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Jul 18, 2021

352 Be of One Flesh, A Guided Christian Meditation on Ephesians 5:30-33 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:

Ephesians 5:31-33

New American Standard Bible
31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, as for you individually, each husband is to love his own wife the same as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Meditation on Scripture:

I made an emergency visit to San Diego with my work. An extremely devoted husband suddenly had lost his wife. As we spoke I pondered the beautiful thing that was lost. Extremely often in my line of work I find myself giving gratitude for the those in my life that I love, especially my wife.

I am exceptionally aware that many people live life without this in their life through a wide variety of reasons, yet the principles are profoundly instructive. Paul uses devoted marital love as a metaphor for the Love of God over the church. He equates this to a great Mystery. There is a connection between all Love. It is all rooted in Christ’s love.

He then goes a step further to give recommendations to people based on their need, not to set relative value. In the same way the book of Corinthians includes a focus on sexual purity while the book of Hebrews focuses on explaining the symbolic prophecy of Christ. God gives us the concerto we need.

God loves us all and yet each one of us have different needs before the Lord. It is my experience in counseling with couples that husbands more often want more respect in relationships and wives want more love. Paul states that here by way of guidance. God gives us what we need to be challenged and grow but he usually gives guidance we can learn from if we try hard enough.

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: Why did God give you freedom of spirit?

Final Thought: There is a kind of authenticity we can learn from what Paul says here. Intimacy is more than physical, it is emotional and spiritual as well. As we learn to be one with God as it says in John 17 (as Ge is one with the father) we also are one with each other both in intimate relationships, friendships, families, and every other kind of relationship.


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