"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:2

Chew on the Truth–and Transform Your Life

Posted on by Michele Morin

Because of his size, our St. Bernard can’t be trusted with just any bone or chew toy. Large and practically indestructible, his favorite toy stays in the family room where it can keep him occupied on family movie nights. Sometimes we have to adjust the volume on the t.v. to accommodate the sound of Tucker’s enthusiastic meditations.

Isaiah 31:4 uses the word hagah to describe a lion’s growling over its prey, a word denoting total focus–as in the way Tucker savors his own precious bone. Typically, hagah is translated as “meditate” as in Psalm 1:2:  “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”  The believer is called to a life of meditation, of chewing and swallowing, of entering fully into the experience of reading and knowing Scripture.

Sarah Geringer is one of those chewers and swallowers herself, and in Transforming Your Thought Life: Christian Meditation in Focus she invites readers into the practice of Christian meditation as a tool for absorbing, imbibing, feeding on, and ingesting truth as a substitute for error. Joining the likes of Thomas Chalmers, Geringer argues for the “expulsive power of a new affection” as God’s thoughts and values, communicated through the Bible, become a replacement for a host of negative mindsets that plague us and range on a bandwidth from negativity and passing discontent to crippling self-criticism, toxic unforgiveness, and debilitating anger or guilt.

Christian meditation, says Geringer, differs from other branches in that it is, “simply the practice of thinking about Scripture and communing with God.” (Loc 168) Through personal anecdotes and excerpts from excellent resources, she demonstrates that the spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, and social benefits are all well worth the effort of  forging the habit of meditating and of making room for it in every busy day.

When we open the Bible and our minds at the same time, we enter the world of Truth. Spiritual reading accompanied by deep thinking serves as a source of nourishment for the believer who makes the commitment to chew, gnaw, and meditate on God’s Words–and then to follow all our reading and our thinking with actions that flow from loving obedience and a new heart.

Many thanks to Leafwood Publishers and Net Galley for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which, of course, is offered freely and with honesty.

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I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees. If you should decide to purchase Transforming Your Thought Life: Christian Meditation in Focus, simply click on the title within the text, and you’ll be taken directly to Amazon. If you decide to buy, I’ll make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four sons, four daughters-in-love, and six adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

42 thoughts on “Chew on the Truth–and Transform Your Life”

  1. Wonderful review and powerful truth shared by both Sarah and you. Spiritual reading along with quiet reflection is needed for our souls to be nourished. And for our hearts to follow!

    PS – I love the photo of Tucker who seems to be patiently waiting to be nourished. Another truth for my soul to be reminded of this morning 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Great review and the content is truly so spot on!! It fits with what the scripture 2 Cor. 10:5 (NIV): “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

    Liked by 1 person

  4. This goes right along with my theme of spiritual disciplines this year. Consider reviewing my blog again with books like this! I found out last week that we have to move out of our townhouse by March. Could use your guest post during this time. You know that you are welcome anytime.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Sarah’s words on her blogs always point back to Jesus. I can only imagine her book does the same. Thanks for this insightful review, Michele. It kept bringing to mind the truth that we need to keep our thoughts on what is true, right, honorable, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and praiseworthy (Phil 4;7–one of my life verses).

    Your Tucker looks like a sweet dog!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I’m currently reading Sarah’s book and I find your review to be spot on. I love your illumination on the original meaning- to chew on. What a vivid picture. Refreshing to my visual learning style.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. I love Sarah’s heart for integrating God’s word into the many moments of our day and lives. She certainly has learned the power God’s word can bring to hurts and anxieties in life! Thanks for sharing this, Michele! I’ll be pinning it for sure!

    Liked by 1 person

  22. I have to admit I would love to be able to settle my mind enough to sit and meditate for a little bit each day but right now in my life I feel like I live on a minute schedule. It would be lovely to be able to just stop for a while and think but I very rarely allow myself that time. And I know I am totally to blame for this and should try harder to change my ways but for me it is a work in progress. Thank you as always Michele for your kindly and wise words of advice and of course for sharing them on #globalblogging !

    Like

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