Grace for Española
 
A Suggested Text for Meditation.In our last article we left off introducing Colossians 3:1-4 as a suggested text to begin practicing meditation. As you get the flow of thought in the first four verses begin to see the connection to the verses following all the way through verse 17 which are the practical commands that follow the spiritual reality of our union with Christ. Here’s the outline for the first four verses:

I. Our life in Christ is to be pondered (vv. 1-2)
II. Our life in Christ is presently hidden (v. 3)
III. Our life in Christ is to be revealed (v. 4)

Here, we find the "already/not yet" tension of our present Christian experience. John Piper has a sermon titled "Already: Decisively and Irrevocably Free, Not Yet: Finally and Perfectly Free." This summarizes very well our current relationship to sin. We currently live in the tension between the overlapping of the current age in which sin, evil, and death are still present and the age to come when God’s kingdom is unveiled in all its glory. We are to live in the present age as if coming age is what defines us and give us the incentive to live for Christ.

Reflect on the remaining verses (vv. 5-17) and write down on index cards or in a journal a summary of what God is saying to you in His Word so that you can apply it and make it part of your thinking and living. When you have done this for some time, this text should become one of those bedrock passages of Scripture in your walk of faith. These truths should come to mind over and over again as you go through life.

You may want to include in your meditation journal a record of how God is working in your life through the practice of meditation. This will become an additional source of encouragement to your faith and something you can pass on to your children or others you are discipling. By doing these things, God will be glorified in us as we find ourselves increasingly satisfied in Him. Soli Deo Gloria!

Points to Ponder in Sanctification. Below are some pithy gospel truths that I regularly meditate on. Feel free to adopt these and/or add some of your own as God leads. I have printed a card with these that you can keep in your Bible. If you’d like one, just ask me.

* Christ alone (not my works) is my eligibility for sonship, favor, love, and acceptance with God. 
* I consent to be represented by Christ before the Father. 
* I am justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
* There is no condemnation for me since I am "in Christ." 
* I am dead to sin. Sin’s reign is Already decisively and irrevocably broken in my life even though I am Not Yet finally and perfectly free from it. 
* I am glory bound. When Christ who is my life is revealed, I will be reveal with Him in glory (Col 3:4). 
* God is reconstructing His image in me. I exist to reflect His glory. Though God’s image was marred in my life before salvation, mercifully God has, is, and will restore me to my created purpose. 
* Faith is the root of works. I will feed my faith in my effort to be obedient to God. 
* I will continually give thanks to God for His many blessings. In cultivating a thankful heart, I reject pride and self-pity, I reject thoughts of "rewarding" myself with sin. 
* I refuse to offer obedience in an effort to "pay God back" for His many blessings. I will depend on God’s power through faith in His sure promises in order to obey Him. 
* Obedience to God provides a better future and a deeper satisfaction than sin does. 
* I will meditate on the excellencies of God’s being and sing His praises. I will delight in God. I will think on God’s marvelous works and His spectacular glory (def. of glory – "the beauty of God’s manifold perfections"—John Piper). 
* I exist for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples. –John Piper
* God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him. –John Piper 
* Systematically build a case for obedience and a case against disobedience by conducting a cost/benefit analysis for obedience versus disobedience.

For further study of the benefits and method of biblical meditation, see Jay Wegter’s article on meditation that you can download here. May you find the truths of God’s Word to be the bedrock of your life as you meditate daily on it.
 


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