Slides: Meditate like Mary

Meditate like Mary

Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)

His mother treasured all these things in her heart. (Luke 2:51)

Meditate like Mary

• Honor Mary
• Value meditation
• Meditate like Mary

 

Blessed Mary

Gabriel: Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you… you have found favor with God. (Luke 1:28, 30)

Elizabeth: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! (1:42)

Mary: “From now on all generations will call me blessed.” (1:48)

Mother Mary

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will over-shadow you; so the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. (1:35)

… the mother of my Lord (Luke 1:43)

She gave birth to her firstborn son. (2:7)

Eyewitness Mary

• Luke likely met Mary (Acts 21:7) and drew upon her memories and meditations. (Luke 1:2-3)
• John became Mary’s son and lived with her (John 19:26-27). His writing flowed from being Jesus’ closest friend and knowing Jesus’ mother.

Meditate like Mary

• Honor Mary
• Value meditation
• Meditate like Mary

Value meditation

They usually thrive best who meditate most. (Thomas Brooks)

The reason we come away so cold from reading the Word is because we do not warm ourselves at the fire of meditation. (Thomas Watson)

Anything wrong in your life is either because you don’t have Christ, or you don’t realize what you have in Christ.

Receiving Christ

• Who we receive
• How we receive
• What we receive

Memorize & meditate

Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)

His mother treasured all these things in her heart. (Luke 2:51)

• Treasured: stored in memory
• Pondered: meditated long and often

Memorize

I have stored up your word in my heart... I will not forget your word. (Ps 119:11, 16)

• Choose verses you need most: truths, praises, promises, guidance
• Find frequent time slots
• Keep verses nearby (phone, paper)
• Review regularly; meditate on verses

Meditate

On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. (Ps 145:5)

• Dwell upon, keep thinking about, run through mind over and over
• Healthy meditation ponders the Trinity’s being, works, and words.

Knowing God
How can we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? We turn each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God. (J. I. Packer)

Possessed
The word of Scripture should never stop sounding in your ears and working in you all day long, just like the words of someone you love… accept the Word of Scripture and ponder it in your heart, as Mary did... until it has gone right into you and taken possession of you. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Meditate like Mary

• Honor Mary
• Value meditation
• Meditate like Mary

Meditate Like Mary

• Meditate on the incarnate Word.
• Meditate on the written Word.
• Meditate on the marvel of having Jesus in your life and family.
• Meditate on life events and your unique relationship with Christ.

As you meditate on the Word, the Spirit shows applications to life events. Christ enters more deeply into your life.

As you meditate on your life events, the Spirit will bring Bible truths to mind. You enter more deeply into Christ’s life.

The Spirit shows your spirit which thoughts and emotions are from Christ.