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Jun 16, 2019

 


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:

Ephesians 6

NIV
2 “Honor your father and mother” which is the first commandment with a promise
3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

KJV
2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Meditation:

In the US we celebrate Father’s day today. This can be challenging because not everyone has a good relationship with their father. This can spill over into our adult relationships also. Even more important than this the way we view our own fathers has an impact on how we view God’s role as father. In my case I grew up without a father in the home and I know this has made it more challenging to fully understand the relationship between father and son. The good news is that, as humans, we can change. We can learn to let go of the challenges of the past to develop in new and important ways. For example, with concerted effort I have come to feel the presence of a loving father in heaven.

The reason I chose this scripture, which is basically a reinterpretation of the 5th commandment, is to give you perhaps a new way to interpret it. When the scripture says we should honor our parents we can be mindful about how to do this. Honoring parents doesnt have to mean degrading our relationship with God or demeaning ourselves. We can follow this commandment by living in a way that God would want. Honor in God’s eyes is the only honor that truly matters anyway. So when you hear reference to this

The scripture connects the role of parents to the need to be honored. When the scripture says not to provoke our children to wrath, I feel that statement keenly. I realize that my actions greatly influence the way my children respond to me. I feel accountable for my role in helping my children honor me. When I provoke them to anger, I should have no expectation that they will listen to me and obey me implicitly without question. The greatest appeal we can make to obedience that we can make is by being subject to the will of God, provided we can discern it correctly. May we ever seek to understand his will more clearly and may it be shown to us.

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 can your connection to God as your father improve?

Final Thought:
The meta lesson of this meditation for me has been that I have no claim on the honor of anyone. The only honor we can hope to receive is from grace. In other words if we are moved to do God’s will and are able to gain holy honor from anyone including children, is it not really us that’s being honored, it is God through us. Our goal then should be to submit our will to God’s become open to receive his guidance, and then help spread his glory and honor to others.

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