First Christian Voices: Practices of the Apostolic Fathers

Resources for Application

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that meditation is a work of gladness” also “ruminate on the word of the Lord” (Barnabas 10). So, believers ought to fill their hearts with the fear of the Lord, wisdom, and God’s commandments. When my cousin moved in, I did not leave her bedroom as it was—full of things she did not need or want. But, I also did not leave it empty and bare. Rather, I helped her fill it with what she needed and wanted. I listened to her as she explained what she wanted to bring. I moved out what she did not need. Then, I helped her bring in her own things. In the end, she had a comfortable room, furnished to her liking. Similarly, the Holy Spirit has moved into our hearts. We ought not leave it furnished with the ways of the flesh, but should allow the Spirit to furnish it with his ways. Scripture reveals to us how the Spirit would like our hearts furnished: with the law of the Lord, with wonder at creation, with wisdom, with remembrances of God’s mighty deeds, and with thoughts of God. Christian meditation fills our hearts with these things and helps us stop walking in the flesh and start walking by the Spirit (Gal 5:16–17). Meditation Today “How can I incorporate biblical meditation into my regular daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly rhythms of life?” 1 This question is of central importance to firmly 1 For instructions on developing your own “rule of life,” see Hank Voss, “Soul Work and Soul Care: Learning to Be Intentional About our ‘Rule of Life’” in Greg Peters, ed., Becoming a Community of Disciples: Guidelines from Abbot Benedict and Bishop Basil, Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics 2 (Wichita, KS: TUMI Press, 2021), 121–41.