196 You Are A Letter of Christ Written on The Heart a Guided Christian Meditation on 2 Corinthians 3:3-6

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 change d 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 contacting God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate, deflate.

Bible verses for Meditation:

2 Corinthians 

KJV

3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:

5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

NRSV

2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; 

3 and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 

5 Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, 

6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Meditation on Scripture:

One thing that I hope you grasp about the purpose of this podcast is that it is not meant to simply help you feel a little more calm. Although I belive that is a deep and intentional side effect. The goal is to help us connect with the source of peace, truth and love who is Jesus Christ. Feeling peaceful is not what saves us. The state of mind or heart should not be the end goal. If you notice yourself feeling better as you do these meditations I hope you see that as a valuable stepping stone to a more profound relationship with God. A relationship that invariably will change us. 

 

One key difference that is often mentioned in podcasts such as the Being Well Podcast by Dr. Rick Hansen is moving from the focus of state to trait. In other words trying to develop tendencies toward positive emotions within us. Our relationship with God has the ability to do that, but for all eternity. Our goal should be to write the new covenant of Jesus upon our hearts and that our lives will be a living embodiment of the gospel of Jesus Christ. My hope is that as we hear of these aspirations that we don’t feel fear or guilt. It is God who makes us competent enough to do the things He asks us to do. 

As you are making righteous desires to live your new commitments and goals I ask you to trust God one step more. Instead of being content to have good habits that produce good feelings, look for the deeper change inside of you. It will often be iterative, happening stronger with successive progress. My hope for you is that these changes take root deep inside of you and write God’s law on the fleshy tables of your hearts 

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: What message is written on the tables of your heart?

Final Thought: I believe profoundly in the redemptive power of God. Not only to consign our souls to eternal reward or punishment but also to change us here, to make our lives a closer approximation of the kingdom of God. 

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