The spiritual disciplines are not an end in themselves, but a means to know God better. I imagine God sitting in a coffee shop, off in the corner. I look over and I see two coffees. One’s for me and it’s still steaming. Will I go sit? Or will I look back down at my Netflix episode?

Do you want to read the Bible more meaningfully? Do you want the scriptures to shape the way you think, feel, and believe? Do you want to bridge the gap between what the head knows and what the heart feels and worships? If so, the key is meditation.

Most Christians know they should read their bible. But if we are honest, we struggle from time to time understanding how to get much out of it. People don’t usually give up their quiet times because they dislike God. They give them up because they feel unproductive or even bored.

The great danger of western Christianity is that God is a dispensary of gifts for us, and nothing more.

The answer to killing sin and growing closer to God isn’t necessarily do more things, but look more. Gaze more. Sit more. Slow down more. Dwell more with God, and you will be changed.