…I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
philemon 5-7
Every now and then, on this blog, I will stir our minds up by way of reminder, of the beauty and simplicity of Christian Meditation. It is in no way similar or related to mysticism, or any Eastern religions, or the meditation associated with ‘transcendentalism.’ The Puritans have passed on a wealth of knowledge concerning the why and how of meditation, see the two links below for more on that. It is not an attempt at emptying our minds, or silencing our thoughts. Rather, it is sustained, intentional focus on God’s Word, prayerfully. It is a slow meander through a passage, rather than studying or reading large portions.
As a habit, train yourself to read differently throughout the week, having times to read and study for growth in understanding the big picture of Scripture and becoming more and more saturated with the story of redemption and remembering how it all points to Christ. Secondly, set aside time to read for growth in intimate knowledge of God–these are the slower times, the times of meditation, the times of pondering and journaling and memorizing and returning to re-read favorite passages. In either, we are are aware of His grace in revealing Himself, and of our need for His indwelling Spirit to lead us and work in us through the Scriptures.
In you for Christ’s sake
I have returned to this portion often lately, and have enjoyed meditating on this prayer, and letting it shape my prayers for myself and my Church family. Here it is again:
…I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
philemon 5-7
I hear of your love and faith… Do others hear of or see fruit of your love and faith? How can you pray for love and faith to be fruitful in the lives of those in your church family?
Toward all the saints… Saints; a word some consider antiquated but it is not. Consider the use of this word! Not as Roman Catholics; the true church are all saints by God’s definition. Praise God for the saints in your fellowship!
The fellowship of your faith… Faith is not merely inward; it is shared in community. Consider what the Scriptures teach concerning our faith, the faith we’ve been given, been called into. Consider how you share this faith with your Church family, and how you fellowship–which of the “one anothers” do you want the Spirit to grow you in?
Faith effective through the knowledge of… Of what? Muse upon all the good that He has put in you for His own sake. Consider that it is for His sake. Consider what you need to lay down or crucify–what is encumbering you, or entangling you, keeping you from wanting to delight in His glory. He will give you desires in line with His as you look to Him alone (Psalm 27 is a beautiful mediation for this!).
…saints have been refreshed through you… O that our LORD would work in each of us, that we would be refreshing to our communities. Face to face refreshment. O that we would turn from the world’s ways of hiding, and of pseudo-fellowship through half-hearted interactions. O that we would taste and see His goodness together, in and with each other!
For further reflection and prayer: Isaiah 37:35, 43:25, 48:11; Daniel 9:19; Romans 15:1-6