Nov 7, 2021

384 Grace Trains Us to Say “No” to Ungodliness, A Guided Christian Meditation on Titus 2:11-14 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:

Colossians 1

Titus 2
NIV
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

NABRE
11 For the grace of God has appeared, saving all 12 and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, 13 as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good.

Meditation on Scripture:

The scriptures make it clear that Grace does far more than forgive us at the last second as we attempt to sneak into heaven. In the incomprehensible mercy of God, God chose to do more with His grace than this. I think as believers and followers of Christ we rightly are quite interested in understanding the nature of salvation. We understand that it is by the Grace of God that we overcome sin. What’s more, this is not something that waits until the last moment. This scripture seems to teach an important nuance in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that Grace both redeems us but also provides strength to resist evil and gain mastery over our fallen human nature. God is interested in bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. How is this done? As we patiently await reunion with Christ, grace teaches us self-control. Imagine what the world would look like if all humans at once rejected ungodliness and lived free of evil. I believe this is God’s invitation to us.

This scripture shows us that grace teaches us, it instructs us with the goal of getting us to reject earthly desires and ungodly things. To what end does God do this? Must we rush in to explain that God can forgive all that ungodliness anyway and therefore that ungodliness doesn't matter? In our strong desire to fully embrace the impact of grace in our lives, we trust that it is through His grace that we are able to be forgiven and also educated in godliness. This trust then allows us to let go of shame and embrace the Love of God. We can receive the redeeming love only He can offer. We can look our sin directly in the face with the faith that our sins won't overwhelm the grace of God, and that with his help we can remove it from our actions. Beyond that, grace continues its work in us.

What lessons have you learned from Grace? Have you learned how to embrace the Kingdom of Heaven in your heart? Can you say at this moment that you have learned perfect self-control? I know that I cannot make that claim. As such, we have more to learn from Grace. As we truly place our faith in him, He will continue to lead us and teach us. He purifies all those who trust him as their Savior and then leads us as we remain steadfast in faith.

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 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: What have you learned from God’s grace? What do you hope to learn from God’s grace?

Final Thought:

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