Preparing for the Lord's Day
Spiritual Training: "Christian Meditation"
In a world that is filled with endless information the discipline of Christian meditation is the most powerful practice for growth in Christ. To meditate means to give your attention to a particular topic for an extended period of thought and reflection. It means to fix your mind upon a subject to understand it more deeply. Christian meditation, in particular, aims to fix one’s attention on the Word of God for the purpose of growing in godliness. Donald Whitney illustrates the meaning of meditation when he writes, “Hearing God’s Word is like one dip of the tea bag into the cup. Some of the tea’s flavor is absorbed by the water, but not as much as would occur with a more thorough soaking of the bag… Mediation is like immersing the bag completely and letting it steep until all the rich tea flavor has been extracted.”
However, Christian mediation is all but a lost practice in the church. While it used to be common to spend time slowly reflecting on God’s Word, today expediency is the rule. The abandonment of meditation is not without effects. Puritan Nathanael Renew comments that, “…little meditating makes lean Christians, of little life, little strength, little growth, and of little usefulness to others.” If we would grow in spiritual depth and godliness we must give ourselves to the discipline of Christian mediation. As Thomas Brooks remarks, “meditation is the food of your souls, it is the very stomach and natural heat whereby spiritual truths are digested. A man shall as soon live without his heart, as he shall be able to get good by what he reads, without mediation… It is not he that reads most; but he that meditates most that will prove the choicest, sweetest, wisest, and stronger Christian.”
To come prepared for the sermon take time this week to read and to meditate upon Psalm 1, Joshua 1:8, Psalm 77, John 15:1-8, 1 Corinthians 13:12, Colossians 3:1-4, and this online resource Proper Meditation
As we gather to worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit this Lord’s day, we will join our hearts in song, singing the Hymn of Praise “From All That Dwell below the Skies”, the Acclamation of Praise “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” and the Hymn of Response “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” Let us come to worship this Sunday prepared to hear God’s Word, to receive it in faith, to love and treasure it in our hearts, and to practice it in our lives that we may continue to glorify and enjoy Him!
If you’re going to be out of town this Sunday, let me encourage you to listen to the sermon online, through the Rivermont App, (available at the App Store or Google Play), or you can download the REPC podcast, which will be delivered to your mobile device.
Sermon Text: Psalm 1
Sermon Title: Christian Meditation
Sermon Outline
- The Meaning of Christian Meditation (v 2)
- The Barriers to Christian Meditation (v 1b)
- The Fruits of Christian Meditation (vv 1a, 3-4)
- The Goal of Christian Meditation (vv 5-6)