What is Christian Meditation?..Craig Denison Ministries

 What is Christian Meditation?

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

This week we’ll spend time breaking down the individual components of First15 by sharing God's desire for each of them. The majority of First15 is dedicated to encountering God and learning about his character, but every now and then we will cover some teaching and tools that will help in pursuing God to greater depths. This week we will get back to the basics and learn some spiritual disciplines that will help us encounter him in deeper, more transformative ways.

Scripture:“Blessed is the man [whose]...delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” Psalm 1:1-3

Devotional:

For many years I believed the word of God was meant just for reading and studying—like a textbook on life. I believed it was authored by a good God, and I tried to read it, as I knew I should, but it never made an impact on my life to the level God desired. It wasn’t until I discovered the practice of meditation that my life began to be transformed by the powerful, applicable truth of Scripture.

For many of us the idea of meditation is a confusing one. Modern Christians, notably Protestants, seem to have lost the practice of this important spiritual discipline. We confuse it with practices of other religions, such as Buddhism, and therefore cast it aside as too mystical or even wrong. But Christian meditation does not involve emptying your mind as in Eastern religions; rather it fills us with the knowledge of God and his presence. Meditation is about receiving, not casting out.

So what does meditation look like in the Christian context? To meditate is simply to spend time mulling over a verse, phase, idea or characteristic of God. It’s a process where we open up our hearts and minds to receive revelation from the Holy Spirit.To meditate on Scripture is to take a phrase such as “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” and really take time to thinkabout all it means for us personally. For the Lord to be your shepherd means that he will lead you perfectly and lovingly to everything you need. It means that you will not want for what you need in this life. So in the process of meditating you can apply this attribute of God to your present circumstances that you might experience transcendent peace in all situations.

Psalm 1:3 promises that if you meditate on Scripture you will be “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” Scripture has the power to securely ground you in the steadfast love of your heavenly Father. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Root yourself in the word of God, and watch as your life is filled with the fullness of God. Allow Scripture to be an avenue by which you daily meet with its Author. May your time spent meditating on God’s word in guided prayer be marked by his nearness.

Guided Prayer:

1. Take a few minutes to meditate on Psalm 1:1-3.Break it up into little pieces that seem to grab you.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”Psalm 1:1-3

2. Take time to reflect on the parts of Psalm 1:1-3 that grab you. Allow the Holy Spirit to give you revelation on how his word can affect your life today.

3. Take time to reflect on what Psalm 1:1-3 says about your heavenly Father. Think about how God gave you his word that you might prosper and bear fruit. Think about his goodness and provision. Allow his character to stir up your affections for him.

The joy of Scripture is that its Author is alive, active and dwells within you. You have direct access to the Holy Spirit who inspired every word of the Bible, and he longs to give you revelation. God longs for his word to not just fill you with knowledge but to dwell in your heart. He longs to use it to lead and guide you into an abundant life filled with love and joy. But you must make time to meditate on it. You must make space in your day to allow Scripture to impact every facet of your life. You must open your heart to God’s word as your source of truth so it can transform you. May you be planted by the living water of God’s nearness today and bear the fruits of joy and peace in light of God’s love.

Extended Reading: Psalm 1

Change Is Good..Liz Lampkin

 Change Is Good

By Liz Lampkin

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Have you ever taken a moment to notice the beauty in the change of seasons? Think about it. With each season, there is something to appreciate and celebrate. Springtime announces the end of Winter. It represents the beginning of hope and new life. With plants blossoming and a shift into warm weather, Spring is a time to appreciate the newness in nature. After Spring, there’s Summer. Many would say it represents freedom and relaxation. Vacations, the blaring sun, and an abundance of outdoor activities is what this season brings. Some may even say it brings about new energy and the urge to get active. 

After Summer, there’s Autumn or Fall. This time of the year often represents preparation, preservation, and comfort. Fall often brings about a sense of comfort. A shift from hot weather to just right warmth coupled with the beautiful colors’ leaves turn, baking, apple cider, and harvest time is what this season is often associated with. Last but not least, Winter. Often associated with bitterly cold weather, hot cocoa, snow, giving, family gatherings, and the gleeful holiday season. Each time of the year brings something to look forward to and celebrate. 

