This is now the fourth article on the importance of understanding biblical mediation and the need to develop it in order to glean the truth both in scripture and life. I believe being proficient in anything takes serious study and application and knowing and loving God is no exception. If you haven’t read the first three articles please do so first before reading this one.
This is the third in a series on the “Lost Art & Skill Biblical Meditation” which will deal with looking for short-cuts to peace and freedom in our fast pace world. There has been a real effort to find peace in our lives in ways other than a relationship with Jesus Christ. These so-called short-cuts are really counterfeits that mask themselves as genuine peace givers but, in the end, create bondage than we are ready for.
This is the second article on the lost art and skill of the biblical practice of meditation. If you haven’t read the first article please do so now before continuing on with this important subject. Though many Christians may believe in the subject of true meditation, it is from my own experience and research that few understand its significance to the health of the human soul. It is strange how you can agree something is healthy for you and yet never truly engage in pursuing it.
As we approach the celebration of July 4th I reflect on the question, “Are People Really Free or Just Pretending?” America has so much opportunity and yet many wander through a maze of broken hopes and dreams. We spend a great amount of time, wealth and energy trying to prove to ourselves and others that we are living “the dream” when we are in fact just being fooled by all the media marketing about what really makes one free and happy.
God created us with a “Soul” that is both living and active. The question is whether we cultivate the right skills or perspectives needed to live as we were designed for or not. Getting married is a good example. We travel through life expecting to pick up the needed “Equipping” along the way and yet at least 50% of marriages end in a divorce and those who stay married are often living substandard marriages, not because they desire to fail, but because they aren’t educated enough to gain the proper tools needed. As our souls are made of three parts, “Mind-Will-Emotions” each of these parts needs the right equipping to function as God designed. If one part is ill-equipped or crippled then that part will affect the whole soul. This article is part five in a series on “Maintaining a Healthy Soul.” If you have not read the previous articles please stop and read them or you will miss the connection between them.
Those of us who are over 45 years old or more ( that was a long time ago for me ) rarely take seriously the tradition of making a New Year Resolution mostly due to that fact of not keeping those resolutions after January. Truth be told, what we call resolutions aren’t truly a solid decision to change but rather an admitting of a weakness in our life style we regret. Sometimes admitting we need to change is very difficult depending on how many areas we struggled with the year before and yet to admit a weakness of failure can be the first step in becoming healthier.
The first article in this series on thankfulness was called “The Challenge to be Thankful” in which I spoke about my own struggle with developing a new mindset of thankfulness after coming to Christ so please read that article first as this is a continuation on that topic.
As a person with a “Bent” for seeing through things, it’s easy for me to be captivated by what’s out-of-order, missing or just wrong. It really doesn’t matter the subject or place I find myself, I can enter a business and I can quickly spot things that could be handled or organized better. When driving I’m a rules guy so you can imagine how easy it is for me to get captivated by what people should or should not be doing when driving. It’s a “challenge” to be thankful given all the distractions in life.
This article has part 1 & 2 so please read the two previous articles with the same title before reading this one which is part 3. The purpose of the series is to look at the hunger amongst church people to embrace a leader because they speak well, while their conduct and treatment of the people in their congregation is less than Christ would expect from shepherds of his flocks.
The problem with humanity is that we have a very small perspective on greatness. We get so captivated by the latest tech gear. I remember when the first iPhone came out. I was there, waiting in line for hours, something I have never done for anything else. All to buy a phone that became obsolete within a few short years.
