A Meditation For Peace Transcending Understanding

This week I rediscovered a wonderful spiritual practice that I would like to share with you. Worshipping the Lord can be joyfully all encompassing, but I personally have a very difficult time prying my attention away from all of the stressors in my life. Worries and fears steal our attention until it is hard to give the Lord our focus. I encourage you to find a quiet place, close your other tabs, and spend a little time entering into God's transcendent peace.

1. Find a Quiet Place.

   "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." -Matthew 6:6
2. Place your heavy concerns in God's hands (prayer and petition). Pray, “ Dear Jesus I give you ______.” Start with the big relationships, responsibilities, and ambitions. Feel yourself lighten as your burdens are lain down.

   "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -Philippians 4:6

3. Place your lighter concerns in God's hands with the same prayer, “ Dear Jesus I give you ______.” Continue to feel your burden lifted

   "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" - Matthew 11:28

4. Place your blessing in God's hands with the same prayer, “ Dear Jesus I give you ______."

    "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." - Matthew 11:29

5. As you've surrendered your defence mechanisms and securities you may begin to feel vulnerable. When you're ready, and have laid down as many burdens as you can think of, lay down in the hand of God. Pray, “Dear Jesus I give you myself.” 

   "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:30

6. Rest here. (Be still and know . . . )

   "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth" - Psalm 46:10

   
   

   

   Quiet, Please by: Umberto Fistarol

RE: Psalm 32 & Lectio Divina

Photo By: BabaSteve

Lectio Divina

If you’re familiar with Lectio Divina, pick a verse or two from Psalm 32 and enjoy it.  However, if you’re unfamiliar with Lectio Divina, then I'm afraid your life is woefully incomplete.  Don’t worry though; it is easy to learn, and will enrich the rest of your natural life if you use it.  
 

What's Lectio Divina?

Latin for “Divine Reading” Lectio Divina is a Christian practice of meditation that dates back to the third century.

Why Should I Meditate?

If God commanding his people to mediate on his word (Joshua 1:8) isn’t enough motivation for you then go ahead and check out some articles about the benefits of meditation in Psychology Today, MIT News, or The Houston Chronicler.  Meditation is really good for you in almost every conceivable way; as the more has been learned about mediation more and more health experts have been promoting it.  A lot of Christians are wary of meditation because some eastern religions teach meditation.  Some eastern religions also teach compassion, but this would be a very bad reason for us to throw away our long history of compassion.  In fact there is no excuse for a Christian not to practice compassion; God commanded it, and he commands meditation as well (Colossians 3:12).

How Do I Mediate?

Honestly the Wikipedia entry on Lectio Divina is pretty good, but just in case that’s too much history and jargon for you I’ve broken it down for you real simply:

To Practice Lectio Divina:

Prepare

Clear your mind and environment of distractions.  Turn off your music and close your other tabs.  Break deeply and be aware of your thoughts.

Read

Read a verse or two.  I recommend Psalm 32:1 for today.  Read your selection repeatedly, and allow it to fill your thoughts.

Reflect

Turn the verse over in your mind, looking at it from new perspectives.  What does it mean?  What is God saying to you today?

Pray

Pray.  React in prayer to the verse or verse you just read and thought about.  Praise God, make requests, and voice anxieties.  God is listening.

Contemplate

Be still and know the Lord is God.  Be quiet.  God hears your prayers and he answers them.  He loves you very much and is with you.

RE: Psalm 30

While sitting at my desk I got an unexpected and alarming phone call. My father-in-law was calling me to inform me that his car, which he'd given Beth and I the use of, had been towed and was quickly accumulating a staggering load of fines. I almost cried after I hung up the phone. I had been planning on paying taxes that day, taxes we could barely afford to pay off. I had no idea what we were going to do, and I was in no mood to pray, or to reflect on how God has always provided, nor was I inclined to remember the scripture I had just read about God's promise to provide. I didn't want to act wise or self-controlled; I wanted to punch things and yell. Thank God my boss noticed something was wrong and prayed with me before I had time to embarrass myself.

Photo Credit: HAWK Takahashi

Things worked out splendidly and I've no intention of explaining how.  I will say that God provided and that a few things which were at least as unexpected as an impounded car helped save the day. Right now everything is fine, situations are resolved and the song in my heart is Psalm 30, but next time I find myself in what appears to be a hopeless situation, I pray I can remember the lilies of the field.

Jesus Clean's House

“And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

-Matthew 21:12-13

Angry Jesus is angry. Throughout the gospels Jesus was patient with adulterers, tax collectors, and roman soldiers. While he occasionally got short with judgmental religious leaders we see a new side of Jesus in the temple. He is outraged. Jesus does not indulge folks who place barriers between God and man. Jesus came to remove every barrier between God and man.

Challenge: I don't have a challenge for you today. Enjoy your day as one redeemed, knowing that God loves you, watches over you, and will never let anything come between you and him.

Parable Of A Lost Sheep - 3rd Tuesday In Lent

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?  And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.  In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”

-Matthew 18:12-14

    Imagine a scrappy young man with a black eye and scraped knees.  Imagine that this disinherited youth has felt the pangs of hunger, the shame of poverty, and knows what it is to have others look down their noses at him.  He knows what it is like to be hit by someone who hits just to feel strong.  This sort of young man, a person acquainted with abuse and suffering will sometimes gain an incredible drive to protect the weak.  Having known much pain, he will strive with all his being to save his loved ones from the pain he has known.
    This is what our savior is like.  The Anointed One, through whom all things were made, has an unparalleled relentless hero streak that is beyond human reckoning.  He is not interested in making a mere show of mercy, but is actually willing that none should perish.

