Day Twenty eight  -  Meditate

Philippians 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

                  This morning we would like you to take a moment and meditate on a passage of scripture.  Some questions you could ask include:

                  Who is the author writing to?

                  What is the purpose of this passage?

                  What does the passage say?

How does the passage apply in my life?

What is the example that the author is using to teach the lesson?

                         When you study a passage of scripture, there are a few things that you need to do to help you understand the meaning of that passage.  First,  you need to read the context, the verses before and after to see how the passage fits into the context.  Second,  you need to notice the subjects and verbs of the sentences in the passage to see what is being said or being asked.  Look for words or thoughts that are repeated.  Notice connecting clauses. 

Every passage is a mixture of thoughts and words.  When we meditate on a verse of scripture,  we first start by noticing the whole and then we break the verse down to look at the parts.  Why does the author use this particular word?  God has chosen the words,  not just the thoughts.  The Bible says,

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

                       It also says that “man doth not live by bread alone,  but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”  Every Word is important to God.  We meditate by looking at each word and examining God’s use of that word. 

                       Lastly,  after we understand the meaning of a passage,  we ask ourselves,  “How does that apply in my life?”  The final part of meditation is to examine my heart to see what I need to do to change my heart into Christ’s image.  How has the passage spoken to me?  What does He want me to do?

An Exercise to increase our Faith:  Read Philippians 2:1-10.  If you have a Bible that you are able to mark up,  circle important words.  Draw a line between repeated words and thoughts.  Underline key thoughts.  There is no wrong way to mark up a passage.   Some do not like to desecrate God’s Word by marking it,  but the important word is not the word on the page,  but the Word in my heart.  God wants me to put His Words into my heart.