Dear Lighthouse,
Do you meditate often? Did you know we are encouraged to do so? Now, by ‘meditate’
I don’t mean the more modern interpretation of this act. Today we get the
image of a Zen-Buddhist sitting cross-legged and chanting some mantra. No, this
type of meditation is actually the very opposite of the meditation encouraged in God’s Word. The type of meditation promoted by Zen and other false religions directs the participant to clear their
mind, reflect upon nothingness, empty themselves of worry and though in order to look within themselves from enlightenment. This type of meditation is completely counter productive and anti-Biblical. Let me explain.
The word meditate comes from the term rumination
where it is applied to a cow’s chewing of its ‘cud’. Cows,
as you know chew a cud. It’s basically undigested grass that they chew
once, then swallow to the rumen – their first chamber of the stomach - then bring back up in their mouths to chew again.
(Gross, but cool, I think.) They repeat the process until they have mostly digested the material. This is the type of meditation we are to emulate - not the chewing of our food over and over, but the bringing
up of God’s Word over and over in our mind until we have extracted as much wisdom and knowledge from it as we can. Biblical meditation is a call to fill our minds with God’s Word, not empty them. Biblical meditation has us look well beyond ourselves to God for enlightenment and
guidance. Biblical meditation fills our hearts and minds with God, not with self
interest.
There are a myriad of Scripture references explaining
this. Let me just give you a few references from the Psalms: Ps 48:9; Ps 77:12; Ps 119:15,23,27,48 and so on. Joshua implores
his hearers to not “let this Book of the Law (the Septuagint, the first 7 books of the OT) depart from your
mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it”. (Joshua 1:8)
I believe Biblical meditation is a vital part
of spiritual maturity. However, it seems to be a dying art. Christians are no longer interested in meditating on a passage of Scripture to glean from it all that is
therein contained. We want fast answers, quick resolutions, and an abridged content
that just tells us the facts. This kind of ‘quick-Christianity’ leaves
the disciple impacted but often not changed. It gives us the precepts of the
law without context. Even with our experiences we often fail to meditate or reflect
on them to learn from our past mistakes. We fail to take account what our weaknesses
are in order to guard ourselves against future temptations of like nature. We
pray or read or fast and then move on to the next thing, the next event, that will occupy our time and attention. This should not be.
In Sunday School we are about to move into a
section of Matthew that contains several parables nicely grouped together. I
believe Jesus taught in parables in order to pack the most information into a digestible context on which we need to meditate
in order to get the most from it as we can. Therefore, I encourage you to read
through these parables once and then again even before we approach them in class. Don’t
rely on me to digest the material before you have a chance to chew your own cud. (Nasty
imagery!) Furthermore, in prayer, meditate on God’s Word as you pray. Give Him glory and honor and thanks as you meet Him at His throne. And as you read through the NT with us in the Lighthouse, take the short sections each day and continue
to ‘bring them up’ throughout the week to ponder them, to apply them, to digest their contents in your mind. Mary gives us an example in Luke 2:19 as the shepherds came to worship the baby Jesus
and declared all they had been told about Him: “...Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” I believe we should do likewise.
There’s the challenge; here’s a hands
on activity. I’d like for you to take this opportunity to reflect upon
two impacting events that most of us have shared recently in our Christian community of the Lighthouse Fellowship: the movie The Passion and our Day of Fasting and Prayer on March 10th. I just wanted to give you a chance to reflect on these events and write back to me your reactions to them. I’m interested for two reasons: 1) to better evaluate the impact of our opportunities
we offer and share together for future events and 2) to give you the chance to give me some feedback that will hopefully encourage
me and others in our walk.
So, what did you think? Were you impacted by the movie? Was it uplifting for you? Did it reveal anything that you did not expect about the character of Christ or about
yourself? Then, on the fasting issue: Is
fasting for you? Was it more or less difficult than you expected? Did you feel a closer sense of God?
These are just a few questions to ponder and
meditate on this week. Let me just encourage you in your spiritual growth and
maturity. Let us ever strive for serious commitment to the Master and conscious
effort to improve. Pray that our Fellowship will continue to cast the spotlight
on God. He is the central figure. He
was lifted up that all men would be drawn to Him (John 3:14-15). I pray that
as we read, pray, fast, meditate and grow that He would be glorified in all that we do and say and stand for as a Fellowship
and community of believers. Let your mind be filled with His presence this week!
I look forward to hearing from you.
Serving Him with you,
Evan
