MEDITATION

“I meditate on Your precepts. I will not neglect Your word.”

-Psalm 119:15, 16

How many people do you know take even five minutes a day to meditate on spiritual matters?

Rich benefits are in store for us when we as God’s children meditate long enough to remember what He has done. We realize that we belong to our Heavenly Father, and that He is ours. We understand that the problems of life aren’t nearly as great as our Heavenly Father, we begin to have peace of mind and hope.

There are three times in a given 24-hour period when it is best to focus on our Heavenly Father: the last thing at night before sleeping; the first thing upon waking; and during the hours of the night when sleep doesn’t come easily.

To help you develop the practice of meditating on the things of the Lord, here are some suggestions:

ONE: FOCUS ON GOD’S WORD, THE BIBLE. The best way to do this is to memorize Scripture and quote it to yourself. The next best way is to open the Bible and read a short passage. Then think about it, pondering the meaning and application of what you have read.

TWO: TAKE A FEW MOMENTS AND THINK OF THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF GOD – HIS MAJESTY AND NATURE, HIS GREAT LOVE FOR YOU. Focusing on His greatness and majesty will dwarf your problems, and help you bring your life into perspective.

THREE: MEDITATE ON WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU PERSONALLY. You will be amazed at how your attitude changes when you lift your heart in praise to God. This is what “speaking to yourselves in songs and hymns and spiritual songs” (Colossians 3:16) means. It is when we meditate upon Him that we hear His voice and know He is God.

IF ONLY

“And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

-Romans 8:28

Have you ever caught yourself looking back, regretting an unfortunate decision saying, “If only I had not done that?” “If only I had said, No!” If only I had married the other boy.” The possibilities are endless.

Whatever happened did happen, and you have to live with the present. The past, like water poured out into the sand, cannot be changed. The damage is done.

Some individuals have learned two words that make all the difference in the world. These are: And yet! Instead of dwelling on “If only I had not done this,” they have learned to accept the consequences of their actions and I look to a brighter future by saying, “And yet”

For example, Fanny Crosby could have despaired in a world of darkness. Brought on by a doctor whose failure resulted in her blindness. But Fanny Crosby did not waste her time saying, “if only”. Instead, she lived to the age of 95, and wrote over 8,000 beautiful songs which have blessed the hearts of Christian around the world.

A man who lost both legs in an accident says, “And yet I can use my arms and write. I can talk and use my brain. I still have much to be thankful for!”

Are you tempted to dwell on yesterday’s failure, saying, “If only” if you are, learn to immediately add, “And yet” there are things in life that happen which are neither the results of satanic attack of the judgment of the Almighty. When it rains, it rains on the just and the unjust. When the typhoon strikes, it hits the righteous as well as the unrighteous. Believing the God is sovereign, that He can turn any disaster into a victory, causes you to look for the positive results which can come out of a difficult situation.

THE GRACE OF GOD

“My grace is sufficient for you.”

-2 Corinthians 12:9

Grace is theological concept. In simple terms, grace is God’s reaching down to meet us at the point of our pain and despair and giving us the strength to endure and the hope to survive. When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he spoke of God’s grace which brings salvation. He wrote, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).

The grace of God, though, is like a multifaceted diamond. One facet of grace is the help that allows us to endure when bad things happen. It is God’s grace which touches your life and lets you smile when the clouds are dark and gloomy. Grace brings a measure of cheerfulness when you are in deep waters financially, and you wonder where your next meal is coming from.

Paul had a lot of experience when it comes to bad things happening. He wrote, “We are hard pressed in every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8,9). We would say he was down but not out. But what is it that made the difference? It was the grace factor which brought him comfort and help.

To describe grace simply as God’s help would minimize it. But to understand that grace (which we do not deserve but is freely given) brings the answer to our great needs and connects us to the loving care of God. It’s a discovery well worth making.

THE GRACE OF GOD AND BAD THINGS

“You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart.”

-Jeremiah 29:13

As a boy growing up in his native China, William sang about the grace of God. But it was not until his solitary confinement in prison that he began to understand what grace means. His mother was an American missionary who married a cultured Chinese medical doctor. Together they served God, teaching their children to know and serve Him.

Then came the 1966 Cultural Revolution when thousands of families were torn apart by Mao’s Red Guards. William’s parents were sent to prison; his father died mysteriously in what prison officials termed a “work-related” accident. William was sent to prison along with his sisters. His crime: being an unrepentant person who confessed Jesus Christ as His Lord.