Each year, nature shows us how and why change is necessary. So why are we so reluctant to face and accept it? When you think about it, you realize that all of nature’s changes depend on God. As each season begins and ends, things that come about with them are natural, and each of them depends on God’s care and grace. Could you imagine if there were only one season to experience? What would things look like? Would we be able to experience this portion of God’s grace and beauty? 

Change is inevitable. It’s unavoidable. It brings about the unexpected, things we didn't plan for. Whether good or bad, it comes with something new. It pushes us out of our comfort zone. It forces us to adjust to circumstances we may or may not have been ready for. However, no matter how ready or reluctant we are to make or embrace change, one thing is for certain God is with you every step of the way. I believe what we fail to realize is that God orchestrates the changes in our lives for His glory and our good. We do this because we tend to make our plans and trust in them. When we do this, we create the outcome we desire. When things don't go the way we anticipate we become disheveled. This shouldn't be. Why? Because as believers our trust should be in God and our will should be His will, changes and all.

God is aware of all that goes on in our lives. He creates the plans, He creates the changes. Shifts in life are a part of His plan. Whether we like it or not, we all know God’s plans are always best. 

Intersecting Faith and Life
Do you struggle with change? If so, why? How do you react when changes come about in your life? Do you pray and ask God for the lessons He wants you to learn during the change? 

No matter what life brings your way, God is with you throughout every change to lead and guide you. Without His presence, you wouldn’t know of His goodness and how the changes He brings about in your life help you become better for His kingdom. With every change you go through in life you become different, better. As believers, every change should bring you closer to God. The closer you get to God, the more your faith in Him increases. The more your faith in Him increases so should your trust in all He has mapped out for you. The more you trust God, embracing the changes He orchestrates for your life will become easier. 

Further Reading:

• 2 Corinthians 5:17
• Proverbs 3: 5-6

A Prayer to Be Zealous for Service..Emily Rose Massey

 A Prayer to Be Zealous for Service 

By Emily Rose Massey

”If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26, ESV).

“Ministry” is from the Greek word diakoneo, meaning “to serve.” At my church, our pastors believe that every member of God’s Church is a minister, so obviously, that would mean that every believer is called to serve - serve Jesus and serve His Body. Jesus was the servant of all. In fact, He was the Servant King. Christ shares in the Gospel of John the importance of serving and following Him as He serves others.

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26, ESV).

Jesus asks us as Christians to lay our lives down continually, denying our wants and desires, or as the Apostle Paul said to do, “die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). Do we know how to do that? It is human nature to seek after what our hearts and flesh crave, but we do not have to give into that kind of nature, for we have a new nature in Christ Jesus (Colossians 3:10/ 2 Corinthians 5:17/ Ephesians 4:24).

Some people have wrong thoughts about God and service, perhaps believing their service doesn’t matter because others have it taken care of. Or perhaps they see pastors as the ones who are qualified for service and ministry, so they don’t need to join in. But we are all priests to our God (1 Peter 2:9)! When we put our hands to the plow, so to speak, in ministry, we are worshiping God. Those who are saved by Christ will eagerly and joyfully serve Christ and His people. We have been clothed in Christ’s righteousness to match Him and follow Him. What clothes are you wearing- the world’s or Christ’s? 

No matter the excuse or wrong thinking regarding ministry and service, we can ask God to help us see the importance of serving the Lord and others. The Holy Spirit empowers us to set aside our selfishness and learn how to be selfless like Jesus, preferring others above ourselves. That kind of lifestyle starts in the mind, in the way we think, as we learn to think of ourselves less and look for ways to put others first. The Lord promises that the Father will honor the one who serves Christ by serving His people. As we learn to prefer others above ourselves, the Lord fills us with His love to the overflow to reach more people for His Kingdom. Let us ask God to help us value the call to serve so we can look more like Him. 

Let’s pray:

Heavenly Father, 
You are selfless, humble, gracious, and merciful, and You ask us as Your children to follow Your example. I cannot do that in my own strength. Thank You for empowering me with Your Holy Spirit and with Your grace to be able to deny my own desires and selfish ambitions. When I mess up or find myself walking pride, thank You for convicting my heart of my self-seeking nature. I need Your help to prefer others above myself. Your Word transforms my mind so that I can learn how to think less of myself and seek to serve You and Your people. I trust that You will help me see what that looks like, specifically in my own life. My heart longs to be the servant You have called me to be.
In Jesus’ name, amen. 

