In our last episode, focusing on getting back to the basics of quality time alone with God,

we're going to focus on what it means to meditate as a Christian.

There is so much life to be had in the practice of meditation.

And there is so much history within Christianity around this wonderful practice

of meditating. Be the encouragement of scripture and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit lead each of us

to an embracing of this incredible opportunity in Christian meditation. Welcome to the First 15

podcast.

For many years, I believed that the Word of God was meant just for studying and reading,

like a textbook on life.

I believed it was authored by a good God, and I tried to read it, as I knew I should,

but it never made an impact on my life to the level God desired.

It wasn't until I discovered the practice of meditation that my life began to be transformed by the powerful, applicable truth of Scripture.

For many of us, the idea of meditation is a confusing one. Modern Christians, notably Protestants,

seem to have lost the practice of this important spiritual discipline.

We confuse it with practices of other religions such as Buddhism, and therefore cast it aside

as too mystical or even wrong.

But Christian meditation does not involve emptying your mind as Eastern religions. Rather, it fills us with the knowledge of God

and his presence. Meditation is about receiving, not casting out. So what does meditation look like

in the Christian context? To meditate is to simply spend time mulling over a verse, phrase, idea, or characteristic of God. It's a process

where we open up our hearts and minds to receive revelation from the Holy Spirit. To meditate on

scripture is to take a phrase such as, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, and really take

time to think about all it means for us personally.

...