Thinking on pure, true, lovely......

ISteveB · Sep 19, 2020

Ever pay really close attention to Philippians 4:8-9?
It's easy to miss it, because we're thinking about Philippians 4:6-7, where we're encouraged to pray about everything, instead of being anxious, and promised that God's Peace will act like a military guard around our hearts and minds.... At least for me it was.... for a long time. But a few years back, I was reading, and it stuck out like a sore thumb, screaming, begging for attention.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Meditate on These Things

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

I'm posting this because I've been working on this for a long time now, and it dawned on me that others might be doing, or trying to do the same, but are having the same struggle I am.... a wandering mind, which often thinks on a lot of different things, but not necessarily the truest, noblest, most just, purest, loveliest, best report, most virtuous, or praiseworthy....

I still find myself pondering not the best things, and then having to deal with the spiritual warfare that results.

I really like this idea of God being with me..... Even if there's sin I need to deal with, I still prefer his being with me.

Oh.... for those who have a non-biblical background, and think meditation is an eastern idea.... no. It's not. Please read Psalms 1.

Lost4words · Sep 19, 2020

Another good post my friend. Food for thought.

ISteveB · Sep 19, 2020

Lost4words said:
Another good post my friend. Food for thought.

Thank you.

That's the goal....

Generate those mental juices in a good way.

public hermit · Sep 19, 2020

Contemplative prayer changes everything.

St_Worm2 · Sep 19, 2020

ISteveB said:
I still find myself pondering not the best things, and then having to deal with the spiritual warfare that results .... a wandering mind, which often thinks on a lot of different things, but not necessarily the truest, noblest, most just, purest, loveliest, best report, most virtuous, or praiseworthy.... Oh.... for those who have a non-biblical background, and think meditation is an eastern idea.... no. It's not. Please read Psalms 1.

Hi Steve, it's amazing how pervasive the eastern idea of 'mind-emptying' meditation has become, even among Christians, because Biblically, as you just pointed out, the very opposite is true for Christian meditation (which always involves God's word and a very active mind).

The Christian discipline that helped me the most, with both Christian meditation and with my wondering mind, is Scripture memorization. That discipline keeps God's word at the very forefront of your mind, morning, afternoon and night (and therefore effects everything that you think about), and meditation on God's word is no longer something that you ever have to consider doing and/or remember to do

ISteveB said:
I really like this idea of God being with me..... Even if there's sin I need to deal with, I still prefer his being with me.

I agree with you here as well (well, since I became a Christian anyway). The words of Psalm 139, for instance, are some of the most comforting, wonderful, amazing words that I know of, but that was hardly the case for me when I was an unbeliever.

God bless you!

--David

Psalm 139
1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O LORD, You know it all.
5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.
20 For they speak against You wickedly,
And Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
.

ISteveB · Sep 19, 2020

St_Worm2 said:
Hi Steve, it's amazing how pervasive the eastern idea of 'mind-emptying' meditation has become, even among Christians, because Biblically, as you just pointed out, the very opposite is true for Christian meditation (which always involves God's word and a very active mind).

The Christian discipline that helped me the most, with both Christian meditation and with my wondering mind, is Scripture memorization. That discipline keeps God's word at the very forefront of your mind, morning, afternoon and night (and therefore effects everything that you think about), and meditation on God's word is no longer something that you ever have to consider doing and/or remember to do

I recall in the beginning being told that we're to meditate on scripture.
The only thing I heard was that we were to meditate.
All I could think about was eastern meditation.
This was in 1978/9, when eastern philosophy was popular in southern California.

Sadly I never said anything to people I knew so I could get cleared up.

I agree with you here as well (well, since I became a Christian anyway). The words of Psalm 139, for instance, are some of the most comforting, wonderful, amazing words that I know of, but that was hardly the case for me when I was an unbeliever.

God bless you!

--David

Psalm 139
1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O LORD, You know it all.
5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.
20 For they speak against You wickedly,
And Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
.

An attribute of God's Grace.
Titus 2:11-14

Jeanie Davis · Sep 19, 2020

ISteveB said:
Ever pay really close attention to Philippians 4:8-9?
It's easy to miss it, because we're thinking about Philippians 4:6-7, where we're encouraged to pray about everything, instead of being anxious, and promised that God's Peace will act like a military guard around our hearts and minds.... At least for me it was.... for a long time. But a few years back, I was reading, and it stuck out like a sore thumb, screaming, begging for attention.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Meditate on These Things
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

I'm posting this because I've been working on this for a long time now, and it dawned on me that others might be doing, or trying to do the same, but are having the same struggle I am.... a wandering mind, which often thinks on a lot of different things, but not necessarily the truest, noblest, most just, purest, loveliest, best report, most virtuous, or praiseworthy....

