Christian meditation is not quite the same as traditional meditation, contemplation, and mindfulness so popular in the world today, presumably, because these mind-calming techniques can quieten overworked minds caused by the business of being alive today. The monkey mind, some people call it.
The various forms of meditations taught today tend to exclude God and rely on the individual to achieve a kind of individual mindlessness, however, Christian meditation teaches God as its core.
God gave us an intelligence superior to any other being he created; he gave us the power to reason that only humankind can do. All other creatures rely on their instinct to survive. I believe that God does not want us to close down our chattering minds but rather to transform them to bring them into line with the calmness, peace, and acceptance that Jesus taught.
With Christian meditation, we fill our minds with God and his truths as we understand them through the scriptures and Jesus. We use the reasoning ability God blessed us with and the Holy Spirit to assess what is happening in our lives, the world, and the church calmly and logically.
A simple way to quieten our minds is described by St Paul in his letter to the Philippians when he advised them to keep their minds on whatever was true, honourable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy; only think about these things he said. Philippians 4:8
Traditional meditation teaches detachment from the world and an inner journey past the mind to the centre of one’s being.
However, Christian meditation teaches attachment to God and an outward focus; on the wonder of God’s creation; age-old wisdom in the scriptures; and prayer for understanding through the Holy Spirit.
Christian mediation develops into collective mindfulness centered on the glory of God, and I believe that moral transfiguration, through the transformation of our minds, is the Christians’ ultimate goal and that this is a lifelong work in progress.
If you would like to learn more about Jesus and Christian meditation at a church near you – or contact me to learn more:
