Meditate upon these things.


(Authors Note: This is the fifth part of a series of posts looking at the 4th Chapter of I Timothy, verses 12-16. While I try to typically make posts devotional in nature, this one seems like it is turning more into a study. I also note here that at the end of the last one, I indicated the next post would be “give thyself wholly” and that will actually be after this one. Fault my inexperience at writing…but don’t despise my youth!)

15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

Imagine you are an Olympian. You are a part of the world renowned bobsled team. Girls don’t like bobsledding? For guys that read this…you’re bobsledders…you girls can be figure skaters. Ok, now that’s settled.

So how did you get to become this great athlete? Let me guess…Mom said, “Hey, what about bobsledding/skating”. In reality she was hoping to get your mind off that boy or girl you’ve been thinking of lately, but wham! Inspiration hit and you took off with a pair of skates to the pond, or with your buddies up a hill with a big cylinder on blades. Overnight you became a world renowned champion, and it’s all because of your mom suggesting that, and inspiration hitting all at the same time.

Sound to good to be true? Most likely…

Just as Olympian must train and practice to be good at their sport, so must we train and practice at becoming better Christians. I’d love to hear someone tell me “Hey Trevor, loved the blog…man, because of your words, I am a changed person, I have become super-Christian!” While I might dream of such grandeur…such things are exceptionally rare.

Paul tells us to meditate upon these things.” What? Paul wants me to sit around quietly with my thumb touching my pointer finger and ponder about what it means to be a Christian? Nah, that’s not what he’s saying. I checked the definition of “meditate” in the lexicon.

Meditate: to care for, attend to carefully, practice

Paul is telling us to care for these things, to give them our attention and practice. Someone who hardly cares about being a Christian hardly practices. Someone who really cares about this because of a love for Jesus on the inside would attend carefully to practicing.

What are we supposed to practice? Practice at being an example in purity, or in conversation. Practice the use of your gift. Sing a special…don’t be shy! Practice at getting yourself in the habit of reading your Bible and praying every day. We don’t expect to be super-Christian by simply running to the altar and asking forgiveness for sins, or by listening to a tape, or by reading a blog on the subject. An oak tree does not become an oak tree once a little water is poured on an acorn in the ground. It grows. We must also grow, practice, and meditate on these things. We’ll become better and better with each passing day if we meditate upon our walk with the Lord, and how we impact others.

Bro Branham tells us “In these last days the true Bride Church (Christ’s seed) will come to the Headstone, and she will be the super church, a super race, as she nears Him. (Church Age book) Want to be a super Christian?? It doesn’t say over night…it says “as she nears Him”

You don’t run a race expecting to win, or expect to be a super-athlete without practicing do you? Neither should you expect to be a part of the “super-church” without meditating upon these things.

So meditate upon these things, so you can run the race. And “run, that ye may obtain.” (I Chor 9:4)

Yes, imagine yourself now after all that practice. There you are on winners platform, gold medal around your neck. The world sees you now as a champion, as someone who’s practice and endurance to the end has paid off. What a glorious feeling!!

Now imagine yourself on God’s platform. Gold medal of the super-church around your neck. Has your practice payed off now?

Next Post: “give thyself wholly” coming soon!

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