{"id":957,"date":"2017-11-06T16:26:43","date_gmt":"2017-11-06T16:26:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/papaws-thoughts.com\/?page_id=957"},"modified":"2021-07-24T23:53:08","modified_gmt":"2021-07-24T23:53:08","slug":"thoughts-on-meditation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/papaws-thoughts.com\/index.php\/thoughts-on-meditation\/","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts On Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suggestions to using our Devotional websites to explore your faith.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u00a0Papaw\u2019s Thoughts Websites are just words and pictures to help us take time to think and talk about Jesus. We hope our suggestions will help you “rejoice evermore” as you “pray without ceasing”.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

(1 Thess. 5:17)<\/em><\/h6>\n

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  • * God is in heaven, but He always knows our thoughts. We, however, have a selective awareness and must become aware of His presence by focusing our attention, much like becoming aware of subtle smells in the air around us. This cannot be done in a sixty second encounter. Take time to savor God\u2019s presence in your heart, mind, and soul as you quietly ponder.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    • * Explore the picture. . . \u201cWhatsoever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good report, if there is any virtue, and if anything praiseworthy\u2026think on these things.\u201d (Philippians 4:8)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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      • * Thank Him for past affirmations of His love as you focus on the words and picture. God uses what we can see to teach us what we cannot see\u2026what we know to teach us what we do not yet know. We must be teachable to learn, but not vulnerable to lies. Allow your love for Jesus and knowledge of the Bible to guide and protect your faith as you encounter any new ideas about God. (Eph. 4:14-15)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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        • * Stir your mind and emotions with old and new thoughts about Jesus. How has your faith given you peace in crisis moments? Why do these words and pictures arouse these memories? Do they add meaning to your memories? Think all the thoughts about Jesus that you can think with a loving spirit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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          • * Think about\u00a0* * *why* * *<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0you love Jesus<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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            • \u00a0* Allow these thoughts and emotions to form a mental awareness of God\u2019s presence as you tell Him in your thoughts how you feel. Your love of God\u2019s Goodness opens spiritual eyes to see Jesus. Catalogue any spiritual impressions: love, joy, peace, faithfulness, etc. Take time to explore your spiritual relationship with Jesus: past, present, and future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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              • * Try to maintain this sensitivity to God\u2019s spiritual presence in the world around you. His presence remains, but we lose our awareness of that presence. You may want to write down your memories or impressions to read on cloudy days. Our experience has been that as we spend hours thinking about daily details of God\u2019s Goodness, His eternal presence becomes a part of our awareness of life. (John 17:3)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                These suggestions are not a religious formula to conjure God\u2019s affection.<\/em><\/p>\n

                They are based in the spiritual principles of the Lord\u2019s Prayer.<\/em><\/p>\n

                Even the words of Jesus are not a religious formula.<\/em><\/p>\n

                They are instructions to focus our spiritual awareness\u00a0as we pray.<\/em><\/p>\n

                \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

                Matthew 6: 5-13<\/strong><\/p>\n

                5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.<\/h6>\n
                6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.<\/h6>\n
                7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.<\/h6>\n
                8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.<\/h6>\n
                9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.<\/h6>\n
                10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.<\/h6>\n
                11 Give us this day our daily bread.<\/h6>\n
                12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.<\/h6>\n
                13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.<\/h6>\n

                . . . Meditate in His Presence day and night . . .<\/h4>\n

                Psalm 1 (paraphrase)<\/em><\/h6>\n
                Our websites are secure because they collect no information. There are no ads, donation buttons, or offsite links.<\/span><\/pre>\n
                *<\/span><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
                Suggestions to using our Devotional websites to explore your faith. \u00a0Papaw\u2019s Thoughts Websites are just words and pictures to help us take time to think and talk about Jesus. We hope our suggestions will help you “rejoice evermore” as you “pray without ceasing”.\u00a0 \u00a0 (1 Thess. 5:17) \u00a0 * God is in heaven, but He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-957","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/papaws-thoughts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/papaws-thoughts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/papaws-thoughts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papaws-thoughts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papaws-thoughts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/papaws-thoughts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/957\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/papaws-thoughts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}