Jun 7, 2020

238 Love Each Other Deeply, A Guided Christian Meditation on Peter 4:8-10

I'm Chaplain Jared and I work as a hospice chaplain and an ICU chaplain, my purpose in making this podcast is to help you find more peace in your life and to be more open for your heart to be changed by the Spirit of God. By using centuries old form of Christian Meditation named Lectio Divina:

Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization.

Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tensing or unrelaxing. If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.

Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation:

Breathe and direct your thoughts to contacting God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate, deflate.

Bible verses for Meditation:

Peter 4:8-10
NIV
8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

NABRE
8 Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.
9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining.
10 As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.

Meditation on Scripture:

Many times we hope to think there is some kind of balance we can do to tip the scales of justice in our favor. For example as we think of our negative qualities we search for a counter balance of positive things as if this will undo the negative. Many times we seek to escape the evil in our own hearts. Perhaps if we love a certain subset of people it will justify us doing other sinful things.

I think this scripture says something more interesting and enlightening. Peter equates sin and love as opposite. This reflects the greatest commandment Jesus gave to love. I don’t think that this reflects any kind of moral calculation that we do where we can love a certain amount to undo any given amount of sin but there is an example of love that does overcome sin. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the greatest example of love and that covers all sin. There is no need to weigh your sin on the scales of justice rather it is far more important to love God and love your neighbor and to receive His love through faith which will wipe away all sin.

Our world is full of darkness and hate but it is also full of love. I invite you to search for expressions of Love. When we search for it, we are more likely to find it. We as believers in Jesus Christ should seek to fill the world with God’s love. As the love of God speaks through us perhaps we can help the world find more light.

Meditation of Prayer:

Pray as directed by the Spirit.

Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him.

Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm:

I invite you to sit in silence feeling being patient for your own faults and trials.

Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life:
This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast

Updates:

Final Question: How will your life be improved if you were more slow to anger?

Final Thought: In some ways I am sorry to bring up such a strongly polarizing message in this meditation. I have seen so many of my friends have such wildly different and passionate perspectives about these things that I feel it is on many people’s minds. These meditations are meant to help us make sense of the world of God which has clear messages for our times. The goal is not to help us compartmentalize the rest of our lives into the chaotic outside while the world of God is only discussed in idealized circumstances. Sometimes parts of us get mixed up in heated things which can be at odds with the peace we seek. I don’t think the only way is to be silent and passive. May God give us guidance in how to help improve the world we live in.

Slowing your body’s natural anger response and finding healthy vents for it can be a powerfully helpful skill to learn. I invite you to trust in God’s love to help us overcome the baser parts of our humanity and to rise up to make the change we want to see in the world.

FIND ME ON:
Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com
App Store App: Recenter with Christ
Voicemail - (602) 888-3795
Email: jared@christianmeditationpodcast.com
Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast
Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast
Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast
Twitter - @ChristianMedPod