Feb 11, 2023
516 I Will Give You The Crown Of Life - Letter to Smyrna, a Guided Christian Meditation on Revelation 2:9-11 with the Recenter With Christ app
The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in your life and connect with the true source of peace, Jesus Christ.
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.
Scripture for Meditation
Revelation 2
ESV
9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and
the slander[a] of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but
are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to
suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into
prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have
tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown
of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to
the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second
death.’
NABRE
9 “I know your tribulation and poverty, but you are rich. I
know the slander of those who claim to be Jews and are not, but
rather are members of the assembly of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of
anything that you are going to suffer. Indeed, the devil will throw
some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will face
an ordeal for ten days. Remain faithful until death, and I will
give you the crown of life.
11 “‘“Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the
churches. The victor shall not be harmed by the second death.”’
Meditation:
The message he gives to Smyrna is a difficult one. He tells them to
get ready for hardship. Remember that this vision is of Jesus
himself clothed in white holding the angels of the seven churches
in his hand. He tells them they will suffer hardship but don’t fear
it. This is hard to do. He foretells prison and suffering even unto
death. The struggle is that we feel that if God is all powerful
then he will ensure that the good are saved from prison. We
sometimes even say that we understand that sometimes bad things
happen to the righteous but when bad things happen to us we still
struggle with it. This is a natural human response.
The all powerful risen Lord did not say he would cause these bad things to happen. He did however say he would give them a crown of life if they were faithful unto death. The struggle is that none of us fully understand how wonderful the crown of life is. We have no context for it. I remember embarrassing moments for me when I was a kid and I chuckle at them. Who is to say how we will see the difficulties of this life in one million years from now as we sit surrounded by love crowned with life
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: In what ways do you thirst for God?
Final Thought:
Saint Fransis said preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words. One of the most powerful ways we can reflect the light and life of God is by imitating Christ in our life.
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