Think!
Jesus Christ is our LORD and Savior, the Son of God, the Alpha and the Omega, the Bread of Life! How does one sum up Jesus’ life in 31 short, concise phrases from Scripture? It is impossible! I’ve been going in a circular motion on this very question for weeks now, preparing for Deck 3 on Jesus. Thinking and praying for guidance and inspiration, I make copious notes in my journal, enter my favorite Scripture verses in my database and think about the deck all the time. I tend to think in spreadsheets with keywords; data to be sorted and filtered.
I worked for IBM for 10 years in sales, just as personal computers came onto the scene – the ones with one floppy disc drive…dates me just a bit. They used to say if you worked for IBM your blood ran blue! Respect for the Individual was the motto and many of us had the slogan of Thomas Watson, Sr. on our desks – THINK! We were encouraged to think deeply to solve customer problems. I always liked that mantra. It fit my personality. Deep thinking is what Ponderings is all about. We set out to encourage and aid Christians to deepen their prayer life by meditating on Scripture, heartfelt prayer and growing very close to Jesus in a unique, personal relationship with HIM and his WORD.
After much deep thinking and prayer, we decided to attempt the WHO, WHAT and WHY of Jesus in three separate decks: The Son, The Christ, and The Mission. My first sort of the database yielded 141 entries for The Son! How could we get down to 31 phrases that each fit on a 3 x 5” card? This challenge reminded me of the goal of Ponderings:
Overall, Mission: Instruct and encourage the faithful to strengthen them for a more fervent spiritual life. We want to produce tools and resources which foster spiritual growth by encouraging
- Deep Interior Life
- Daily Mental Prayer with Scripture
- Desire for closer union with Jesus Christ
Ponderings cards are not meant to be a complete catechism of faith in Jesus. They are meant to encourage and aid someone to pick up the Bible and pray in a deep and personal way by listening and thinking about the WORDS of God. This is not necessarily an intellectual exercise. So many of us dismiss a Bible verse because we “know” that one already or have heard it 100 times at church. Each word in the Bible, tense, style, placement is pertinent to the way God communicates with us through Scripture. Every day different aspects of the same verse can get our attention in different ways, directed by the Holy Spirit. He is that clever! Combined with our open, humble and docile heart, the power of the Holy Spirit delivers much understanding and wisdom through deep thinking and quiet prayer!
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26
The world and society at large can tend to be very superficial; but we can be countercultural. GO DEEP; don’t live in a soundbite, headline, Instagram world. Live in a world where you ponder things that are important, that help you be a better person, that help you love well, serve well, forgive well and worry less. My hope is that by using a deck of 31 Ponderings Cards you will develop a daily habit of deep thinking and prayer with Scripture. This quiet time spent will invariably lead you to a deeper understanding of who Jesus is, what He did for you and why it matters. The more you know HIM and spend time in relationship with HIM, the easier it is to trust HIM with your life, your loves, and your eternity. THINK deeply about how you live your life. Ask yourself and Jesus hard questions. Listen quietly for his answers. Sometimes they come immediately as a clear thought, or through a spiritual book or podcast you are inspired to pick up, or through the Scripture verse you will read day after next, or through advice from a spouse, friend, or spiritual mentor. My hope and prayer are that you won’t hesitate to pick up your Bible, mediate quietly and deeply on the WORD of God and what He is saying to you today, in this moment. Peace in your Prayer and Ponderings as you THINK!
Inspired by these Scripture Verses:
And he said, “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 1 Kings 19:11-12
And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. Mark 1:35
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26
…do not be anxious how or what you are to answer or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. Luke 12:11-12
…and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:5
Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. 2 Timothy 1:13-14
Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:6-9
…that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in love, to have all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2-3
Think over what I say, for the Lord will grant you understanding in everything. 2 Timothy 2:7
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:20