Lesson ▪ 1998 Tags: Meditation Excerpted from “Just a Closer Walk with Thee”: Spiritual Disciplines for Devotional Vitality Related Resources: The Discipline of Bible Assimilation: Meditation “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Josh 1.8). “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Ps 19.14). Insights
Meditation Internalizes Spiritual Truth
“Slowly and prayerfully turning over Scripture in this manner engages the eyes, the ears, and the mouth, and drills through the granite to the heart—maximizing internalization and devotion” ( Hughes 84).
Meditation and Reading Are Mutually Dependent
“Reading without meditation will be useless; meditation without reading will be barren.”—Thomas Shepard II, 17th-century New England minister, to a son newly enrolled at Harvard College
ExerciseChallenge the participants to practice the discipline of meditation
at least once during the coming week, then be prepared to report to the whole
group the following session. Further ReadingFoster, Richard J. “The Discipline of Meditation.” Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. Rev. ed. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1988. 15-32. Hughes, R. Kent. “Discipline of Devotion.” Disciplines of a Godly Man. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1991. 81-91. O’Connor, Elizabeth. Search for Silence. Waco: Word, 1972.
Hindrances to Spiritual Intimacy • Busyness/routine • Fear of the unknown • Fear of the cost of spiritual intimacy • Lack of privacy • Emotional imbalance • Illness/poor physical condition • Lack of biblical knowledge • Lack of church involvement • Unconfessed sin/spiritual disarray |
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