Meditation
Overview
What is it you’ve been meditating on? To many Christians, the word meditation conjures up images of Eastern mysticism and New Age nonsense. But meditation on the right topic—God’s Word—is one of the ways we get to know him best.
In John 15, Jesus commanded his disciples to abide in him and share his very life. He promised that if they did, they would be fruitful. The Word of God suggests three ways in which modern-day disciples can share in the life of Jesus: through the mind in meditation, through the affections in communion, and through the will in choosing and obeying.
Jim Downing explores each of these, giving practical instruction and encouragement to all who wish to have a more abiding relationship with the Lord.
The Logos Bible Software edition of this volume is designed to encourage and stimulate your study and understanding of spiritual disciplines. Scripture passages link directly to your English translations and to the original language texts, and important concepts link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. In addition, you can perform powerful searches by topic and find what other authors, scholars, and theologians have to say about faith, meditation, and Christlikeness.
- Discusses the acts of meditation and communion
- Encourages readers to keep moving in their spiritual journey
- Explores spiritual revitalization
- God’s Picture of a Fruitful Christian
- The Mind and Meditation
- How to Get Started in Meditation
- The Affections and Communion
- How to Have Communion with God
- The Will in Choosing and Obedience
- Summary and Conclusion
Top Highlights
“What then is fruit? It is the overflow, the surplus, the excess life of the nourishment taken into the tree over and beyond that needed for life and growth. Fruit is simply excess life. Next time you hold an orange or an apple in your hand, you can say, ‘This is excess life which overflowed after the tree’s need for nourishment and growth had been met.’” (Page 21)
“We are called to meditate on the Word of God day and night. In order to do so, we must make use of the subconscious. We need to make sure that the last prevailing thought in our conscious minds at the end of the day is some portion of the Word of God.” (Pages 42–43)
“By making contact with God through the taproot of the soul—that is, the mind, the affections, and the will—we are nourished, sustained, and will bear fruit, regardless of the time, place, or circumstances.” (Page 28)
“So what do you do in the morning? You go ahead with your regular reading program and start reading the five psalms for that calendar date. Instead of looking for a new thought, however, look for parallel passages or parallel thoughts that will give further light and weight to what God has already given you.” (Page 54)
“The second priority is that when nourishment is available over and beyond the need to sustain life already in the tree, the tree grows in all directions—upward, downward, outward. Hence we notice that some of the annual rings are larger than others.” (Page 20)
The secret to being a wise person is to meditate on God’s Word daily, not just read it. Jim Downing taught me how to do this more than 30 years ago when I was a teenager, and it radically shaped my life and ministry.
—Rick Warren, founder and senior pastor, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA
Jim Downing’s life proves that regular time out for feeding our souls is the secret of spiritual impact. He has opened his private treasure chest in Meditation, a small book every serious disciplemaker needs to sift through. Its gems are worth the time.
—Jeanne Hendricks, author and speaker
- Title: Meditation
- Author: Jim Downing
- Publisher: NavPress
- Publication Date: 2011
- Pages: 107