Jul 1, 2018

Bible verse for meditation:
Matthew 23:25-27
NIV25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Kjv25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
 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:
This scripture was chosen by my daughter. Why did this scripture stick out to you?
When we read about those who persecuted Jesus it becomes painfully obvious how they missed the mark. They didn't believe him. Even those Pharisees who did believe often didn’t truly trust in him. The reason that these verses were included in the Scripture is not just to show us how in error these people were so many years ago, but for us to examine our hearts. We have much more in common with these people that we would care to admit most of the time. Do we truly trust God? Do we allow him to cleanse us by believing in his gracious goodness and approaching him as the way. Early Christians, before they were called Christians, would refer to the community of Christians as “the way” in reference to what Jesus asks from us. 
We can only have our inner cup cleaned by Jesus. If we spend our whole lives only focusing on how to make ourselves look clean, but never truly invite God into our hearts to clean the inside of our cup then we will always have a contaminated cup that results in sickness and disease. 
This is not to say that we should attempt to be the same as the world. We should remember what God has asked of those who follow him. As we accept our need for God to help clean our hearts and minds, then we are ready to continually work and improve. Ultimately a Gospel of Jesus Christ without a realization of sin and the forgiveness of that sin will leave our hearts full of dirt. 
The time we spend in God can be in gratitude for his blessings and grace, and also in repentance for the errors that we acknowledge before him and determine to improve with His help. This scripture teaches that as we clean this inner cup, the outer cup gets cleaned in the process. 
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.  Christianmeditationpodcast.com/contact
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Final Question: What is a way that you can increase your faith in God?
Final thought -Even these people who put such trust in God and maintained that hope throughout life, did not receive the payout in this life. Think about that for a moment. These prophets were so close to receiving God’s word and many heard his voice directly and saw visions. Yet even they went to their graves without perfect understanding but they had full trust, and hope that God would be faithful. And he was for them and he will be for you and me if we have faith in Him. We can have hope that he will guide us, redeem us, and justify us, allowing us into the Kingdom of Heaven.   

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