Celebration of Disciplines - Meditation

When we hear the word meditation we tend to think of clearing the mind ... Nope the mediation I am talking about is just the opposite. I am talking about filling the mind ... Mediation upon God's word ... Listening to God's word ... reflecting on Gods Works...rehearsing God's Deeds ... ruminating on Gods Law.

I love Psalm 1:1-3, vs 2 is my favorite
"1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he mediates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers."

But his delight is in the law of the of the LORD and on his law he meditates day and night ... love this verse but look at verse 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water ... trees planted by streams of water have deep strong roots ... the more we mediate upon God's word, hide it in our hearts the deeper and strong we grow in Jesus - in our personal relationship with Father.

So I guess the first question before we go on about mediation upon Gods word is, are you ready, willing to go deeper - not just settle or do the "minimum" are you ready to put in the time, to study, to get to know Father? Are you ready willing to find out what pleases the Lord (Ephesians 5:10) to seek and understand what the Lords will is (Ephesians 5:7)? If you are, you are ready to meditate upon His word, to chew on it, spit it up and chew on it some more - getting everything out of it that you can - just as a cow chews his cud and gets everything out it - that is what we are going to do!

Meditation allows us to hear God when He speaks to us ... "God spoke to them because they were willing to listen" God will never force you to do anything - you will always have a choice - are you willing to go the distance? Will you slow down be still and wait on the Lord? Are you willing to step away from the business of life so you can be with God?

Why do you think it is quoted, "Hurry is not of the Devil; It is the Devil?"
My thoughts ... If we always do everything in a hurry, in a rush, have to have our hands in everything and by doing so either gives us some sort of identity that we are a success because of all we can do - or breaks us down - we focus not on God, but our accomplishments or our failures - We make no time for God and if we do we cannot focus because we cannot slow our minds down enough to understand , comprehend let alone hear God speak to us.

So, what hinders you from slowing down, resting in His presence - being silent?
Me, I hinder me the most - I am always getting in my way - letting my thoughts take over - not spending time wisely - very selfish with my time. Can be very lazy - things I do not like about me - I would rather sit down and veg out on TV and fill my head with absolute garbage than to sit and spend time with Father or to go out and share with others, serve others. Getting caught up in what everyone else is doing and that is where I get tripped up on the gossip train ... all because I am to lazy to slow down, settle down and spend time with Father, in His word, feeding my soul, growing my roots deep - Like I said it is all a choice and I sometimes am a fool who makes the wrong choices!

Ps 119:97 reads, "Oh, how I love your law! I mediate on it all day long"

Mediate on the law...
Obey His commands (gain wisdom)
Meditate on statues (gain insight)
Obey precepts (gain understanding)
Obey His word (keep us on right path)

We are to be Christ like and when we study the life of Christ we
find that Jesus
Sought out God (searched for, aimed at, got closer to)
Listened (he was still so He could hear)
Communed (talk together intimately, be in close rapport)

This is what we are to do...seek Him, Listen to Him, Spend time with Him

Christian Meditation: The ability to hear God's voice and obey His word.

This does not happen overnight. It is like a child learning to speak the language that is being taught to him. Learning, listening, comprehending. We too need to learn to listen to Father, speak to Father. As we do our prayers are not longer ours, but His - as we grow in Him we become less He becomes more. His desires become our desires - We then have daily communion with Father - hearing Him, learning from Him, following Him - Acknowledging Him in all our ways - As we hear His voice we Obey His word - As we seek Him, He hears us - As we continue to knock on the door, He opens it - This is what having an intimate relationship is. Through Jesus and the Holy Spirit that lives in us we have a living fellowship with Father. We need to understand as Jesus did that we can do nothing on our own (John 5:19). The Holy Spirit is us is our teacher, guide, counselor revealing to us Gods truth, teaching us to abide in him so we can hear him and obey His word.

We need to fully understand that Jesus is alive and well today just as much as he was for Peter, Paul, Phillip and the others. Jesus is our ...forgiver, teacher, ruler, guide.

Meditation is our duty as a Christian to mediate on His word day and night to fill our minds with His word to hide it in our hearts - to use it as a two edge sword when fighting against the evils of this world.

He walks with me and he talks wit me ... this is how our daily walk should be, continual communication with Father. Always giving Him the utmost respect. He is the King - who we lift high to the heavens. Who in His presence we fall to our knees and lift Him up.

Continual Communication, Continual Inward Fellowship ... Perpetual feasting with the Lord, never ceasing - and as the Diving fire burns in us - it burns all that is impure - causing us to grow deeper and deeper in a more intimate relationship with him. That our desires, thoughts, motives, actions, words are no longer ours but His - where our whole desire for living is living for Him - fulfilling His will, His purpose, His plan, His goal to where our life as we knew it no longer exist and we don't even miss it - To where we wake and have one goal to fulfill the will of Father and ask, "Father, what is it that I can do for you today?"