Jul 8, 2018
Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation:
Set this moment apart in your mind for preparing to receive God’s
word. As you prepare you become aware of all your body. To become
aware of your body allows you to become aware of any distractions
in your body that prevent you from opening up to connect to God and
receiving his answer. As you feel your body allow any distraction
and tention to release. As you do this, you can feel the tension
leaving your body and calmness replaces it. What a great blessing
from God that this moment allows you the freedom to take slow and
calming breaths.
Bible verse for meditation:
John 8:28-32
ESV28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of
Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my
own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And
he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always
do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying
these things, many believed in him.31 So Jesus said to the Jews who
had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my
disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free.”
KJV28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of
man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of
myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.29
And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone;
for I do always those things that please him.30 As he spake these
words, many believed on him.31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which
believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my
disciples indeed;32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free.
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:
During this week we in the US celebrated Independence Day. As many
other countries, we celebrate independence and freedom. As humans
we have various ideologies and regional interests but one need that
we all share is the need for truth. This scripture points out the
greatest truth of all. Our need for God. In the previous verses of
this scripture Jesus was testifying of his actions and how he was
following the Father. Not only this but he prophesied his death on
the Cross. When the people heard his witness, they began to believe
Him. Jesus teaches them that those who believe should follow, and
those that follow are disciples. These disciples who believe and
follow what Jesus says are those who will know the truth, which is
that his sacrifice overcame death and hell. He teaches what frees
us. It is faith that leads to following Him. This is by far the
greatest need we have to be freed.
In this world many millions of people have had their freedoms
taken. Many people suffer and have suffered. Many people receive
severe punishments for following their conscience. As tragic as
this is, Jesus teaches that the far greater tragedy is when we fail
to be freed by Jesus, from sin. In Matthew 10:28 Jesus teaches that
we don’t need to fear other people who do not stand as our Judge in
this life, but to recognize this role pertains to God. It is His
will that carries eternal judgement and reward beyond our
deserving. Ours is to to the best we can with what we
have.
Perhaps then an argument could be made that the greatest
Independence Day we could possibly celebrate would be Easter Sunday
where Jesus provided all of us the opportunity to be eternally
free. As we celebrate freedoms (or perhaps contemplate how they are
restricted for us) we can draw connections to the greatest freedom
we enjoy as a result of Jesus: Freedom to live with Him in
heaven.
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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Final Question: What is a way that you can increase your faith
in God?
Final thought -I want to present my cautions on the way I cover
individual scriptures. I hope it is clear that my goal is not to
perform deep analysis on the scripture and provide the only lesson
from it. My goal is to provide insights which I believe are true
and are represented in the scripture. Equally important lessons
could be taught from this scripture about honesty, faith, humility,
absolute truth, and various other doctrinal points. For example,
the concept of freedom here is parallel to other concepts that we
recognize in other spheres of life. In this way I hope that God can
use this message to draw us ever closer to his loving Spirit. As we
humbly submit to Him, he shows us that which is greatest importance
and has the most power over us eternally. Ultimately, His grace is
sufficient for us. Let us all celebrate in Christ together. He
overcame death and hell so that we, through faith, can receive His
greatest blessings.
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