Meditation, Pt. 2: Thinking About Scripture

If meditating is pondering, personalizing, and practicing Scriptures, then what are you thinking about? How about picking some Scripture verses?

Meditation, Pt. 2: Thinking About Scripture

This week's devotions are written by my son, Bryant Forshee, Lead Student Pastor for Cross Church, Springdale, AR campus.

- Pastor Danny

"The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever."

(Isaiah 40:8, CSB)

Homework Check: How did you do with meditating on one of your favorite verses yesterday? Was it harder than you expected? Was it easier than you expected? What did it reveal to you about your relationship with Jesus?

Meditation can be tricky, because in our minds, we can get so busy with life and with what is going on around us that we don't feel like we have time to meditate. We feel like we have to go into a dark corner, turn off all notifications and sounds from our devices, practice intentional breathing, and contemplate the spiritual truths of the Word of God. Now, if that is your Biblical meditation practice, kudos to you; I just don't know how replicable that is for everyone. When we hear this word "meditate" and continue talking about it this week, I want it to mean something more simple, like "thinking about".

What do I mean by that? For meditation, what are you thinking about? If meditating is pondering, personalizing, and practicing Scriptures, then what are you thinking about? Maybe today, let's try to think about Scriptures throughout the day. In Thursday's devotion, we are going to further examine what we are thinking about, or what is filling our minds, but for today, what Scriptures can you think about throughout the day?

Here are some great verses to think about today (all CSB unless otherwise noted):

Gospel Verses:

Romans 5:8: "But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
John 3:16: "For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: "For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."

Encouraging Verses:

Joshua 1:9: "Haven't I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Romans 15:13: "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Isaiah 40:31: "But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint."

Important Reminders:

Hebrews 7:25: "Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them."
Hebrews 4:16: "Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need."
Ephesians 3:12 (NLT): "Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence."

This is obviously not an exhaustive list, but what if today you chose at least one of these verses to meditate on throughout your day? Let's all try it and see how God uses it to bless us, speak to us, and lead us.