¶ Introduction to Christian Meditation
Welcome to this week's Guided Christian Meditation . If you're new to the podcast and may not understand our process , may I suggest that you check out episode number 164 . Dan and Sheila from the Deep Dive give an excellent review and explanation about our process . You can also receive our e-book explaining the process of getting started with Christian meditation .
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¶ Why Am I Here Series Begins
Many of us today are confused , frightened , angry and some are even wondering why am I here ? What is the meaning of life ? Today ? Let's begin a series of meditations called, why am I here ? Our topic today answers this question and is about worship . Our scripture is from Matthew , chapter 22 , verse 37 .
But first , proper worship of God requires us to be completely involved and free from sin in mind , body and
¶ Preparing Heart Through Repentance
spirit .
Let's prepare our hearts by repenting of any known sin that might be in our lives , by repeating Psalms 51 , verses 1 through 2 , where it says have mercy upon me , o God , according to thy lovingkindness , according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies , blot out my transgressions , wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin , for I acknowledge
my transgressions and my sin is ever before me . Against thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight . Now that our hearts have been cleaned , we can enter into worship of our Heavenly Father by focusing on Psalms 100 , verses 1 through 3 , where it tells us to shout for joy to the Lord all the earth .
Worship the Lord with gladness , come before him with joyful songs . Take a moment to lift up your voice in praise and thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father , who is worthy of all honor and glory .
¶ Mind and Body Relaxation Exercises
Before we start to reflect on Matthew , chapter 22 , verses 37 , let's prepare our mind by closing our eyes and taking a few deep breaths as we invite the presence of God to fill us . Now take a few deep breaths in for a count of seven , hold the breath for a count of five and slowly exhale for a count of seven . N ow repeat .
Now let's prepare our bodies with muscle relaxation exercises . We will simply tense each muscle group for three seconds and then release the muscle . Remember , don't hold your breath for this portion of the meditation . Let's begin with the calf muscles . Lightly tense the calf muscles for a count of three , now release .
Moving upward to the hamstrings , quads and glutes, lightly tense for three seconds , now release . Moving to the chest and back areas, lightly tense for three seconds , now release . Finally , moving to the arms and shoulders , lightly tense these muscle groups for three seconds , now release .
¶ Reflecting on Matthew 22:37
Now that we've prepared our minds , our bodies and our spirit , let's begin to think about Matthew , chapter 22 , verse 37 , where it says Jesus said unto them, Thou shalt love the Lord , thy God , with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind . This is the first and great commandment .
In this passage , someone has come to Jesus to try and tempt him to say something that could be used against him . Whatever that person's motivation was , Jesus repeats the reason from the Old Testament of why we were created , and that is to love God with every fiber of our being , to love God above everything else in this world , even our own lives .
We are to love God to the point of actual worship , not just as a fleshly human emotion that is subject to change , but with real godly love . Are we to love God more than our children or spouses ? Yes , remember , God is love .
We can't love our children or spouses or anyone else with godly love without first receiving the godly love from him that only he can give . Knowing that you were created with a purpose can bring eternal peace beyond any earthly accomplishment or temporary joy . Let's take three minutes to reflect on the following question: 1) What or who have I placed before God ?
¶ Guided Reflection and Assignment
Repeat the following affirmation for the next 7 days: Thank you , lord , for Thank you me the love to love you the way you deserve to be loved to be loved Again . Again, for giving me the love to love you the way you deserved to be loved . Imagine yourself knowing that you have a purpose and strength to accomplish that purpose .
See yourself walking in peace and confidence , knowing this . Imagine . radiant glow on your face . Our assignment , our assignment Listen . daily until it becomes permanent in your spirit . Search out other scriptures that the promptings of God talk about the worship of God .
Now, take the next 10 minutes to sit in silence and listen for the promptings heart and believe that he created you because he loves you . Amen Amen
No-transcript .