I still find myself pondering not the best things, and then having to deal with the spiritual warfare that results.

I really like this idea of God being with me..... Even if there's sin I need to deal with, I still prefer his being with me.

Oh.... for those who have a non-biblical background, and think meditation is an eastern idea.... no. It's not. Please read Psalms 1.

Great post! I personally have found that "focused" meditation works really well. I use an acronym to ask questions of the text, which "forces" me to keep focused. I have several that I use, but my favourite is ESCAPES:
E-Is there an EXAMPLE for me to follow?
S-Is there a SIN for me to avoid?
C-Is there a COMMAND for me to follow?
A-What does this teach me ABOUT Jesus?
P-Is there a PROMISE that I can claim?
E-Is there something to EXPLORE?
S-Is there SOMETHING I need to pray about?
Basically, you select the verses that you would like to meditate on (usually something like 7-12 verses...capture the complete thought if possible), and for each question you ask, read the entire selection of verses through, looking for an answer to that question. By the time you are reading through the passage for the 5th or 6th time, you really start to grasp the thoughts being presented! I have discovered true gems through this method of focused meditation!!

Stone-n-Steel · Sep 19, 2020

If you can hold that list with you all day, meditate on it, then the peace of God will be with you.

Jeanie Davis · Sep 20, 2020

Stone-n-Steel said:
If you can hold that list with you all day, meditate on it, then the peace of God will be with you.

The gems discovered can certainly be mediated on throughout the day. However, if someone is looking for a shorter method of focused meditation, I've also really enjoyed taking one verse and writing it on something easy to carry (phone works too!). Throughout the day as you have time, read the verse, emphasizing each word, one word each time you read through the verse. It brings some amazing insights!! An example from Psalm 23:1...
THE Lord is my shepherd.... (He is THE Lord - there is none other)
The LORD is my shepherd....(He is LORD which means that in my life, He holds priority over everything)
The Lord IS my shepherd...(Wow, this is definite - He IS my Shepherd, no question about it)
The Lord is MY shepherd...(This is very personal....He is is MY Shepherd!)
The Lord is my shepherd....(What exactly is the role of the shepherd? I need to understand this especially as He is definitively and personally my Shepherd!)
This is just an idea of how a text can be meditated on throughout the day in a focused way. It helps to keep the mind engaged and allows the Holy Spirit to impress His thoughts on the mind. And I find it an excellent way to memorize a text as well!!

ISteveB · Sep 20, 2020

Jeanie Davis said:
Great post! I personally have found that "focused" meditation works really well. I use an acronym to ask questions of the text, which "forces" me to keep focused. I have several that I use, but my favourite is ESCAPES:
E-Is there an EXAMPLE for me to follow?
S-Is there a SIN for me to avoid?
C-Is there a COMMAND for me to follow?
A-What does this teach me ABOUT Jesus?
P-Is there a PROMISE that I can claim?
E-Is there something to EXPLORE?
S-Is there SOMETHING I need to pray about?
Basically, you select the verses that you would like to meditate on (usually something like 7-12 verses...capture the complete thought if possible), and for each question you ask, read the entire selection of verses through, looking for an answer to that question. By the time you are reading through the passage for the 5th or 6th time, you really start to grasp the thoughts being presented! I have discovered true gems through this method of focused meditation!!

Hi Jeanie.

Interesting.

I don't actually memorize scripture--- as a directed, and focused attempt to memorize.

According to John 14:26, and Matthew 13:52, I read, and God's Holy Spirit brings it to my recollection when I need it.

While I attend a church that strongly supports our knowing the bible, I'm constantly made aware that I know too much of the bible and they don't understand why.

I've explained to them numerous times over the years that God's Spirit just gives me the recall, and it's been like this since I first became a believer.

A few months ago someone mentioned about reading one book of the bible every day for 30 days, and after a while that would result in a really good memory of scripture, as well as a good understanding.
As I've considered that idea, I've been reticent to do so because there are some books which I simply could not read in a single day. Breaking them up into doable sections would work.

As for the Escape method, I've never heard of it before. It reminds me of a variation of the method we use at our church, using a different name.
inductive bible study.

Thanks for your input.
Grace and peace be with you.
In Christ.

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Thinking on pure, true, lovely......

ISteveB

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Lost4words

Jesus I Trust In You

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ISteveB

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public hermit

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St_Worm2

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ISteveB

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Jeanie Davis

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Stone-n-Steel

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Jeanie Davis

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