Back to the Basics
Week 3: The Habit of Meditation 

The students did a pretty good job of applying this last week's habit - reading scripture.  Only one, however, could say that he actually applied the habit daily.  Most were somewhere around three or four days out of seven.  I reminded the students that we all made a commitment to each other - but more importantly to God - to truly seek God's face.  I encourage you parents to really encourage your children to apply the steps we're taking as a youth ministry to grow closer to God.  Let us remember the words of James 4:8 - "Come near to God, and He will come near to you...".  Hopefully, we'll see better effort this next week. 

This past week in WNL, we tackled the habit of meditation (sermon outline here).  As usual, I began by giving students a biblical foundation of the habit, then developed why it's important to practice the habit.  Take a look at the sermon outline.  Here's how we'll apply this week's habit:

Application

• Begin by finding a place away from visual, auditory, and olfactory distractions.  No phone, iPod, no nothing.  Just you and God.
• Sit down in a chair and sit up straight with your feet firmly placed on the ground.  Put your hands on your legs with your palms facing upward.
• Begin taking slow, deep breaths by inhaling through your nose and exhaling out of your mouth.  Continue this for several minutes.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate your mind as you seek to hear God's voice.
• Begin reflecting on God's love for you.
• Recall times where you've experienced God's presence in a powerful way (ie. camp, retreats, life, etc.) and replay those experiences in your mind, all the while trying to remember how you felt then.
• Make a mental list of all the good things in your life.  Reflect on each thing on the list, thinking about how your life would be if that thing were taken away. 
• Imagine yourself as a bystander at Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.  Even if it's graphic, recall in your mind how difficult the experience is to watch, especially knowing you're part of the reason Christ is there in the first place.  Let that anguish increase your awareness of how much God must love you in order to subject Christ to that on your behalf.
• Conclude your meditation with a short prayer thanking God for speaking to you through your thoughts, as well as for giving you strength to react appropriately in reciprocal love.

All the best!

sray