Meditating on God's Unfailing Love

Meditating on God’s Unfailing Love
Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. (Psalm 48:9)

Deuteronomy 4:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Meditating includes:
1. Truth 
a. Most important: a phrase or verse or passage from the Bible
b. Sometimes someone else’s interpretation or compilation of Scripture’s truth 
c. Sometimes a line from a hymn or a worship song or a poem
 
2. Research 
a. Gather info about that truth
b. Consider different ways to say that truth
c. Like a bouquet of flowers, all the pieces of a puzzle, all the lego pieces
d. Ask the journalist questions: Who, what, where, when, why, how?
 
3. Focus 
a. Looking at one thing for a period of time 
b. Looking from all the different angles
 
4. Emotion 
a. Open heart, open hand
b. Attitude of receiving
c. Desire to experience

5. Repetition 
a. Not just once, but many times
b. Saying it out loud
c. Muttering, groaning
d. Singing, listening to singing
e. Writing it down
f. Telling someone else
g. Posting it 
 
6. Questioning
a. Do I believe this? How could I believe this? 
b. Do I receive this? How could I receive this?
c. Do I live like this is true? How could I live like this is true? 

Scriptures on God’s unfailing love:
Exodus 15:13
Psalm 6:4
Psalm 66:20
Psalm 143:8
1 John 4:9-11
1 John 3:1
Romans 8:37-39
Romans 5:8
Ephesians 2:4-6

Kutafakari Upendo wa Mungu Usioshindwa
Ndani ya hekalu lako, Ee Mungu, tunatafakari upendo wako usiokoma. (Zaburi 48:9)

Kumbukumbu la Torati 4:4-9
Sikia, Ee Israeli: Bwana, Mungu wetu, Bwana ni mmoja.
Mpende Bwana, Mungu wako, kwa moyo wako wote, na kwa roho yako yote, na kwa nguvu zako zote.  Amri hizi ninazokuamuru leo, ziwe mioyoni mwako. Zitie moyoni mwa watoto wako. Zizungumze juu yake uketipo nyumbani, na unapotembea barabarani, unapolala, na unapoamka. Zifunge kama alama mikononi mwako, na uzifunge kwenye vipaji vya nyuso zako. Ziandike kwenye miimo ya nyumba zako, na kwenye malango yako.

Kutafakari kunajumuisha:
​1. Ukweli

1. Muhimu zaidi: kifungu cha maneno au mstari au kifungu kutoka Biblia    
2. Wakati mwingine tafsiri ya mtu mwingine au mkusanyiko wa ukweli wa Maandiko
3. Wakati mwingine mstari kutoka kwa wimbo wa ibada au wimbo wa ibada au shairi

2. Utafiti

1. Kusanya taarifa kuhusu ukweli huo
2. Fikiria njia tofauti za kusema ukweli huo
3. Kama shada la maua, vipande vyote vya fumbo, vipande vyote vya lego
4. Muulize mwandishi wa habari maswali: Nani, nini, wapi, lini, kwa nini, vipi?

3. Mkazo

1. Kuangalia jambo moja kwa muda
2. Kuangalia kutoka pembe zote tofauti

4. Hisia

1. Moyo wazi, mkono wazi
2. Mtazamo wa kupokea
3. Tamaa ya kupata uzoefu

5. Marudio

1. Sio mara moja tu, lakini mara nyingi
2. Kusema kwa sauta
3. Kunung'unika, kuugua
4. Kuimba, kusikiliza kuimba
5. Kuandika
6. Kumwambia mtu mwingine
7. Kuchapisha

6. Kuhoji

1. Je, ninaamini hili? Ninawezaje kuamini hili?
2. Je, ninawezaje kupokea hili? Ninawezaje kupokea hili?
3. Je, ninaishi kama hivi ndivyo ilivyo kweli? Ninawezaje kuishi kama hivi ndivyo ilivyo kweli?

Maandiko kuhusu upendo wa Mungu usioisha:
Kutoka 15:13
Zaburi 6:4
Zaburi 66:20
Zaburi 143:8
1 Yohana 4:9-11
1 Yohana 3:1
Warumi 8:37-39
Warumi 5:8
Waefeso 2:4-6