My father, Frank Kovacic, passed away at the age of 82 in 2007. “Recently, when my mother moved from their house to a senior apartment, we came across my father’s small memo book from college days and a plain composition book. The books were found at his desk where he spent about 45 minutes daily.

My father served as an elder in the church for more than 40 years. Nearly 60 years ago he and two other families helped a local evangelistic society establish the church we currently attend. My father was known for his love, warmth, and friendliness, which I believe stemmed from the time he spent alone with God, praying and meditating over Scripture and inspirational sayings. My prayer is that the following samples from his handwritten notes will inspire others to times of deeper meditation.

As a man thinketh, so is he (adapted from Proverbs 23:7, KJV).

Reverence is the attitude of mind of the man who is always aware that he is in the presence of God.

“As the deer pants for the streams of water so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1, NIV).

Until we are in some way involved in doing the work of God in the world, we will experience a cauldron of frustration with life.

If you are frustrated with your life, do you know about God or do you actually know God in a personal way?

Only when we live with God in a personal, loving relationship where God himself is everything to us, only when our whole being is continually opened up and exposed to the mighty working of his holy presence within, is a capacity developed to “believe that he gives whatsoever we ask.”

To Jesus, prayer was not a hasty add-on but a joyous necessity.

True prayer is a strenuous spiritual exercise that demands the utmost mental discipline and concentrations.

Real prayer uses the body, requires the cooperation of the mind, and moves in the supernatural realm of the Spirit.

Give yourselves wholly to prayer and entreaty, pray on every occasion in the power of the Spirit.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”  (Philippians 4:13, NKJV).

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1, KJV).

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

First God commands us to give to and help the poor.

He who gives to the poor will lack nothing but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses (Proverbs 28:27).

The Lord does not want us to have anything in our lives that comes before him. 

Sing some of psalms in personal devotions putting your own music to the words. Learn the Word of God by memorizing, singing, writing, and speaking it.

Meditation is the devotional practice of pondering the words of a verse or verses of Scripture with a receptive heart. Allowing the Holy Spirit to take the written word and apply it as the living word to the inner being.

George Muller (1830) observed, “I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might . . . get my soul in a happy state, but how my inner man may be nourished.”

Fruit is the evidence of a right relationship and fellowship with God.

He is the vine and we are the branches. As we yield our lives to his control and walk in obedience and total dependence on him, fruit will be the result.

A Christian can have much wealth but be a pauper in the knowledge of God while some who have little of this world’s goods are spiritual millionaires because of their wealth of the riches of the knowledge of God and intimate fellowship with him.

We are never more like Christ than when we are praying for others.

Spend time at the feet of Jesus, enjoying his presence, feasting on his Word. God uses intercession and fasting to bring about the deliverance of others.

Instead of casting prayer as a polite nod to tradition or as a piece of pietistic irrelevance, we must see it as the true power of the church.

The Spirit is interested in one thing—glorifying Jesus as Lord and Savior.

I read many pages of the Bible every day. . .  but I meditate on one or two verses every day. That is nourishment. Meditation always brings a response. 

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6, KJV).

Study without service leads to stagnation.

Most gladly, therefore will I glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

Godly character is formed by saturating mind and heart with the word of God. 

Give honest and sincere appreciation. Get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as your own.

If you want to make friends, let’s put ourselves out to do things that require time, energy, unselfishness, and thoughtfulness.

The expression one wears on his face is far more important than the clothes he wears.

Your smile comes through in your voice.

Force yourself to whistle or hum a tune or sing.

The only real giving is that which is the uncontrolled outflow of love.

God gave to men the greatest and most perilous gift in the world, the gift of free will; we can use it to invite Christ to enter our lives or to allow him to pass on. 

We are not saved by deeds (Paul’s emphasis). We are saved for deeds (James’ emphasis).

Pray: We are here to praise and worship God, to seek and to save the lost and to help each other to grow spiritually in order to do God’s will.

The truest definition of the church is that it is “the extension of the family.” Its bond must be love.

The Christian is one to whom God and Jesus Christ are the supremacies in life: our relationship to God in Christ is life’s greatest value.

I believe God will do his greatest works through my prayers. That is the Jesus secret! 

No man is saved unless he is on fire to save others.

“Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10, NIV).

“Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before his presence with singing” (Psalm 100:2, KJV).

The way I react is within my power of choice.

I count my blessings each morning; not my troubles.

We pray as much as we desire. And we desire in ratio to our love.

Forget yourself by becoming interested in others.

Of all the tragic needs of human beings, none is greater than alienation from their Creator and the terrible reality of eternal death for those who refuse to repent and believe.

Frank Kovacic and his wife, Patricia, helped to start Norwin Christian Church, North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Patricia and their daughter, Joy Boone, are still active members of the church. Patricia and Frank’s son John, a retired engineer, currently teaches Christian apologetics to former coworkers in Franklin, Tennessee.