Tips on “mining the gems of the gospel” from God’s Word

[clawrence9008]

Hey all, not sure if this is the right place to post this (first post on the board!). Wanted to start with commenting on how wonderful this forum is — I have learned so much and been so greatly edified through PB that I cannot properly express my thanks.

I am a 20 year old junior in college who greatly desires to enter into pastoral ministry, and I wanted to ask for some advice on how to meditate on God’s Word and uncover all of the glory that is contained therein. In my (albeit not super extensive) reading of the Puritans and other Reformed divines thus far since I was saved by the sovereign grace of Christ a little over a year ago, I have been blown away by how rich, deep, and heart-inflaming their writings are. For instance, Hebrews is my favorite book in the NT, and reading John Owen’s treatment of parts of it has been some of the most edifying reading of my Christian life (even if I don’t understand a lot of it, ha). I greatly hunger to have communion with Christ in this way — I NEED to know more and more of His love, or I am frail and utterly useless. I do not expect to have such advanced understanding of the things of God after only being a Christian for a year and a half or so, but I do want to be able to be even more richly fed by the Word each and every day. I know this will only bless my future congregation as well if, God willing, I do become ordained one day as a shepherd of Christ’s sheep.

Excuse my long-windedness, but my questions are this:
1) How do I uncover more and more of the gems of the gospel that are available to me in God’s Word?
2) How do I effectively meditate on what I read (or sermons I read/hear, etc.) so that it might be stored up in my heart in greater measure, for my joy’s sake and my holiness’s sake (Ps. 119:11)?

 

[clawrence9008]

For instance, I was reading John 10 on my way to a cousin’s house earlier today, and was struck by John 10:14-15. The idea that the mutual knowledge between Christ and His sheep is so intimate that it is comparable to the intimate inter-Trinitarian knowledge between the Father and the Son just blew me away! I want to be able to “wring this passage out for all it’s worth,” as it were.

 

[Polanus1561]

Know the general contents of every chapter in the bible and you will be able to intuitively make cross references in your mind.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

Welcome! That's crazy that I just read your post. I hope it's a work of providence, as I literally just spent the last half hour trying to formulate a sentence in my diary that has to do with this. Here it is:

"Memorizing Scripture makes you meditate more, which consumes your spiritual life more, which creates a richer relationship with God."

I know it's just a thought expressed in words, but put it to the test and see the wonderful experience you have. Just start memorizing your favorite verses you are reading and see what it does. Before you know it, it's as if the Word is coming alive inside of you. It is amazing. Blessings!

 

[pgwolv]

The Puritans performed Biblical meditation. I got this book last year and did a study on the topic. I will attach a summary of my study here, perhaps it will benefit you.

 

[MyCrows]

Know the general contents of every chapter in the bible and you will be able to intuitively make cross references in your mind.

I agree with you on this. Even though the chapters and verses are not divinely inspired, having a good mental framework for each book makes meditating on the word, and cross-referencing, much easier.

I recommend starting with Romans, and John. Romans is very didactic in nature, and covers the whole gambit of man's condition and the gospel of Jesus Christ. John is also very well organized, and is a great focus on the personhood of Jesus Christ. The book of Hebrews is also notable for its explicit focus on Jesus Christ, and references into the OT narratives and Psalms.

 

[Polanus1561]

I agree with you on this. Even though the chapters and verses are not divinely inspired, having a good mental framework for each book makes meditating on the word, and cross-referencing, much easier.

I recommend starting with Romans, and John. Romans is very didactic in nature, and covers the whole gambit of man's condition and the gospel of Jesus Christ. John is also very well organized, and is a great focus on the personhood of Jesus Christ. The book of Hebrews is also notable for its explicit focus on Jesus Christ, and references into the OT narratives and Psalms.

Yep. So like if you are on John 10, you ought to be able to recount Ezek 34 etc.

 

[Blood-Bought Pilgrim]

Brother, your post is very encouraging and there is a lot of good input in the other responses. I'll add my 2 cents with what I've been doing this year, which I have found very enriching. Every morning I do my reading plan, and from one of the selections in the reading I choose a verse or a couple of verses which stuck out to me to meditate on throughout the day. I find choosing them after I've read the larger context is helpful to avoid cherry-picking/distortion.

I re-read that selection several times to impress it upon my mind, then throughout the day I return to it whenever I have a spare moment (either mentally, or by re-reading it) and ask questions about the passage. This allows me to probe more deeply into the verse throughout the day, and to fill my idle time with thinking about God's word.

Recently I've also started carrying a small pocket-sized notebook in which I record questions or insights from my meditation throughout the day. I also write down things that to pray for/about based on the truths the passage teaches. This has helped me be a bit more concrete with application to my own life.

 

[Jack K]

For me, it helps to take notes. Add to your daily reading a few minutes of written reflection, more if you find the thoughts flowing once you start writing.