Jun 3, 2018
Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation:Guided Relaxation / Guided
Meditation:Each time you relax you get better at it. You’ll notice
as you are able to
Bible verse for meditation:
Romans 14:7-11 NRSV7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die
to ourselves. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we
die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are
the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that
he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.10 Why do you pass
judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your
brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat
of God. 11 For it is written,“As I live, says the Lord, every knee
shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to
God.”12 So then, each of us will be accountable to God
KJV7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to
himself.8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether
we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we
are the Lord's.9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and
revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.10 But
why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy
brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of
Christ.11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee
shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.12 So then
every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Notice the similarities and differences in the translations
presented.
What does this scripture mean to you?Has it had a different effect
this reading as compared to times past?How does this scripture make
you feel?
Continue breathing deeply as you ponder this meaning.
Meditation on scripture / bible verse meditation:
Many of the misunderstandings that e have with other people are
because we fail to recognize what we have in common, our amazing
ability to see the world from only our own perspective. In
preparing for this meditation I was doing research for this episode
I found a large amount of search results on how to deal with
difficult people. It seems that when we have a disagreement with
other people we immediately assume that resolving the problem
involves us learning to deal with someone who is flawed and is in
the wrong. What we often fail to realize is that they are viewing
the world from their perspective and we are viewing it from our
perspective. Our nature is to see ourselves at the center of
focus. When we slow down and begin to imagine how we are all
the same before God, we realize that our perspective is not magic
or absolute in any way. It is just the perspective we have by
default. As Paul says, none of us live to ourselves and none of us
die to ourselves. We are not the center of our universe. We are
interconnected with other children of God in a way to bless and
challenge each other. It is interesting to think that my life may
be most meaningful, not for what I do, but for what circumstances I
create in other people’s lives that allows them to grow closer to
God. I may never change the world in a significant way, but perhaps
my life will overlap with someone who will. Each of us are, at the
same time invaluable to God, while also we are nothing special.
This realization allows for the height of Christian focus. Whether
we live or die, we do it unto the Lord. This scripture states
quite clearly that this is why Jesus came to earth and died. He is
the Savior and God of the living and of the dead. As we begin to
realize that our own importance is not how we should evaluate our
lives a paradoxical thing happens. We realize that to constantly
focus on increasing our own perspective of our own self worth may
not be the most satisfying pursuit. Instead we can focus on playing
whatever role we can in the God’s great human theater. As we are
committed to living for God and living according to our deeply held
Christian values, we serve and worship in true and genuine ways.
Praise be to God for allowing us to learn from each other and to
teach each other, both directly but more often
indirectly.
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.
Meditate and Visualize Positive Change in Your Life:Implement the
kind of change you want to see in your life. Length,
Intensity, Modality, Freshness, Conclusion:Each week.
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Question: what joy has God brought you as you have approached him
in meditation?
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Final Question: Whose perspective would you stand the most to
gain from understanding and how can you do that?
Final thought - I have come to believe that, since self esteem does
not seem to be represented in the bible that a focus on increasing
it, may not be the most fruitful way to gain more happiness in
life. This is also borne out in my psychological worldview. The
counseling model that I use in my chaplaincy work strongly
represents this also. Constant preoccupation about our own self
importance is often times counterproductive. What is productive is
spending all of our energy in living according to our deeply held
values. Allow God’s word to be these values in your life and
dedicate all the energy of your soul to living according to His
message to you.