You Reap What You Sow.. Jennifer Heeren

 You Reap What You Sow

By: Jennifer Heeren

“Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.”( Galatians 6:7-8)

The concept of “sowing and reaping” is immensely better than “karma.” The sowing part is not just a duty that I must perform. There is nourishment that accompanies doing the will of God and helping other people. There is a joy in finishing good works for the Lord ( John 4:34) and that joy isn’t dependent on the harvest that may come later.

“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy” ( Psalm 126:5). God can even bring joy out of dire, even tragic, events. God’s love is so much greater than karma.

In God’s economy, things are hardly ever tit for tat. In some moments, I plant but never really see the harvest, at least not a harvest that is directly related. In other moments, I receive a harvest that I didn’t plant ( John 4:37-38)! God’s kingdom is a world of walking by faith not sight. Faith that God will bring good things from all that I plant even when I don’t see it. And faith that there will be much grace even when I am not able to plant.

Reaping and sowing is all about blessings and consequences. I seek to live in obedience more and more by sowing good things and then I reap other good things, but not necessarily in the same field. I often sow in one field and reap in another. Always remember that whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously ( 2 Corinthians 9:6). So, go ahead and sow generously and even lavishly. There is always some kind of reward. Some rewards are instantaneous and easy to spot. Others take a little more introspection to see but they are there all the same.

Then, there’s grace! Karma believers don’t often take grace into account. God’s law of sowing and reaping includes much grace. You can learn from the good things you do, and you can also learn from the wrong things you do. You can learn from successes as well as mistakes. You can do better each day as you grow in obedience. Dire circumstances don’t mean that you deserve to stay down.

Sowing good deeds can give me benefits. But I can also receive benefits even when I don’t deserve it (grace). I can also receive benefits, lessons, and second chances even when I do wrong things (mercy). God is extremely generous with both grace and mercy!

Karma leads to doing things to earn other things. But God prefers that I do good things as a gift out of the gratitude that I feel for His love.

We get the opportunity to reap what we sow. We often reap more than we sow. Sometimes, we even reap later than we sow. And we even reap some things that we never sowed.

God always brings many blessings—both deserved and undeserved. And actually, even the ones we work for are undeserved. God is much better than we deserve!

WHEN THE RESOLUTIONS FAIL..Jeff Schreve

 WHEN THE RESOLUTIONS FAIL

Dr. Jeff Schreve

For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity.
Proverbs 24:16

Many people I know make New Year's Resolutions. They vow to exercise more. Eat right. Lose weight. Quit that bad habit. Get out of debt. Put God first. Stay pure, etc. But what do you do if you fail and falter in your New Year's Resolution and it is only January 7? What then?

I know what lots of people do. They beat themselves up with guilt and shame. They tell themselves what a loser they are. They heap condemnation on their heads and walk around in defeat mode. That is not the thing God wants us to do when we fail.

GOD'S PROGRAM FOR THOSE WHO FAIL

Proverbs 24:16 is a great verse to help you and me when we falter in our well-intentioned resolutions or commitments to God. Look at it again - For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity.

Notice that God says "a righteous man falls seven times." Even the righteous person, even the one who desires to do right and please God, that one falls. And fails. And blows it - not once or twice, but seven times (over and over and over again).

Now the devil will tell you when you fall, "Give up, you bum! Throw in the towel and quit! You will never walk in victory over this anger, this worry, this bitterness, this lust, this greed, this addiction, this whatever. You are a loser and a failure and a major disappointment to God." Have you ever heard those words play in your head? Well, the good news is this: "The devil is a liar and the father of lies."

When we fall, God never says, "Give up," He says, "GET UP! RISE AGAIN!  Confess that sin. get it out of your heart and under My blood. Take my hand and let's walk together. Keep looking to Me, and we WILL slay this giant in your life."

WE CAN'T DO IT ALONE. AND WE DON'T HAVE TO

My friend, you and I do not have the power to change our hearts. but He does. He can change your sinful desires. He can give you a heart that beats for Him and His righteousness. He can clean you up and set you on a path of joy and peace and victory. The little poem says, "I can't. He never said I could. He will. He always said He would."

If you have fallen, will you quit beating yourself up and start looking up? Will you open your eyes and see a Savior who loves you. Who has a nail-scarred hand stretched out to you. Who says to you, "Will you take My hand and walk with Me?" What is your answer to Him?

Love,

Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries