MEDITATION!

I know. You are wondering what I am doing in the “lotus position.” Well, first of all, that ain’t no lotus. Not only am I disinterested in yogic procedures and maneuvers, gone are the days when my limbs were supple enough to twist themselves into inexetricable musculoskeletal knots. Moreover, that’s no temple I’m located in. That venerable looking doorway is part of the St. Mary’s Cathedral (Domberg St. Marien), an impressive Gothic structure in Erfurt, Germany. Begun in the 11th century, parts of it were completed in the 14th—it is over 700 years old! Of note is the fact that on April 3, 1507, a certain monk named Martin Luther was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in this same Cathedral, after having spent two years in an Augustinian friary also located in Erfurt. This worthy would, in a decade, become the Father of the Protestant Reformation.

Anyways, lotus or no, meditation is always a good idea, provided one is meditating on the right thing—the Word of God.

... 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.
Joshua 1:8

Living by the Book—always a recipe for success in God’s eyes. And meditation is a recommended prerequisite to that endeavour—a pondering, a musing, a reading and rereading, a recollecting and remembering of God’s Word, bringing Scripture to mind with thoughtful reflection and contemplative deliberation. An entire Psalm—the very first one—is dedicated to this thesis, with its attendant benefits.

How blessed is the one
who does not walk
in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stand in the path of sinners,
nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight
is in the law of the LORD,
and in His law
he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly
planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in its season
and its leaf does not wither;
and in whatever he does,
he prospers.
Psalm 1:1–3

Meditate on these things, things of the Word of God—whatever things are …

… true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is of good repute,
if something is excellent
or praiseworthy,
dwell on these things.
Philippians 4:8

Meditating on the deeds of God—what He has done, for we are never to forget, never to overlook, but always to remember.

I shall remember
the deeds of the LORD;
surely I will remember
Your wonders of old.
I will meditate
on all Your work
and muse on Your deeds.
You are the God
who works wonders;
You have made known Your
strength among the peoples.
You have by Your power
redeemed Your people.
Psalm 77:11–12, 14–15

Meditate. Remember. Such a discipline of mind is a clinging on to God, a conscious attention to His Word, a constant mindfulness of His presence and activity in our lives. At all times.

When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You
in the night watches,
for You have been my help,
and in the shadow of Your wings
I sing for joy.
My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.
Psalm 63:6–8

May we discipline ourselves for that practice daily.

Let the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my rock
and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14

Meditate!

MERCY!

That is indeed a Sphinx at the feet of which I’m pictured. Not in Egypt, but in London. There sitteth (or lieth?) the beast on the Embankment that adjoins the Thames. And no, it isn’t ancient, but of recent vintage, simulating—hieroglyphics and all—the Great Sphinx of Giza on the bank of the Nile.

The Sphinx is a mythological figure—in this case, it has the body of a lion and the head of a person. And it wasn’t just the Egyptians who had Sphinxes; Indians, Sri Lankans, Burmese, Thais, and the ancient Greeks had them, as well. As a matter of fact, it is thought that the word “sphinx” comes from the Greek “sphiggo”—“to strangle!” In Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus, she (yes, the sphinx is female!) proposed riddles to passersby and proceeded to strangle and devour them if they couldn't answer. Her riddle was a standard one: “What walks on four legs in the morning, on two at noon, and on three in the evening?” Oedipus solved the puzzle: man—he crawls on all fours as a baby, walks upright on two feet as an adult, and hobbles with a cane when aged. Worsted at her game, she killed herself.

Mythological creatures and gods and goddesses are generally of that ilk—irascible, unpredictable, unreliable and, often, ruthless, heartless, merciless. Devotees of these spend their lives appeasing the wrath of their object of devotion. Unfortunate!

The God of the Bible is different. He it is who is described as the God of mercy.

… we too all formerly lived
in the lusts of our flesh, ….
But God, being rich in mercy,
because of His great love
with which He loved us,
even when we were dead
in our transgressions,
made us alive
together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved).
Ephesians 2:3–5

All mankind having sinned—rendering themselves incapable of doing anything to set them right with God—this God of mercy had mercy on our plight. Rich in mercy and love, He sent Jesus Christ, God incarnate, to atone for our sins, by his death on Calvary’s cross and His resurrection.

Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There, my burdened soul found liberty—at Calvary.
William R. Newell, 1895

We could do nothing. We were helpless and hopeless. Lost! But now …

… by grace you have been
saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works,
so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8–9

Not of works, indeed. Not by appeasing any god. Not by undertaking pilgrimages. Not by performing sacrifice. Not at all. Because the only sacrifice that could be made, has already been made.

Grace! Mercy! Love!

In this is love,
not that we loved God,
but that He loved us
and sent His Son
to be the atoning sacrifice
for our sins.
1 John 4:10

No more the gulf between God and man; no more the distance; no more the dread of a god; no more the vain attempts to satisfy a deity. God, taking the initiative, has reconciled us to Himself through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father
Of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who according to His great mercy
has caused us to be born again
to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3

Now I’ve given to Jesus everything,
Now I gladly own Him as my King,
Now my raptured soul can only sing of Calvary!

BEARING!

Last weekend, I was in San Antonio, for the American Academy of Dermatology’s 66th Annual Meeting. The shindig was held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, an impressive 1.3 million-square foot host to about a million conventioneers each year.

So they need to move attendees efficiently from event to event, from one of its 60+ meeting rooms, ballrooms, and exhibit halls, to another. Escalators. Bearing people to and fro, hither and thither, up and down. Bearing old and young, lean and stout, male and female. Bearing heavy loads.

While literally meaning “to bear” or “to carry,” the figurative sense of “bearing” people or burdens, is commonly employed in the Scriptures, as well.

To be sure, the epitome of such bearing was Jesus Christ, the Bearer of sin.

This [Jesus’ ministry]
was to fulfill what was spoken
through Isaiah the prophet:
“He Himself
took our infirmities and
bore away our diseases.”
Matthew 8:17

In the agonizing, staggering, unimaginable process of bearing our sin—His substitutionary atonement for my sin and yours—Jesus Christ also, literally, bore His cross to Calvary.

They took Jesus, therefore,
and He went out,
bearing His own cross,
to the place called
the Place of a Skull,
which is called in Hebrew,
Golgotha.
John 19:17

In turn, believers who have placed their trust in Christ as Savior are to follow their Lord on the journey of discipleship, bearing their own crosses. Jesus’ words are serious—He demands priority; His is to be the position of preeminence in our lives; His and no one else’s. He declared …

“If anyone comes to Me,
and does not hate
his own father and mother
and wife and children
and brothers and sisters,
yes, and even his own life,
he cannot be My disciple.
Whoever does not bear
his own cross and
come after Me
cannot be My disciple.”
Luke 14:26–27

Suffering is an integral part of the Christian’s spiritual pilgrimage. Bearing up for the sake of Christ. Bearing, enduring, persevering ….

Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star:
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet, I was wounded by the archers, spent.
Leaned me against the tree to die, and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed me, I swooned:
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar?
Yes, as the master shall the servant be,
And pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole. Can he have followed far
Who has no wound? No scar?

Amy Carmichael (1867–1951), missionary to India

Indeed, Paul claimed the borne scar as a badge.

From now on
let no one cause trouble for me,
for I bear on my body
the brand-marks of Jesus.
Galatians 6:17

Bearing in suffering, bearing for Christ, bearing like Christ, also involves bearing the burdens of those in our eternal family—our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Bear one another's burdens,
and thereby fulfill
the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2

This business of bearing burdens is to be carefully attended to within the community of believers, as we follow the example of Christ.

Now we who are strong
ought to bear the weaknesses
of those without strength
and not just please ourselves.
Each of us
is to please his neighbor
for his good, to his edification.
For even Christ
did not please Himself.
Romans 15:1–3

Bearing one another, bearing with one another, let’s bear our burdens faithfully till the end.

BOUND!

I had the privilege of visiting the British Library in London a few months ago—the national library of the U.K., boasting over 150 million items in innumerable formats, print and otherwise. One of the largest of its kind in the world, akin to the Library of Congress in the U.S.

In the foyer of the Library, was this fascinating bronze bench in the shape of an open book with a ball and chain. I had to have a picture with me sitting on it. This sculpture by Bill Woodrow (Sitting on History, 1995) ostensibly refers to “the book as a captor of information from which we cannot escape” (so says the website of the British Library).

I know of only one Book that fits that description. A Book with information from which we cannot—nay, must not—escape. A Book which has the words of eternal life—the Bible—bearing Good News of critical importance. A Book to which we must be bound. For it is through this Book that we learn of God, His holiness, and our sinful state. In this Book we find how we can appropriate, by faith, salvation from sin.

… the sacred writings …
are able to give you
the wisdom that leads
to salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:15

This Book—inspired, inerrant, and infallible—is sufficient to render one, in God’s eyes, capable, complete, and competent. We must be bound to this Book.

All Scripture
is inspired by God
and profitable for teaching,
for reproof, for correction,
for training in righteousness;
that the person of God
may be adequate, equipped
for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16–17

It is because this Book is the Word of God, that it has prescriptivity—it is binding upon the faith and practice of all believers, it is protable for application in the life of all its readers. Bound to the Book!

I trust in Thy word.
I wait for Thine ordinances.
I will keep Thy law continually.
I seek Thy precepts.
I will also speak of Thy testimonies ….
I shall delight in Thy commandments ….
I shall lift up my hands
to Thy commandments, which I love.
I will meditate on Thy statutes.
Psalm 119:42–48

It is because it is the Word of God that it deals authoritatively with matters of critical importance to mankind. Because it is the Word of God, it is perennial—remaining vital and potent across the span of time, projecting its validity for all time. If perennial, then binding forever. Bound to the Book.

“The grass withers,
the flower falls off,
but the word of the Lord
abides forever.”
And this is the word
which was preached to you.
1 Peter 1:24–25

Believers’ response to this Book, then, is to be bound to it—to live by it—so that their lives may be pleasing to God, as they grow in Christlikeness.

… like newborn babes,
long for the pure milk
of the word, that by it
you may grow
in respect to salvation.
1 Peter 2:1

And in so growing, the sweetness of the Word becomes more real daily. Of the contents of this Book, the Psalmist wrote:

They are more desirable
than gold, yes,
than much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and the drippings
of the honeycomb.
Psalm 19:10

Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life,

Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life;

Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty.

Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.
Philip P. Bliss, 1874

Indeed!