Meditating Before God

Posted by jerrywhite on Mar 11, 2012

“How can we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? The rule for doing this is demanding, but simple. It is that we turn each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God.

We have some idea, perhaps, what prayer is, but what is meditation? Well may we ask; for meditation is a lost art today, and Christian people suffer grievously from their ignorance of the practice. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God. Its purpose is to clear one’s mental and spiritual vision of God, and to let His truth make its full and proper impact on one’s mind and heart. It is a matter of talking to oneself about God and oneself, reasoning oneself out of moods of doubt and unbelief into a clear apprehension of God’s power and grace. Its effect is ever to humble us, as we contemplate God’s greatness and glory, and our own littleness and sinfulness, and to encourage and reassure us—‘comfort’ us, in the old, strong, Bible sense of the word—as we contemplate the unsearchable riches of divine mercy displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

J. I. Packer

Knowing God, 18-19 [1973 edition]

~~~

The spiritual disciplines necessary for spiritual vitality and growth are often crowded out by the rush, noise and distractions of modern society. Our attention becomes occupied with this present world that is at best temporary while robbing us of investing necessary time in those matters that will count for eternity. The Lord Jesus warned us about “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things” (Mark 4:19). The Lord Jesus as an adult worked as a carpenter and cared for His widowed mother and His brothers and sisters until he was thirty. Then by His Father’s direction He entered into a very demanding ministry for three years. He well understands the demands you face, but He also knows about maintaining what is essential for spiritual health. Gladly He will strengthen and guide you to do as He did by the Holy Spirit. Trust Him.

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Confessions To Ponder

Posted by jerrywhite on Jan 23, 2012

The eternal Son of God left the infinite bliss of heaven to fulfill God’s perfect will on earth. His finished work was for our full salvation so that the Father in Heaven would be satisfied and glorified. Anyone born by His Spirit can confidently and gladly confess:

I am God’s child through new birth and faith in Jesus Christ.

I am redeemed from sin and death through Christ’s shed blood, death and resurrection.

I am forgiven for all my sin and declared righteous before God by God Himself.

I am set apart by God to be a holy child who lives righteously before Him.

I am to be pure as He is pure and therefore will pursue purity in thought, word and deed.

I am sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption.

I am in Christ and therefore have all His fullness available to me every moment.

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives within me.

I am created, redeemed and called for a unique purpose in God’s plan.

I am loved and treasured by my Father far beyond my comprehension.

I am one with Jesus Christ and thus possess all the benefits of His life and death for me.

I am a bondservant of the Lord Jesus with no rights of my own.

I am wholly the Lord’s to do with me whatever He wills.

I am purposed to know Jesus Christ, love Him, please Him, and to make Him known.

I am set on the wondrous path to become like Jesus Christ so that I reflect His beauty.

I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ.

I am a vital part of His Body on earth that functions with Him as Head.

I am a member of His redeemed family that spans the centuries and the globe.

I am a living stone fit together with others to be His temple.

I am a part of the Lord’s bride being prepared for His wedding day in heaven.

I am an eternal worshiper of Jesus Christ, my sovereign Lord.

I am an unworthy servant even if I do all I am supposed to do.

JRW

~~~

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)

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A Heart To Praise God

Posted by jerrywhite on Apr 26, 2010

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 145:1-3 (ESV)
~~~

Oh for a heart to praise my God
A heart from sin set free,
A heart that’s sprinkled with the blood
So freely shed for me.

A heart resigned, submissive, meek,
My dear Redeemer’s throne;
Where only Christ is heard to speak,
Where Jesus reigns alone.

A humble, lowly, contrite heart,
Believing, true, and clean,
Which neither death nor life can part
From Him that dwells within.

A heart in every thought renewed
And filled with love divine;
Perfect and right, and pure and good,
A copy, Lord, of Thine.

Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart,
Come quickly from above;
Write Thy new name upon my heart,
Thy new, best name of Love.

Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
~~~

While sitting quietly at the feet of the Lord Jesus, your soul is nurtured if you pray over the Scriptures you meditate upon. The same is true with  significant hymns from the ages.

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God’s Voice Through His Word

Posted by jerrywhite on Jan 4, 2010

“Many neglect the precious Word of God altogether. They have no theology, no doctrine, no objective revelation of truth.
Others, I fear, are legalistic about biblical truth. They have extensive and profound knowledge of the Scriptures, but their hearts are barren and their creed leaves them cold and formal.
How can we be liberated on the one hand from no creed at all, and on the other from a frozen dogma that imparts no freshness or vitality to our hearts?
Dear friend, may the good Lord help us perceive the organic union between the Word of God and the voice of God. By the Word of God I mean the revelation of God in the person of the Lord Jesus in the Scriptures. The Bible is the Word of God. The voice of God which comes through the Word of God is also a revelation, an illumination. It is a revelation of the revelation.
The Word of God is objective; the voice of God is subjective. The voice of God is the special revelation of the Lord Jesus in the Bible brought home by the Holy Spirit to our hearts.
The voice of God in the Word of God makes the Bible ‘living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword.’ The naked Scriptures alone do not search the spirit, dividing joints and marrow and the thoughts and intentions of the heart. It is the voice of God that unveils the Christ of the Bible, and says to us (in Hebrews 3),
Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.
If we would indeed be grounded in the Word of God, we must become increasingly sensitive to the voice of God. Bible memory, systematic study, extensive research, or a workable knowledge of the original languages will never by themselves impart a warm and living creed; only the voice of God can do that. God must speak through His Word by the Holy Spirit of truth, who reveals and glorifies the Lord Jesus by taking what is His and making it known to us (John 15:26, 16:13-14).
There is life only in Him who is the Truth. If we are grounded in His voice, we will be grounded in His Word.”
Edward Miller
Letters to the Thirsty, 75-76

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The Secret of Spiritual Freshness

Posted by jerrywhite on Nov 17, 2008

“In my teens I knew a man, a miner by trade, whose spiritual freshness and radiance was responsible for turning many people to Jesus Christ. Just before he died, and in the company of several other Christians, I asked him: ‘What is the secret of your spiritual freshness? You always seem to be on top of things, always radiant…tell me how you maintain this inner poise and power.’ He replied in one word—meditation.
I pressed him for some further thoughts on the subject. This is not a verbatim quotation, but as far as I can remember, this is what he said: ‘Meditation is letting your heart become the workshop of the unseen Sculptor who chisels in its secret chambers the living forms that contribute to character development and an increasing likeness to Jesus Christ.’ That old man, now in heaven, was one of the greatest illustrations I have ever known of the spiritual freshness and fruitfulness that comes from meditating on God’s Word. This experience can be ours—if we meditate.
Selwyn Hughes
Every Day Light: Water for the Soul
~~~

He [the one who delights and meditates day and night in the law of the Lord, v. 2]
is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.
Psalm 1:3 (ESV)
~~~

There is no sweeter sound than to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus through His written Word when His Spirit speaks it to your heart and applies it to your life.
Is meditation on God’s Word a priority in your daily schedule? Does Psalm 1 describe the kind of person you are—one who is planted by streams of water (plural for abundance) in a dry, arid desert, one who is always spiritually fresh and fruitful? Oh, how the enemy likes to attack the weakness of our flesh through busyness in our lives and thereby distract us from meditating on God’s Word day by day. The enemy hates for us to become the blessed, happy person who is radiant to those around us.

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