I’m rediscovering the joy and benefit of Christian meditation.  The passage I’ve been ruminating on most recently is very familiar… but profound the more I reflect upon it.

What I do is this.  As I read the Scripture, I pray it back to God asking His Holy Spirit to work these in me.  Below is a representative prayer with the Scripture to follow.  Try this some time as you lift up your requests to God.

Father… help me reflect You each day.  Make me more like Jesus.  Conform me to the image of Your Son.  Help me to…

Be motivated by love in everything I do.  Help me to be loving in everything I say.  Make love the preiminent thought in my mind in all things.

In my personal life, keep me from being envious or boastful… those are not loving.  Do not let me be arrogant or rude… those do not reflect love.  Don’t let me demand that I get what I want… that is not a loving desire.  Keep me from being irritable or resentful toward anyone… those attitudes are selfish.  Help me to abhor evil, but rejoice in truth wherever it may be.  Make me a person who’s life is characterized by doing all things You give me to do for Your glory… believing You always… having hope that You are always in the process of glorifying Your name… enduring whatever comes into my life so that You are pleased.

Lord… help me to never cease to love You… Your people… and Truth.

May I also suggest that you do this more than once, but rather several times for at least a week or two?  Repetition is helpful in directing our heart toward the Lord.

1 Cor 13:1 If I… have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have…  not love, I am nothing. 3  If I… have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.