Dec 22, 2019
190 For This Was I Born A Guided Christian Meditation on John 18:37-39
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:
KJV
37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus
answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and
for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness
unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my
voice.
38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this,
he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him
no fault at all.
39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the
passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the
Jews?
NIV
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I
was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.
Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to
the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge
against him.
39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at
the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of
the Jews’?”
Meditation on Scripture:
I have loved this passage of scripture for a long time. As we remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this scripture puts it into focus. His birth had a purpose. The light came into the world and the world did not receive it. Something that we can ask ourselves this season is an amended version of what Pilate asked. Instead of trying to figure out if Jesus is a king. We should try and figure out if he is THE king, more specifically, is he YOUR king. This can be a heavy yet deeply meaningful question. Do we live in such a way that shows that Jesus is our king? If we claim to trust and believe Him but then don’t follow him he isn't much of a king. Regardless of how we interpret the role of the spirit in our purification one thing is clear from scripture, Jesus wants us to follow him. It is not enough to philosophically be comfortable with God’s truth. We need to embody it. You can almost here the futility in Pilates words when he questions what is truth. He tries to free Jesus in some vague way but when it comes down to it, he does not accept Jesus as HIS king.
Another thing that strikes me about this scripture is the certainty that Jesus had about his own purpose. As he was being falsely accused he firmly understood that that current hardship was part of his purpose. This passage inspires me to seek resolution of purpose. I have a deep desire to know what God would want for my life. In the meantime we take the best action we can or the best action we are motivated to. During this time of celebration I ask that you spend some time with God in prayer and meditation. Wrestle with the question, is Jesus your King, and if so how could you show that? It is my belief that as we make the best efforts we are capable of in our fallen state, that God’s grace moves in us and can fill us with purpose to carry us through. I encourage you to seek from God to know how to more purposefully live your life. In the absence of any hard answer take the 2 great commandments as your guide. Love God, and love your neighbor. By love we dedicate ourselves to service to God and our fellow humans.
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:
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Updates:
Final Question: Do you live your life purposefully with Jesus as your King?
Final Thought: I deeply hope that during this season that you will find deeper devotion to the relationships that are most important. My greatest hope for you is that you draw nearer to God both in good times and in bad. Both in busy times and lonely ones. In times of mourning and times of celebration. In times of light and while walking through the dark. Remember that Jesus is your king. He understands your needs better than you do. As the passage of time washes away the confusion and absolutist assumptions that we wrongly hold at times I truly believe that this life will be the greatest school house for Grace that we could have imagined. As we attempt to walk with God we may not feel Him by our side the whole time, but when it is all done and we are kneeling before Him we will finally come to understand what Grace truly means as we see how His plan has saved us and purified us.
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