Jun 13, 2021

342 Be Prepared to Give The Reason for Your Hope, A Guided Christian Meditation on 1 Peter 3:15-17 with the Recenter With Christ app

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 connecting with God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate, deflate.

Bible verses for Meditation:

15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

NRSV
15 but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you;
16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.
17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil.

Meditation on Scripture:

What testimony do you have to share? One of shame, fear, and insecurity or one of hope, love, and gratitude? What reasons would you give of your hope? Do you follow Christ to gain earthly rewards? This scripture shows us that regardless of what we do in life, we will inevitably encounter hardship. How we act in the middle of this hardship can be a testimony of our faith.

The way we share our faith also indicates how we feel about it. For example when we share our faith because it fills us with hope and joy, that more fully represents how Jesus taught. Jesus didn’t promise earthly blessings, in fact he often taught that our lives will certainly have hardship, but the would be there to help us carry the weight.

Prepare today for a deeper level of trust in Christ. Not that he will give us what we want, but that he will give us what we need. It is better to follow God in hardship then to have a seemingly life of ease without God.

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: In what ways do you struggle with seeing people as objects at times?

Final Thought: God’s plan was meant to try us and to push us to rely on Him.

FIND ME ON:
Download my free app: Recenter with Christ
Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com
Voicemail - (602) 888-3795
Email: jared@christianmeditationpodcast.com
Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast
Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast
Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast
Twitter - @ChristianMedPod