-
One great books that has impacted my spiritual journey is "Knowing God" by J.I. Packer.  Packer writes that the chief end of our study of God is to know God better.  Not merely by understanding the doctrine of God's attributes, but to study to ultimately know the living God.  As one German theologian once remarked, the great travesty of theological study is that pastors and scholars often begin to talk about God in the third person, rather than the first person.  Meaning, its easy to talk about God like a specimen in a petri dish rather than talking to God in prayer. 

Packer states that the great rule for increased knowledge of God is mediation.  It is the business of turning truth about God into a matter of mediation before God, leading to prayer and praise.  He continues, "meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is the activity of holy thought, consciously performing the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God."

As a pastor, I often feel hurried as I seek to delve into texts for preaching or learning.  Packer's admonition has been instructive to me to spend time in meditation, which is the pathway to genuine knowledge of the living God.  In Psalm 1:2, the writer of Psalm 1 not only delights in the LORD's law, but also meditates day and night. the blessed man "delights in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night".  It is no coincidence that Psalm 1 and its focus on meditation is the introduction to a life of praise and knowledge of God through the Psalter.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The God You Can Know

-
Image
Recently I was listening to an interview with a pastor named Louie Giglio on the radio and in this interview Giglio was talking about people that had impacted his life growing  up.  Giglio grew up in the Atlanta area as a child and came in contact with a Christian leader in Atlanta that impacted his life in his teens and early 20's.  This man's influence was so profound in Giglio's life, that it changed the trajectory of his future life and ministry.  The man that Giglio was talking about was named Dan DeHaan.  As Giglio spoke in this interview, he talked about how there was something special about DeHaan.  When Giglio was around Dan DeHaan, Giglio sensed that he seemed to know God in a way that was different than Giglio and in such a deep way, that it made Giglio want to know God more and pursue God more urgently.  Dan DeHaan was a man that was much with God and people that were around him could sense it.  After listening to this interview with Giglio, I went down to my ba
Read more

The Lies That Girl's Believe

-
Image
 This young lady (H.E.R.) that sang America the Beautiful at the Super Bowl seems very nice.  But let me say I feel very protective of my 9 year old and 12 year old daughters that were watching.  I want them to learn that their sexual beauty should be reserved for their husbands.  I want them to learn about the power of modesty.  I should have been more prepared for Super Bowl viewing with my family in view of past Super Bowls, but I will be more prepared next year. Let me recommend a book to you that we use in our church to great effect.  "The Lies Girls Believe & The Truth That Sets Them Free" by Dannnah Gresh (Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth also contributes).   This book reminds girls of the power they possess because of the beauty of God's design.  Yet this book also teaches the power of modesty and the beauty you possess irrespective of your body. My favorite chapter title is the lie that "pretty girls are worth more."  This lie is promoted silently every day i
Read more

Love God with Your Time

-
Image
As a pastor, one of my most difficult tasks in life is to eat what I cook.  It's easy to preach through the Old and New Testament Scriptures each week.  I love to study and communicate the truth of the Bible.  Actually applying the truth of the Bible to myself each week?  Well, as the Wizard of Oz said in the movie, "that's a horse of a different color!"  When Jesus taught his disciples about priorities and about what to prioritize in terms of obedience, Jesus set the priorities in the context of love.  Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  Jesus merely pointed out the obvious.  Love shows itself in how we use our time, our money and our talents.  I prioritize time with my kids and wife if I truly love and value them.  I prioritize time for golf if it is a love that pushes other things to the side.  During the course of life, sometimes I have more money, sometimes less.  Other times I have more energy, sometimes less energy.  On some occasions, m
Read more