Of all the Christian disciplines, it is my guess that meditation may be the least practiced—though I suppose fasting might have something to say about that. Most people diligently make time to read the Bible and pray. And yet, while most people have good intentions when it comes to meditation, it so often seems to get displaced. After all, life is busy, the world is noisy, and meditation is a challenge.
But I wonder if part of the problem is that we have made meditation too difficult. I wonder if we’ve made it a little too abstract, a little too inactive, and perhaps a little too solitary.
What is meditation? Meditation is pondering the words of the Bible with the goal of better understanding and sharper application. Ideally, meditation leads us to understand the words we have read and to know how God may call us to work them out in our lives. It is one of the ways that we output wisdom after inputting knowledge.
Most often we associate meditation with solitude and silence—sitting quietly and alone with an open Bible as we prayerfully ponder the words we are reading. This is not the mantra-repeating or mind-emptying meditation of Eastern religions, but the Scripture-pondering and mind-filling meditation of King David who wrote, “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word” (Psalm 119:15-16).
The goal is wisdom—wisdom that works itself out in the life of the Christian. Hence, we ponder biblical information—words, verses, chapters—and seek to gain wisdom—understanding, character, action. Meditation is a crucial bridge that spans the Word on the page and the Word written on the heart and acted out through the hands, feet, and lips.
Meditation is a crucial bridge that spans the Word on the page and the Word written on the heart and acted out through the hands, feet, and lips.Share
That is a wonderful and necessary goal, but it is not a goal that can be achieved solely through silent solitude. Many have found that they meditate best when they have a pen in their hand and are writing in a journal—a journal that records their thoughts as they go from meandering to precise, from broad information to specific knowledge. Many have found they meditate best when they sit with friends or a spouse and talk over what they have been reading together or perhaps discuss questions that were provided alongside a sermon. Many have found their minds focus best when their fingers sit upon a keyboard and they can see the progress of their minds and hearts on the screen.
In every case, the goal is the same and it’s merely the means that is different. In other words, there is a variety of ways to usher the Bible’s truths deeper into the human heart and different ways to spur people on to love and good deeds. And I would suggest that more important than how it is done is the fact that it is done at all. We are different people with different personalities and different strengths and weaknesses. We come from different backgrounds and live in different circumstances. We have different abilities and different amounts of Christian experience. Yet we have the same goal, which is to understand and apply—to read what the Bible says, to know what it means, and to live it out.
Now, I’ll agree it is probably best if there is some element of silence and solitude in every Christian’s life—some element of being still before the Lord outside the busyness and buzz of daily life. But I also want to affirm that this is not the only means through which we can meditate on his Word and see growth in wisdom and obedience. Whether through writing in a journal or tapping out a devotional, whether talking deliberately with friends or sitting quietly before the Lord, the goal is the same, and surely God is pleased to bless it.

I’m grateful to Zondervan Reflective for sponsoring the blog this week so they could tell you about a new book by Thaddeus Williams titled Revering God. It will help you marvel at your Maker.
Today’s Kindle deals include some older and newer titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: Bowed Down By What Makes Them Beautiful)

Joe Carter explains how to understand the debate about late-term abortion.

Todd Alexander tells why it is important to pay attention to what we sing. “Unfortunately, Christians often have to filter language even in church. How we worship God and what we say in our worship necessarily shapes our beliefs about God, just as what we believe about God informs how we worship Him.”

This is a simple but timely warning to watch out for the weeds.

Writing for Equip Indian Churches, Benjamin George describes God’s blueprint for a godly family.

Missionary.com has launched a great new website. One of the best features is the glossary which provides definitions for many key terms related to missions. You might also enjoy the trailer for the forthcoming Missionary documentary.

What does it take for us to consider a church a church? That’s the question behind this article. “What are the absolute, bare bones essentials for saying ‘here is a church’? What is the fundamental difference between a group of Christians meeting together and a specific church meeting? What must be present and without it we do not have a church? What can be missing, even if it means we aren’t ultimately healthy, and yet we can still say here is a church?”

God is the one who has called you to walk this path, and he is the one who has called you to walk it faithfully. Yet he has not judged you wrong or set you up for failure. 

A healthy body that houses a sick soul is not something to be coveted.
—Eric Alexander

Every now and again I jot down a thought that I’d like to ponder but that I don’t intend to tease out into an article. After all, not every idea is worthy of a full-length treatment. Hence, today I’ve got a long list of brief, random (and unsolicited) observations and pieces of advice related to the local church. I hope there is something here that benefits you.

You are a contributor to your church’s strengths and weaknesses. Your giftedness makes your church stronger and your sins and weaknesses make it weaker. Whenever you are tempted to grumble about your church, you need to remember that even if you can be part of a solution, you are also part of the problems. Be humble.

It’s no cliché that Sunday morning begins on Saturday evening. Your experience of church will be much different if you stay up late watching movies you shouldn’t be watching versus if you go to bed at a reasonable time after refraining from sinful behavior. If you want to get the greatest benefit from the worship services, you need to plan ahead.

There are no perfect churches. Every church has its unique collection of strengths and weaknesses. Though it can often look attractive to leave a church because of its weaknesses, the new church will have plenty of its own. Count the cost before moving on.

One of the best compliments that can be paid to a Christian is this: You are a good churchman.

Make it your habit to pray through the membership directory. You cannot help but come to love people as you pray for them. It’s also a great way to get to know names and faces (not to mention to the names and faces of children).