After his release, William wrote to a friend saying” “What I missed most more than anything else are the intense, quiet moments with Christ that I have not known since the anguish of the days while I was in solitary confinement!”

There is a facet of God’s care and concern which we experience in times of pain and loss. It is the comfort of God’s care and concern which we experience in times of pain and loss. It is the comfort of God’s spirit which is lets us sense the warmth of God’s care and concern. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). There is help for our hurt, relief for our pain, and hope for our despair. This fact is called the “Grace of God.” Grace is not something which is dispensed in response to our moral goodness. It is given to anyone who will seek God with all his heart.

Have you ever tasted the grace of God? When trouble knocks at your door, you’ve got to hang around long enough to be willing to receive the grace of God freely offers.

HOW DO YOU WORK GOD

“The Lord, You alone are the Most High”

-Psalm 83:18

Bullets were whizzing by a soldier as he dove into the nearest foxhole. Finding that the hole wasn’t deep, he took his helmet and started digging furiously to give himself more cover. Suddenly, he stuck a metallic object. He felt with his fingers and carefully pried loose a metal object. It was a silver crucifix left behind by a previous occupant of the foxhole.

In a moment a chaplain dove into the foxhole. “Boy, am I glad to see you,” said the soldier. Holding up the crucifix he asked, “How do you work this thing?”

We smile at the story, yet it underlines an important fact: we spend most of our lives trying to work God, or blame Him for things not working. We think He has shortchanged us.

Was God created for our benefit? Or is it the other way around? A number of years ago, a group of godly men wrote down and understanding of who God is, and what our relationship to Him should be. The document is known today as the Westminster Confession of Faith. One of the first articles in this document is the confession that man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy God forever. Enjoy God? Is that different from “working God?” Totally different.

When I choose to glorify God by recognizing Him as Sovereign and Lord, I cease working God. Instead I allow Him to work in my life which brings the joy that makes for real happiness. He alone deserves glory, adoration and worship.

The soldier in the foxhole who wanted to make the crucifix work isn’t much different from those who are interested in getting God to see things their way. Thinks about it.

HOW TO DEAL WITH DISCOURAGEMENT

“But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”
-1 Samuel 30:6

“Do you ever get discouraged?” How do you deal with it? A professional writer says he has overcome discouragement by using a stop watch. When his manuscript is rejected he gives himself three minutes to feel sorry for himself. Then he snaps out of his disappointment and gets busy doing something constructive.

Discouragement is a form of mistrust, a believing in adverse circumstances more than in a never-changing God. But how do we deal successfully with discouragement on a daily basis?

Refuse to judge life by any one situation or experience. Learn to take all things into consideration before you settle on “your mood for the day.” When something unpleasant happens, do not ruin the rest of the day by dwelling on it. The Apostle Paul realized the importance of taking everything into consideration when he wrote these famous words, “God works all things for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Do everything possible to better the situation that has caused your discouragement. If it is physical illness, seek medical help. If it is a financial dilemma, get expert advice. If your problem is marital, go to a qualified minister or a trained marriage counselor. Take action to make your life happier.

Learn to encourage yourself through spiritual meditation. That is what King David did. During one of the bleakest days of his life, David, “encouraged himself in the Lord, his God” (1 Samuel 30:6). This is the only reliable way to find encouragement in life’s midnight hours. When the outlook is bleak, and the inlook’s discouraging, try the uplook – it is always encouraging! How about opening your Bible now to find the encouragement you need.

THINK OF THE CONSEQUENCES

“Come now, let us reason together” says the Lord.

-Isaiah 1:18

It’s a fact: only 10 percent of all people think. Seventy five percent think they think, and 15 percent would rather die than think. Thinking can be painful because it forces you to look at the whole picture.

Think about this: Every day, thousands of thoughts fly in and out of your consciousness, but thinking requires that we focus on a particular subject. Effective thinking brings together emotional concentration, will power, and heart. Effective thinking distinguishes us from lower forms of life which follow their instinct without thought of consequences.

One step beyond simply thinking is the ability to reason and see consequences. “Come now, let us reason together” says the Lord (Isaiah 1:18). It is God’s invitation for you to evaluate, to think through consequences and make a wise decision.

A really thinking person realizes that beyond the immediate, there are consequences with long-term implications.

Thinking must not only include the consequences which involve ourselves. It has to include God because He is part of life and existence. When God invited men and women to reason with Him, He said, “Thought your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

God’s forgiveness opens up a new way of life and living – one that allows broken relationships to be mended and friendships to be healed. God gave you the ability to think and reason, something that only you can do for yourself. Think about it and they carry out whatever God would have you today.