May 19, 2019
Bible verses for Meditation:
NRSV
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about
whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of
Joseph from Nazareth.”
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him,
“Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”
NABRE
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one
about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son
of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
46 But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from
Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is
a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.”
Meditation:
Is there deceit in your heart?
I find it very interesting that the thing that Jesus uses to praise Nathaniel is this question. Is he honest in his own heart? If there is no duplicity or deception inside of us then we don’t tell ourself false stories about our actions or the true desires of our hearts. We can be honest about our temptations, not justify our sin but be honest with God and ourselves about what our challenges are. Honesty does not require us to proclaim every secret we have to every person we meet but it does me we aren’t two faced.
Most people strugle with some form of duplicity. Are you the same person at church as you are at work, or out with your friends? Like he did with Nathanial, God is calling you to something greater. He has more for us than the small and fragmented lives we make for ourselves. As we allow the love of God into our heart we don’t need to fear being totally brutally honest with God and then relying on His power to heal us and help us overcome the darkness we are fighting against.
God values our honesty so much that he does not force us to do it. He values the faith it requires for us to dump out all the darkness in our hearts before His feet with openness and trust that he will not reject us for it. We can be prepared to understand that he will want us not to hold on to the darkness anymore. Something that I think our culture is getting wrong is that we should not be seeking to do what feels good. Sometimes being honest with our own failings can be scary and it doesn't feel good. As we place our focus on aligning our hearts with God instead of what feels good, we clean the wound and allow our hearts to draw ever nearer to the love and peace of God which surpass all understanding.
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 f rom 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:
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Updates:
Final Question:
How has your life been blessed by service?
Final Thought:
Decide today that you will cease all duplicity. No more will you
fragment your identity. Remove the walls in your mind and allow
yourself to be the same person but don’t stay that person. Allow
God’s grace to change you. Allow it to heal you. There is no fear
greater than the joy of being loved by the most powerful God. He
loves you even as you learn to turn your back on the demons that
may surround you. When you feel fear instead feel his love. When
you feel discouraged focus on his love and grace. He accepts us
with our current struggles, all the while asking us to follow him
to something better. He leads us to sill waters and by greener
pastures. May our faith in Him grow as we receive His grace moment
by moment.
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