A Discourse on Daily Devotions

What then is Meditation or Rumination?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary, which you can easily consult online for free (with ads) is one of my favorites for good definitions. Here we can see the primary definition of meditation:

→“to engage in contemplation or reflection” For Example: He meditated long and hard before announcing his decision.

The secondary definition in Merriam-Webster is the one we are not using in this discourse. It has developed over time in connection with practices associated with Eastern Mysticism, and it is not a Chirstian practice.

I tend to use the replacement term ‘rumination’ for a couple of reasons. First, it avoids confusion with the secondary meaning of meditation altogether. Second, it reminds us of the activity of ruminating animals such as sheep or cows. This clarifies the primary meaning of meditation especially as it relates to the biblical concept.

We do find the ‘meditate’ and ‘meditation’ in Scripture. It shows up a lot in Psalms, but also in many other places in both the Old and New Testaments. Thus, we should not relinquish its use altogether. But our focus should be on the concept we are addressing rather than the word choice.

Another reason that we cannot completely replace meditation with rumination is that the latter also has a troubling secondary meaning. Here are both meanings in Merriam-Webster:

→Primary: “the act or process of regurgitating and chewing again previously swallowed food”

→Secondary: “obsessive thinking about an idea, situation, or choice especially when it interferes with normal mental functioning”

Obviously, ruminating on God’s Word should not interfere with mental functioning. Instead, it will increase our mental acuity and enhance our reasoning, not to mention its profound emotional, social, and spiritual benefits. Thus, the first meaning of the term ‘rumination’ is what I keep in view when I discuss this spiritual discipline.

Chew Your Food

The benefits of chewing have been almost completely lost on our modern American society. Don’t worry, I am not going to get side-tracked on that. I’m not into alternate diets, food conspiracies, and fad eating plans. But, suffice it to say, I do realize that much of what we put in our faces these days is ‘already chewed’ food. This applies in a spiritual way as well.

As your pastor, my job is not to feed you everything you will ever eat. Yes, Jesus told Peter in John chapter 21, “Feed My sheep.” But, this doesn’t mean I must always be the mother bird, pre-chewing every bite for everyone. Instead, I have the job to protect the young, and help them to learn to chew and swallow for themselves. For the older ones, my job is to prepare dishes of interest, things that will send their palate into orbit. I should recommend good food choices and cultivate helpful diets for you to enjoy. And, I am to be the gatekeeper, taste-testing meats that could potentially contain gristle, infection, or even, poison. We will address this a bit more as we talk about this coming year.

Therefore, each of us is responsible to learn to eat for ourselves. Rumination, as we have defined it, is an absolutely vital part of your daily devotional habits. And, it won’t happen only during your ‘closet time’ or whatever you call your time alone with God and His Word. Rumination is an ongoing, while life happens, practice. If you can’t do it while you are doing something else, you aren’t doing it competently yet. It has to be done both ways, when you have dedicated time, and when you don’t.

Detail our Determination for Development in 2026

I commented above on my role as the Pastor in relation to everyone’s need to feed on the Word of God. One of the most important things for me to keep ever before me is humility. I have spent most of my ministry teaching folks who are 20 to 30 years my senior. Nothing goes further than mutual respect and godly humility.

As a result, I approach this subject with the intention to encourage, enhance, and expand your relationship with God. I will be more hands-on with those who are unsaved, or are young in the faith. But my focus will be on making help available versus forcing anyone into a mold. Every Christian’s walk doesn’t look the same. But, we should all be strong and mature.

The verse I mentioned above from Job 31 will serve as a ‘foundational framework’ in my mind for thoughts about that subject. In 2026, I want to implant these ‘frameworks’ into the minds of our people about various things. Very often, our framework for biblical subjects comes from outside the Bible, and addressing that will lead to spiritual growth.

There are a range of areas that I plan to address in the coming year. I want to talk about basics like salvation, baptism, church attendance, and church membership. But, I also want to address more advanced subjects like our relationship with our adult children, our ability to teach core doctrines clearly, and the impact of the Holy Spirit on our personality. This is not an exhaustive list, and these are just items I am looking at currently. I would very much like to see measurable improvement in each of our spiritual lives. Ideally, we should be able to look back and say, “I learned (and successfully applied) x and y and z in 2026.”