Challenge:  Reflect on your rebellions against our merciful God.  Know that God does not remember those rebellions.  You are covered in Christ's blood, and there is no second death awaiting you.  Jesus Christ has sought you out and found you.  God rejoices over you.

Parable Of The Talents - 3rd Sunday In Lent

Read Matthew 25:14-30

This Jesus scares me. I, a Lutheran, cling tightly to the grace of God and the Gospel that says there is nothing I may do to merit the favor of God. What's going on in this parable then? I'm pretty sure Jesus just told a story where successful people were rewarded and less successful people where rewarded, but not at much. How is that grace?

Well, for starters the man with the smallest amount entrusted to him was given what amounted to twenty years wages. Twenty years wages he didn't merit by his work, twenty years wages he did not deserve or earn. Which starts to sound like grace.

So the master returns and asks what the servant has done with his trust, and he's done nothing. He buried it. He literally didn't even receive the gift. He hid it, and refused to let it change how he lived or worked. He couldn't choose whether or not his master gave him anything, but he could refuse to let the gift change him. Now it starts to sound like the gospel we know.

Just like each servant received a gift, we've each received God's grace, forgiveness, and a portion of his Spirit for good measure. Some have receive more and some have receive less (since whoever is forgiven much loves much (Luke 7:47), but Christ has in fact died for the sins of the world and given all people his love. He's given you a great gift. What will you do with it?

The Challenge: Have you let God's deposit of love change you or have you hid it away and resisted being changed by God's gift to you? If you have resisted, take a load off; rest and repent. There is always forgiveness for us, though we are free to refuse it. Accept God's staggeringly generous gift of grace. Revel in it, celebrate it, and treasure it. It will produce growth in you.

Persecution

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12)

One morning while I sat in eighth grade history class, a group of misguided men, desperate to get into heaven, piloted a pair of airplanes into the World Trade Center towers. These men believed it was noble to be killed for their faith and that God would reward them. Instead of living right lives and turning the other cheeks to persecution, these men sought out a death they believed would bring a reward. They threw their lives away to hurt their enemies. Sadly I’ve met Christians with a similar attitude.

Many throw away their witness for the sake of baiting persecution. They brag about how angry people get with them, but being rejected is not the same as being persecuted. To share the rules of God without sharing love will guarantee persecution, but no reward from God. These evangelists speak harshly instead of with loving kindness and respect; they rejoice when their message is rejected flippantly, imagining they’ve earned a better resurrection.

To share Christ must be to share his selfless love. To preach without love is to preach something other than the gospel. If you share God’s word for social status, for self-improvement or to earn a better resurrection, you’ve missed the point. No such person belongs on a soapbox. They belong back at the foot of the cross. Only when pride and ambition have fallen off can such a person share the gospel in all its selfless, unconditional and life changing power.

RE: Psalm 24

This psalm has changed my life. God has used it to confront me with the reality of my forgiveness. “If the son sets you free you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). God is done counting my sin against me; he has atoned for my failures (John 19:29). If your hope is in Christ than the same is true for you. There is nothing that can separate you from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). You can stand on his holy hill because you have clean hands and a pure heart; Jesus has given them to you.

The Boy Who Roars

In the day care next door there is a boy who roars.

A myriad of bright plastic toys and huge picture books litter the floor in the office-turned-daycare, but without exception he will dress up in a stretchy ninja costume and roar at people. He bothers me. The roaring in itself is not so distracting. The kids who weep, scream, and laugh don’t disturb me, but the roaring boy makes me angry, sad, and afraid.

I roared when I was a kid and was pretty violent. I roared when I felt threatened, weak or scared because I thought if other kids feared me they wouldn’t hurt me. Maybe that kid roars for the same that reasons I did; he may just think he’s a lion. That is possible for a six year old. But I hit, scratched, and bit for the same reasons that I roared. I’m certain I would have been expelled if I’d gone to a public school. I’m even more certain that without Christ I’d have gotten worse.

Christian, from Moulin Rouge says, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” Whether or not it’s the greatest, it has certainly been among the hardest to learn. Since I was a kid I’ve been scared people would hurt me if I wasn’t powerful; so I’ve roared, argued, grown big beards, learned big words, and hidden in the back.

Living out of fear is not God’s plan for me (1 John 4:18). I’ve gotten better and am still improving. God is changing me (Philippians 1:6). He’s teaching me to love and to be loved. I learned as a child that Jesus loved me (John 3:16); I learned in high school that God’s love was unconditional (Romans 8:38). I learned in college that loving someone meant lowering defences (1 Corinthians 13:7). Now I’m learning to submit to God's love by loving the most unlovable person, myself (Mark 12:31).

It’s hardest to love yourself because you know what you’ve done. We know what we're like, but loving ourselves is an absolute must if we don’t want to roar any more. Don't be content to live in fear; God says we don’t have to be (Philippians 4:6). We don’t need to be powerful to be safe in the God’s hand. His love is sufficient to comfort, his strength sufficient to protect.

Baby Elephant by: wwarby

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. –Luke 12:32