The Bible truly is an amazing book. No matter how often this great Book is read it will read the same each time its read, but will have new messages revealed to the reader as the reader digs more into what it says. Until just recently I did not know the full definition of meditating on the Word of God. In my devotions I found out what it is:

"Anyone who knows how to worry knows how to meditate. A worrier takes one thought (for example, "I just know I'll never get married" or "I'm afraid my parents will never let me have a close friend") and looks single-mindedly at that thought from every possible angle, examining every possible implication and application of that thought to him personally. Worriers are skilled in the meditation process but are meditating on the wrong kind of thoughts.

Biblical meditation involves the same process, but reflective thoughts must be on the truth from God and not on a lie from our own heart or from Satan. We must start with truth revealed to us from the Word. Then we need to examine it from every possible angle, asking God to show us its implications and applications for us and our relationship with Him. We will "bend over to see it better." For some that will mean looking up verses in commentaries or studying the individual words in Bible dictionaries or word studies. We may need to look up cross-reference to other passages in the Scripture that shed more light on a passage.
Someone who knows Greek or Hebrew will examine the words in their original languages.

Above all, biblical meditation will mean an ongoing interaction with God Himself, asking Him to reveal to us the truth He wants us to know and practice so that our fellowship with Him can increase and our fruitfulness for Him can grow. He will most often respond to us first by convicting us of unconfessed sin. "The entrance of [His] words giveth light"(Psalms 119:130) and the light will expose our sin. Notice the sequence in Proverbs 1:23: "Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you."

Remember, the aim of this meditation is to help us behold our God and think like our God so that we can know and therefore "do those things that are pleasing in his sight"(I John 3:22). The barriers that hinder our fellowship with Him must be removed before He will reveal His words to us."

The passage in James 1 that exhorts us to look into the "perfect law of liberty" says we are to continue in it. The next question might be "How long do we continue peering intently into the Word?" The twofold answer is found in the next phrase: "He being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work." We are to continue meditating on the Word as long as it takes to make sure we do not forget what we have heard. That often means meditating on the same passage, studying and reflecting on it , for several weeks. That certainly doesn't mean we cannot read other passages or keep up with a "through-the-Bible-in-a-year" schedule, but it does mean that our focused attention must continually come back to the passage at hand until it becomes a permanent part of our thinking." (Berg, 105-106)
- "Changed Into His Image"
- By Jim Berg

This is an excerpt from Jim Berg's devotional. This fully helped me to understand what meditation truly is. I have been meditating on James and am finding so many things that I knew were there but are just now really becoming real to me. Each day I am reminded of the same truth but each day I learn how to master it or I must keep myself from participating in something, until it becomes easier and more ingrained into my everyday thought patterns. This is just a thought. Something that I have been thinking about, and something that I just recently learned.

"Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My bretheren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?"
-James 3:10-11

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up."
- James 4:10

This particular verse has been on my mind alot lately. Sometimes we feel like we are so above others, that we are so much more spiritual that others. We will never fall into sin like others do. Well I am here to tell you that the Devil wants to see us fall, and when we are puffed up about ourselves that is the best time for the Devil to put something in our path to cause us to fall. I truly want to be humble. Paul speaks about how he is the chiefest of sinners. Paul was humble, he knew that he was flesh, and sinful. That he needed a perfect, Savior to save him from his sins. Only when we recognize who we really are, can we begin to fully be humble. Without God we are nothing, we can do nothing. Humility is a big characteristic to a truly Godly Christian.

Speaking in front of people is something that I have never really been comfortable with. Today while in U.S. History class the teacher decides to call on me to answer questions about the material covered the night before. I personally feel that the man knew that I was nervous, and that he decided to play with it. He would ask me questions that I answered to the best of my ability, but he would word strangely on purpose to confuse me. I am not good at thinking when asked a question on the spot. All during class he would ask questions directed to all of the students, and I would be the only one answering them most of the time, correctly too. But when he would direct a question directly to me I would freeze. One time he asked me a question and I answered it, and he laughed at me, causing the whole class to laugh.

Another time today I had to speak in front of my class today, and that was during Speech. I was the second person to speak, because I volunteered to be one of the first ones to speak. I wanted to get it over with, and the teacher normally grades easier on the students that go first. All the other student that get up to speak later during class already know what the teacher expects out of them. Well I got up to speak and I did a pretty good job of it, except that my voice shook. I made it through my speech, but right when I finished I noticed that my mouth felt like I had chalk dust all in it. My mouth was the dryest that I ever remember it being. Thankfully I keep a small bottle of water in my purse just for such emergencies. When I got back to my seat a wave of relief passed over me. All of that worry and loss of sleep was over something that only lasted 2 to 3 minutes, and just as quickly as I had started I was finished. I did ok and I did not get sick so I guess I can get through the rest of the course. I hope.