[scripture meditation focus]
August 9, 2022 |
Doug Ellis
The Power of Talk
There are a lot of famous sayings that describe how words, expressions, and conversation can have dramatic effects on other people. Who has not heard the adage, “The pen is mightier than the sword.”?
What we say can produce good effect or bad effect, which is why the Bible also has a lot of quotable verses about our speech (for example, Proverbs 18:21, Matthew 15:11, James 1:26 or James 3:7-12).
The verse that I’ve found most helpful on this topic is from Ephesians 4:29:
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Can you imagine that the words you speak today could be corrupting of another person or they could be strengthening of another person? Of course, as Christians, we always want to be strengthening other people and building them up, and avoid any sort of conversation that could be destructive of people or relationships (if you want a good list of corrupting behavior and speech, take a look at the list in 2 Corinthians 12:20).
One way we can meditate on Scripture is to memorize a verse and bring it to mind whenever we encounter the situation it describes. So, for example, before entering into a conversation with your boss, your spouse, your child, your friend or even a random person you meet … pause for a moment … remember that you represent Jesus … recall this verse from Ephesians … then talk.
Meditation is an ancient Christian discipline …
Scripture tells us of the goodness of meditating on the words of God (Psalm 119:11, 15-16, Joshua 1:8) and dwelling on the truth of God (Phil 4:8), for God intends for our minds to be renewed into the image of Jesus Christ (Rom 12:2). The focus of Christian Meditation is to dedicate time wholly on God and His truth as revealed in the Scriptures – to hunger for his Spirit, to be still in His presence, and to dwell on His Word.
This meditation should not be confused or mixed with “eastern” or pagan practices that focus on the self, the senses, magical words, emptying the mind, internal or world energies, or thoughts.