The Seeds of Maturity

The Seeds of Maturity

Sustenance for the Soul

A baby cannot grow without food.  A seed will not grow without water.  The spiritual growth process depends on feeding our souls with the knowledge and wisdom of the word of God, and allowing the Holy Spirit to quench our souls with "living water."  But, the word of God needs to be more than something you read once, like you would a novel.  You need to eat and drink it so it becomes part of you.  As Paul says, "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you...." (Col. 3:16)  The book of Joshua describes this relationship with the word of God like this, "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success" (Josh. 1:8 NASB). 

This is not to say that we are not to do our work or take care of our daily responsibilities, preferring rather to have our nose in the book all day long.  Meditation is an iterative concept, where, like a cow, camel, or other ruminative animal, we are always chewing on something from the word of God.  To do that, we first must memorize the most fundamental passages that give us a framework for our faith walk.  Then, we begin the ruminative process on each verse, "chewing" on the meaning of the words, the grammar, and the historical, grammatical, and literary context of the verse(s).  Then, to incorporate the verse, we must think of all the potential applications to our lives, how it affects all our relationships if we obeyed its principle(s), how it changes our way of thinking and beliefs, our attitudes and outlook on life.  If there are specific actions we should take, we must step out in faith and take them.  There are some passages that defy understanding until faith-filled obedience is applied to them.  But, rest assured, the memorization and meditation upon scripture is not a vain exercise.  The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy these words, "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NASB).  The Spirit of God uses the word of God to guide you in the steps of God.  "How can a young man keep his way pure?  By keeping it according to Thy word.  Thy word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against thee" (Psalm 119:9, 11 NASB).

If, therefore, you are ready to walk this path, let us walk it together, memorizing and meditating on a series of verses, selected to give you a framework for your faith, your walk with God, and your relationships and service to others.  The path is long, but the rewards are great. 

The Meditation Process

The first step is to select verses that will give you a framework for your faith.  After years of study, I have selected a list of key verses that provide a theological and practical framework for your walk with Christ.  But, this is merely a start.  You are more than welcome, and encouraged, to add your own selections, and use the process, that will be described hereafter, to incorporate your verse selections into your life.  My goal will to be to add a verse each day, discussing the meaning and context of the verse.  Your task, and mine, will be to memorize the verse, and begin the process of meditation.

How do you memorize verses?  I suggest that anyone can memorize scripture.  For selected verses, I suggest using a topical method.  The Navigators first taught me how to do this, memorizing both the topic, then the verse reference, the verse, and then the verse reference again ('fore and aft), because the reference is the most difficult to remember.  We do not think in verses, we think in topics.  When one is in a situation where a given topic comes up, in conversation or in your thoughts, at least two verses will be associated with that topic, because that is how you memorized them. 

To put the words in your brain the first time, I suggest that you use three methods: 1) write the verse out, topic first, then reference, then the first phrase, then the reference again; 2) re-write the same thing, but add another phrase; 3) repeat this process of writing out the topic, reference, and verse, adding a phrase of the verse at a time, until you can write out the whole verse without looking at your Bible.  The next phase is to do the same thing, but do it out loud, covering up the phrases you have already memorized, and adding on as you go.  Be sure to say the topic, then the reference, then add on phrases of the verse, then the reference again, until you can do the whole thing out loud without looking.  The last way of cementing it in your memory is to do something creative with it...use a paint brush and paint all the words out, or make up a little song, using the words.  Or, act out the words in pantomime.  You do not need to do the progressive phrase add-ons this time.  Just say, paint, or act out while verbalizing the whole thing. After using all three "cementing" methods, it should be pretty solidly "dwelling" within you.

Let's try it on the first verse in my list.

The topic is "God's Love."  The reference is 1 John 4:8.  The verse says, "The one who does not love does not know God; for God is love."  So, here is how I would memorize it.

God's Love
    1 John 4:8
         The one who does not love
                  1 John 4:8

God's Love
     1 John 4:8
           The one who does not love does not know God
                  1 John 4:8

God's Love
      1 John 4:8
            The one who does not love does not know God; for God is love.
                       1 John 4:8

I think you get the idea.  Now you try it.

Ok, now that you have written it out, now say it out loud, using the same "add-on" method.  Don't forget to say the topic and the reference, "'fore and aft."

Ok, now that you have written it out, and said it aloud.  You should have it down pretty well.  Now, switch to your right brain and get creative with it.

You have now memorized this verse 3 different ways.  Great job!  But......what does it mean?  Let's chew on it for a bit, shall we?

First, I would like you to read the verse in its context.  So, read 1 John, chapter 4.  Come back when you are finished with that.  If you prefer, or you do not have a Bible, here is a source you can use, called "Bible Gateway."  I use the New American Standard version, but if you prefer to study and memorize another one, pick a translation that you like and stick with it.  The NIV is also an excellent translation.  Bible Gateway has a number of versions and translations.  Make sure it is a translation, not a paraphrase.

Wow, that chapter has a lot in it, doesn't it?  Get yourself a piece of paper, or if you like, you can do this on your computer. 

Now, I want you to bombard the text with questions?  For example, "The one who does not love..." Who is that?  Does the context talk about a group of people who are not expressing love?  "Does not know God..."  What does it mean to "know God."  Who or what god is this talking about?  Is there more than one God, or only one?  What is God's name?  What is God like?  "for God is love..." Hm...does that mean love is God, or is God bigger than a character quality?  What kind of love is this?  If I love, can I be like God?  Do you see what we are doing?  We are filling our mind with questions.  When we start digging, to get the answers to our questions, we will begin to understand the meaning of this verse. 

Here's a key concept, always study the chapter and book for the context of the meaning of the words.  Yes, the "original" languages and grammar can be helpful for properly understanding a verse, but, you can get a lot out of the verse without ever consulting a lexicon (dictionary), grammar, or commentary.  Let God teach you.  But, you are going to have to dig for it a bit.  Gold is precious, but it is not lying around on the ground, you have to dig, crush, sift, wash, and smelt it to get it out of the ground.  Similarly, to get the purified truths from the word of God, you have to digest it in context.

Ok, that's enough for now.  Let me give you an assignment.  I want you to start this process on another, perhaps familiar, verse, John 3:16.  The topic is also "God's Love."  God's love is the starting point for everything.  So, that's where we will start also.

I hope you have a great day.

Your friend in Christ,

BB