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Aug 27, 2017

This week, much of the United States was riveted by the appearance of a total solar eclipse. If you are fatigued on this topic please be patient with me as I feel it is relevant. I drove up to Idaho with my two kids, unfortunately my wife had to work. As the eclipse began, my kids were quite complacent.  Despite the fact that other people had told them of how amazing it would be, they were bored. Ii tried to explain why it was worth the long drive and sleeping in our vehicle but they didn’t grasp the vision. The moment the sun was totally eclipsed was completely stunning to see in person. My children cheered and threw their hands in the air. There is no way that I could have understood it without seeing it. I could stare directly at the sun and see it glowing with a celestial brilliance, but with my own eyes. The glowing beams that surrounded the eclipsed sun was surreal and, at least for me, extremely spiritual. I imagined what it would be like to be able to see Jesus on the mount of transfiguration. I thought of the words of Peter “it is good to be here.” (Luke 9:33) As the smalles part of the sun broke around the edge of the moono I could see it glisten with perfect clarity. As the bright streams of light broke forth as it came out, I didn’t want to look away. I imagined that this was, on a small scale, like wanting to look directly upon the glory of God but wanting to. As we go through this meditation, perhaps one thing you could reflect on is what Joy will fill our hearts as we are received into his glory through Jesus Christ our Savior and why Jesus says this to Nathaniel.

Relaxation is often best to be begun with introspection. As you sit comfortably, look inside of your body. What tensions are there in you, and where are they? On the positive side, where is there a gleam of God’s glory poking through allowing its light to be shown? Allow your breathing to slow. Be very minful about the air comming in. You are preparing your heart to read the words that God spoke through the spirit.  Gently fill your stomach with air. As you breath deeply, you feel your body relaxing.

Luke 9:33 And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.

Continue to breath deeply as I read these verses of the bible for meditation. Imagine what message stands out to you as you listen to them.

Bible verse for meditation:

John 1:48-51 - KJV The calling of Nathanael

48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Reflect on that message.

As I read from another version look for similarities and differences.  See how this contributes to the message you heard the first time.

John 1:48-51 -  ESV

48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”

51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

Meditation on scripture / bible verse for meditation:

As you were hearing this verse, what message stuck out to you?

Continue to remain relaxed and allow yourself to focus on the message you got from scripture.

This describes when Jesus called Nathaniel to be one of his primary disciples. Nathanial is not naive. When Philip tells him about Jesus he rebuts “can any good thing come from Nazareth?” He knows the prophecies. Phillips response is a powerful one. Come and see. The same option is available to each of us. Come and see. Consider what it teaches us as Jesus praises Nathaniel. What is he praised for? He is a true Israelite, but why? Because there is no guile or deceit in him. He has no desire to pretend to be something he isn’t. As Jesus talks of seeing him under the fig tree we don’t have much of a backstory here but this is extremely meaningful to Nathaniel. As Nathaniel was living his life, perhaps in devotion to God under a fig tree, Jesus was aware of him. Now that he is called by Jesus he will see greater things. The heavens opened. What would it look like for the heavens to be open? Spend some time on that thought for a second. As the heavens open and glorious angels are seen ascending and descending how would that feel. From the experiences we see from scriptures such as Moses and others, an experience with God is not intellectual it was spiritual. The feelings associated with such an experience would be so profound. Take stock this moment. How open are you to the guiding light God has placed in you? With no deception in your heart consider how willing you are to follow God in whatever he asks you to do despite your own preconceived notions. As we are willing to give up all that we think we are to be closer to Him, His spirit will bless us.

Meditation of Prayer:

Pray as directed by the Spirit.

Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm:

As we sit in quiet, Imagine how it would feel to sit before the open heavens and watch angels ascend and descend to Jesus Christ.

Meditate and Visualize Positive Change in Your Life:

Take the message that you gained from God’s word as you continue to allow his breath cleanse you. What message has solidified in your mind?

Remember that you can use your own experience, reason, but more importantly scripture and the Spirit of God to bounce this idea off.

I invite you to imagine how this message would play out in your life.  What behaviors would change if you lived your life, with the knowledge that this thing is true.  Imagine at least one specific thing that you could do today or tomorrow based on this message. Fully visualize this.  What would it look like in your life?  What positive things could you do, or what would happen around you, knowing that this thing was true?

Visualize the change

Conclusion:

Thanks for joining me.

I release a new episode every Sunday morning at 1AM Mountain time in the US.

You can help someone feel the peace you experienced here by sharing this podcast with those you care about.

First Patreon donation: Michelle. Requested more King James Version. It was because of this that I now decided to include two different translations. I’m hoping that this will enhance our understanding of the content of the message.

I had my first patreon subscriber Michelle mentioned how she loves the KJV. As I was trying to decide this week’s episode and what version of scripture to use. I realized that I could use two different versions. So when we get to that section I will use two.

On Itunes: Mtnbikechick

“Meditation really helps me with anxiety, which unfortunately seems to have gotten worse as I have gotten older. Being a Christian, I wanted a faith based meditation. I just found this, and it’s been very helpful.”  

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