MEDITATION MONDAY

What do I meditate on?

If you have decided that meditation on Scripture is something you will undertake, how will you go about it? Here are some ways.

1.   Read a passage of Scripture. Pick any book. Pick your favorite book. After reading through it slowly and carefully, ask some questions. What does this passage say about God? What does this passage say about mankind, i.e., you?

2.   Take notes during your pastor’s sermon on Sunday and reflect on them. My pastor provides a written outline in which we fill in the blanks to follow along. Read again the passage on which the sermon was based, review and reflect on the notes, read other scriptures your pastor referred to during the sermon.

3.   If you attend a Bible Study class, review your notes in the same fashion as the sermon. I post the text of my lessons on this blog and on our class’s Facebook page. Read the main passage and reflect on it. Read any other scriptures cited. Apply it to your life.

4.   If you feel challenged by this process, you might start with a devotional book from a trustworthy author. It should be based on scripture, not personal revelations from the author. It should open up the meaning of the passage for you, then allow you to reflect on it.

5.   Do a combination of any of the above. For example, I subscribe to Tabletalk magazine. I read the Scripture of the day and the one page devotion. I look up the other verses listed under “for further study”. Later, often at lunch, I read a passage or chapter from a Bible book I am thinking about. I make notes. I think about what it means and how my belief and practice measure up to it. Sometimes I write my own devotional about it.

Time in Scripture will benefit you, I promise. It will aid your progress in holiness. It will deepen your worship, because you will know more about God. It will strengthen your witness, as you will have something to say when asked about your faith.