Christian Meditation Podcast

894 Honor the Lord with Substance and Discipline, A Guided Christian Meditation on Proverbs 3:9-12 with the Recenter With Christ app
The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in  and connect with the true source of peace, Jesus Christ. 
Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization.
 You can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tense or unrelaxing.  If you feel comfortable doing 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
Proverbs 3:9-12
NIV
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,
    with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
    and your vats will brim over with new wine.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline,
    and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
    as a father the son he delights in.
RSV
9 Honor the Lord with your substance
    and with the first fruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
    and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline
    or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
    as a father the son in whom he delights.
and refreshment to your inner self.
Reflection on Scripture:
These two stanzas go together well. Let's reflect on the first. What is the purpose of the substance we have? What can our wealth do for us in the long run? What about beyond 100 years? On an eternal scale it is very limited and has no impact other than where we set our heart. If we learn to prioritize God above the things of the world, to include finances, we are in a far better situation to be able to learn what God wants to teach us. I think this message is valuable in times of plenty but in difficult economic times, this message is even more valuable. What would you pay for a better eternal relationship with God? What would someone pay for their own soul?
Now the second Stanza, in modern society discipline is often presented as a negative or a necessary evil. And yet the scripture is very pro discipline. I was talking with someone close to me outside my immediate family and I was talking with them about things that werent going the best in their life. I had a very specific moment where I had to decide how truthful to be with them. Not that I had to decide to lie or not, but I had to decide to intentionally bring up uncomfortable conversation that was absolutely not necessary for my happiness. There is a pattern in that person's life I felt I should highlight for them because it was negatively impacting other relationships for them. I remember at that moment specifically choosing to engage in that lengthy emotionally exhausting and uncomfortable conversation because I cared about that person and I wanted them to do well. My willingness to engage in that discomfort was rooted in care. I wanted nothing from that person other than for them to live a more satisfying life for them and for those around them, but I had no expectation the conversation would help me. 
The Lord cares for us far more than that. If God chooses to correct us it is not out of an unrighteous desire. It is not out of malice or narcissism or any negative outcome or bias. It is because of his raw care and concern for us. When scripture calls us to repentance or others in our life point out how we could be better, our pride fights it, but God's desire for us is that we rejoice in that correction because it will help us. 
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
Final Question: If you consider the invitation and command to persevere in the faith, what change in your life does that bring to your mind? 
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 - @ChristianMedPo

NIV
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
    bind them around your neck,
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
    in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body
    and nourishment to your bones.

892 Everything We Do, Dear Friends, Is For Your Strengthening, A Guided Christian Meditation on Proverbs 3:3-8 with the Recenter With Christ app
The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in  and connect with the true source of peace, Jesus Christ. 
Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization.
 You can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tense or unrelaxing.  If you feel comfortable doing 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
Proverbs 3:3-8
NIV
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
    bind them around your neck,
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
    in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body
    and nourishment to your bones.
NET
3 Do not let mercy and truth leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will find favor and good understanding,
in the sight of God and people.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding.
6 Acknowledge him in all your ways,
and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own estimation;
fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 This will bring healing to your body,
and refreshment to your inner self.
Reflection on Scripture:
I have been thinking a great deal about the state of modern culture. What the mindset of the world is. I have been increasingly confused to see people who profess faith in Jesus become attached to one cultural idea or another in a way that seems to mirror religious devotion. One very profound goal of our meditations can and perhaps should be, to focus on the content of this scripture as a remedy for this idea. What do you hold to with undue ferocity? Perhaps the easy answer is faith in God. There seems to be no major problem with that, provided it doesn't cause us to hate others. It is perfectly acceptable even to maintain a perspective about certain behavior we should aim for, even while refusing to hate others. 
I think at all times we should be suspicious of the perspective that the world serves us. Perhaps from the news, politics, social media. Each of these sources are so thoroughly corrupted by the mindset of our fallen world that as believers we should be incredibly hesitant to believe them with anywhere near the ferocity we would place in the God of heaven. A politician should always take a backseat compared to a prophet. Influencers should have far less influence over us than God's word. 
At this moment I invite you to sit in calm meditation, carefully examining. May each of us not let mercy and truth leave us. May we have them written on the table of our heart. May we acknowledge that we should hold up God's wisdom above the wisdom of the world. We should be willing, at every moment, to turn from the consensus of the voices of the world and turn toward the wisdom of God who will give us good understanding. May we acknowledge him in every way and may he direct our paths for good. 
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
Final Question: If you consider the invitation and command to persevere in the faith, what change in your life does that bring to your mind? 
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

14 Look, for the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you, because I do not want your possessions, but you. For children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 Now I will most gladly spend and be spent for your lives! If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But be that as it may, I have not burdened you. Yet because I was a crafty person, I took you in by deceit!

890 I Spend My Life in God's Service, A Guided Christian Meditation on 2 Corinthians 12:14-16 with the Recenter With Christ app
The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in  and connect with the true source of peace, Jesus Christ. 
Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization.
 You can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tense or unrelaxing.  If you feel comfortable doing 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
2 Corinthians 12:14-16
KJV
14 Now I am ready to come to you this third time. And I will not be a burden, for I want not what is yours, but you. Children ought not to save for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 I will most gladly spend and be utterly spent for your sakes. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But granted that I myself did not burden you, yet I was crafty and got the better of you by deceit.
14 Look, for the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you, because I do not want your possessions, but you. For children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 Now I will most gladly spend and be spent for your lives! If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But be that as it may, I have not burdened you. Yet because I was a crafty person, I took you in by deceit!
Reflection on Scripture:
I was counseling with a person one time and they felt devalued by their spouse and they were talking about prioritizing themselves more. I have heard this repeated often. In that moment, I felt an internal conflict, or perhaps better said I felt the weight of the balance that Paul presents in these previous verses regarding his equality with other apostles. On the one hand he is no less valuable, and on the other, he is equally a fallen person. 
So one side is that we need to learn to not hate ourselves because that is a lie from the enemy, yet the solution to that is not to focus more on ourselves that is an influence from our unhealthy culture. Jesus taught us to love and serve others. He also told us to love others as ourselves. Other people are no more important but no less important than you are. I don't think in general the world has a shortage of people thinking about themselves. Learning to focus more on ourselves is often not the way to resolve these feelings. If we are willing to serve God would that also not be serving God's children. 
I think the solution to feeling devalued is to truly understand the value God places in us and now that we feel His love, that we look to Jesus for what he wants us to do with this stronger feeling of value and love. As two examples, consider a situation in which both people in a marriage feel as though they are not being focused on and loved enough. It is possible for both people to feel devalued at the same time. The solution to this problem would not be for both partners to focus on themselves more, but to learn how to receive unconditional love from God. Once fed by the love of God we can help to more clearly connect with another person and appropriately negotiate with our spouse on how to feel more loved from them. This is a profound oversimplification but consider it a metaphor. 
Another example is for people who struggle with social anxiety, if we transition to helping other people feel at ease in social settings it can actually lower our anxiety more than trying to put ourselves at ease. Again both of these are oversimplifications but they are examples. So take Pauls statement here about how he remains dedicated to the Church and try and discern how God wants you to balance your dedication? 
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
Final Question: If you consider the invitation and command to persevere in the faith, what change in your life does that bring to your mind? 
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