably felt their value more than many people nearer to genius than I am. —Ernest Dimnet

Something I learned, or, I should say; God taught me, about six months ago was the importance of discovering my compassion. What I first was enlightened with was the importance of finding ones God-given compassion. When God created each of us, he implanted a unique, yet, dormant fire in our very essence. This fire, this uniqueness is our compassion, expressed in our God-given talents. Just as our individual DNA is unique to us and us alone, so our compassions are singular in that while two persons might share a similar compassion, the compassion is uniquely expressed in each individual.

Secondly, I came to see that compassion is something that each of us has to discover. God does not give us any predetermined idea as to what compassion he has given us. He leaves finding our compassion up to us. Besides, that is what the mystery of life is all about. Some are perplexed as to what man’s destiny and his purposes are. I believe the Westminster Catechism poses the question best in its first Catechism: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer given is that man’s chief end is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Wonderful, isn’t it? That says absolutely everything by telling us absolutely nothing. It gives us an answer without giving us any way as how to actually accomplish that goal, that singular purpose. I see this answer as an open door. An opportunity blown wide open to interpretation. For the sake of this piece, I would argue that each individual’s way of “glorifying God and enjoying him forever” is to find out what his compassion is. Follow my logic. God created everyone with a hidden compassion. Now wouldn’t it be glorifying God the most if we each sought, out with all our might, that individual compassion that he has given us? If we pursue, with everything we have, to find what he created us to be; wouldn’t that be glorifying to God, wouldn’t that be enjoying him and our God-given purpose?

I believe that this is exactly what we as Christians need to do. We need to re-evaluate where we are in this life. How many of us are truly happy? If you are not happy then evaluate where you are in life; and even those of us who believe we are happy…should ask ourselves questions like:

• Did I go to college because that is where God called me?
• Or did I go because my parents said that is the only place where you will make something out of yourself.
• Or did I go because society conditioned me to be complacent, maybe it was a comfortable job with a nice salary.

The conclusion I came to is if we do not discover our compassions then we are missing the many opportunities that God has given us to bless others with our compassions and gifts.

In But Not Of

Christians face a conundrum: Be in the world yet not of the world. Mystery Church pastor Steev Inge challenges us to allow only one “ultimate” in our lives. That ultimate must be Christ. Listen now…

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