It is very common—but rarely a good idea—to change churches amid a personal crisis or immediately following one. In times of great difficulty, it is usually best to allow the local church to be a source of stability. It’s wise to distrust yourself in your most difficult times. Stay put for now and only consider moving when life has stabilized.

If and when it does come time to leave a church, leave it well. Most of the time that will involve seeking counsel and affirmation from trusted people, notifying the elders well in advance, expressing your gratitude to them, and then leaving without taking anyone else with you and without undermining other people’s confidence in their leaders.

One unheralded ministry in the church is the ministry of arriving early. In many churches, it is often guests who arrive first and they can feel awkward if they are alone. Those who get there early have the opportunity to serve in welcoming newcomers and engaging them in conversation. Conversely, those who continually show up late miss out on many opportunities to serve others.

Another unheralded ministry is the ministry of singing loud. Our culture doesn’t really know what to do with singing and few people have been trained to sing well and confidently. If you have a good voice and know how to use it, you can bless the people around you by singing out your praises in as loud a voice as is appropriate.

Far too many Christians move from one city to another without first ensuring there is a good church in the new location. Always make sure you are caring for yourself and your family by identifying sound churches in your new place.

Few people want to be part of a church that doesn’t pray, but few people want to attend a prayer meeting. You should ponder this conundrum.

The Lord’s Supper is for sinners, not perfect people. If you come to church deep in a sin that you have no intention of giving up, you would do well to refrain from participating in the Lord’s Supper. But if you have sinned through the week and know the sorrow and shame of it, if you are repenting of that sin before the Lord and pleading for his grace, then by all means, participate. This means of grace is for you!

Baptism takes on new dimensions of meaning when you understand it as not only as a personal act of obedience for an individual but as an ordinance that has meaning to everyone in the church. It is a communal rite, not a personal one.

The greater the number of churches in a particular area, the more each church can create a very defined identity around lesser matters. The fewer the number of churches in a particular area, the more the churches there may be well-served by creating a broader identity around the most important matters.

Church membership matters. It is a great privilege and a great responsibility of the Christian to be formally connected to a particular local church.

It’s okay to be on the losing side of votes or decisions in the life of the church, especially when they are over relatively mundane matters. When the decision is made by the leaders or the majority of members, don’t sulk or whine. Instead, become an advocate of that decision. After all, isn’t God likely to work his will through a prayerful majority?

If you have a beef or concern with the sermon, it’s always a good idea to wait until a few days have passed before approaching the pastor. Also, be sure to distinguish between a bad sermon and a weak sermon—a sermon in which the pastor preached error and a sermon in which he simply may not have been at his best.

There is a lot of gossip in churches. Make the commitment that whatever gossip you hear will never be passed on. Make sure it ends with you.

Churches can inadvertently (or even deliberately) slip into a posture of competition toward one another. One way to head this off is to deliberately and publicly pray for other nearby churches. Pastors do well to integrate this into their pastoral prayers.

It’s okay to clap or raise your hands in worship. It’s okay not to. A lot depends on the customs of the church you are part of. But if it is a custom within your church, it’s probably worth giving it a try as a means of physically expressing your worship.

It is far better to arrive at church each week as a worshipper than a critic. It is far better to determine you will seek out and enjoy whatever good you can find in the church than to identify and nitpick every weakness. It will be better for you and better for everyone else if you come to worship eager to enjoy every blessing.

It is a blessing when the adults in a church take an interest in the children. It is a blessing when parents know that the Christians around them love to befriend and influence their children. So do your best to forge relationships with some of those little people.

Try to make your church the kind of place where young preachers can confidently preach their very first sermons. Though those sermons are probably not going to be very good, ensure those young men receive a lot of encouragement and affirmation.

There is entirely too much unnecessary church-changing. Of course, there are times when leaving one church for another is necessary and good. But there is also something to be said for enduring through a church’s times of difficulty and having a long, faithful ministry among a particular people.

While there are many good causes and many great ministries that need financial support, make the local church the main priority in your giving. And do that giving with joy.

When there is a loud noise in church—a child who cries out, a disabled person who causes a disturbance, a member who drops their water bottle on the floor—be the person who doesn’t turn to look at them. They’re already embarrassed enough.

The one ministry that always needs more people is the childcare ministry. Get your name on the list to serve it!

When you are on vacation or otherwise far from home, make it a point to visit a church. And, if you can, try to make it a church that is true and strong but quite a lot different from your own. You will learn a lot about how Christians worship in ways that are the same but different. You may even spot a strength or custom that you would like to take back to your own church.

When you are on vacation or otherwise far from home in a country that does not speak English, make it a point to visit a church. In all likelihood, there is someone in the church who speaks English and who can help you get settled. You will be surprised and encouraged by how much you can still participate and how much you can still benefit even when you barely understand a word. Worship is a universal language.

When visiting a church that is not your own, do your best to attend as an observer rather than a judge. Some elements may appear strange or even wrong, but if you pay close attention and ask good questions, you may find that each element makes sense within the context of that church.

As soon as a worship service ends, make it your goal to meet someone you have never met or to spend time with someone you barely know. You can catch up with your close friends later. The first two minutes matter most.

The older you get and the more your children move away from your home, city, and church, the more you will treasure sitting in church with your family. So learn to enjoy it while your children are young, rather than dread it or complain about it. These are the good ol’ days and the time will come when you will find yourself wishing they would return.