888 My Grace Is Sufficient, A Guided Christian Meditation on 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 with the Recenter With Christ app

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: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod

ESV 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

888 My Grace Is Sufficient, A Guided Christian Meditation on 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 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 12:7-10 KJV 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. ESV 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Reflection on Scripture: Today I gave an invocation prayer for an event for an organization that supports military service members. The person who runs it has done some really amazing things for the servicemembers I have worked with in the past so I was glad to support. The main speaker was a man who served in Vietnam in many incredibly brutal situations. He had led his men in combat and now was telling some of these stories for the first time ever. He was a powerful speaker but it was clear he was working through challenging memories. He was very determined but each person, regardless of their strength, struggles with things. Most of the time we have no decision or input on what thing it is that will challenge us most. This man harnessed that fear of telling his story resulting in a profoundly moving speech.  Paul was not immune to having struggles and even one that he felt extremely vexed by. Paul had amazing visions and gifts from God, and yet he struggled in ways that had him imploring God for help. And yet God did not give it in the way that Paul asked for. Without even knowing yoru situation I can guess that you have things that at times feel heavy for you to bear. Perhaps that is rare or incredibly frequent. If you are being honest though you have troubles. This is the message from God. Use that weakness to draw you closer to God and accept that all things can work together for the good of those who love God.There can be strength in that weakness. It reminds us of our need for God. God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. WE are shown the Mercy of God most when we need it. We may be a way off from what  Many times we see only struggle and we dont see the good it does in us. Embrace the truth Paul teaches. WE can rejoice in the perfection of God. Just because you don't get to choose your struggle doesn't mean you have no choice in how to work through it. The resounding solution to that question is found in this scripture. Trust God. Lean on His strength and He will make you stronger than you could imagine  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: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod

NIV 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

886 We Have Heard For Ourselves, A Guided Christian Meditation on John 4:37-42 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 John 4 NIV 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." RSV 39 Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me everything I have done." 40 When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 Many more began to believe in him because of his word, 42 and they said to the woman, "We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world." Reflection on Scripture: The Samaritan woman at the well shared her simple faith in Jesus. That was enough to peak the interest of the whole location where she lived. Yet it was not this testimony that saved. It was Jesus. His presence. His spirit. His words. When the people had heard Jesus themselves, then they came to understand and have faith. Then they heard it for themselves. This is what we all need. As you spend time in scripture, in prayer, in worship, in meditation, you turn your attention from just hearing other people's experience with God and you begin to have your own, or you deepen your own experience. No matter who you are and what spiritual connection you have had with God, to get lax in this area. When this happens we miss out on the beauty and peace that come from proximity to the influence of God's word in our life.  Why on earth would we not graciously drink from the cool water of life that God offers. God offers you His love? How often do you drink of it? How often do you let it flow by without savoring it? Do you constantly feed your faith in God with deep and meaningful personal experience with God's spirit and His words? Go to the source of truth, the source of peace, the source of power and strength.  Take this mediation as a recommittal to spend time with God. Don't outsource your faith. Don't defer what you hold to be true to someone who had their own spiritual experience. Go to God. Go to His word. Go to God in prayer. By all means learn from the wise and learned people, but your faith must grow from within you. The fact that someone else has profound knowledge that has fed their own faith will not be enough for you until you put your focus to grow the roots of your own faith deeper inside of yourself. THen as that faith grows you can constantly nourish it with more knowledge from wise sources.  Many times we see  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: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod

NASB 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33 So the disciples were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" 34 Jesus *said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. 35 Do you not say, 'There are still four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields, that they are white for harvest.

884 The Field Is Ready To Harvest, A Guided Christian Meditation on John 4:31-35 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 John 4 KJV KJV 31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. NASB 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33 So the disciples were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" 34 Jesus *said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. 35 Do you not say, 'There are still four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields, that they are white for harvest. Reflection on Scripture: Jesus first used water to describe the gospel to the woman and now to his disciples he uses the analogy of food. God's love and word is more eternally satisfying than food and water and we should equally hunger and thirst for it. The disciples struggled to understand as is often the case but he was not only teaching them the value of God's word but also something else. There are times when we work hard for good things and feel as though we dont see the natural results of that hard work. It is also the case at other times you receive blessings beyond what you deserve. This is true in the work of sharing the gospel. Sometimes we pour out our hearts to others about our love for God and what he has done and we plant the seed. Other times we see the tail end of the conversation. The important thing to notice is that the only way we see any part of it, is if we are involved in the work of the field. There are likely people you care for who you wish you could help to come closer to God and to choose Him. Do the best you can with your role with that person. Perhaps you are the seed planter and perhaps you are the harvester. That is not within your control.  Ultimately as with sharing the gospel as in all other areas of life, we do not get what we deserve. And praise the grace of a loving God that we dont. I am so very grateful that I dont get what I deserve because I am a flawed and fallen man. My efforts of sharing the gospel and many other things are so flawed, and yet God takes those incomplete and messed up efforts and he perfects them for His purposes. Do the best you can to live what God puts on your heart and then trust the rest to Him. In every case, dont worry, you wont get what you deserve.  Many times we see  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: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod

NIV 27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?" 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?" 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him

882 He Told Me Everything I Did, A Guided Christian Meditation on John 4:27-30 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 John 4 NIV 27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?" 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?" 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. NLT 27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, "What do you want with her?" or "Why are you talking to her?" 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 "Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?" 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him. Reflection on Scripture: This woman did not know about the cross or resurrection. She had an almost nonexistent Christology. She did not know exactly what the Messiah would do. It is pretty clear she didn't know Jesus was even the Savior, as that wasn't a common Jewish understanding of Messiah. The thing that makes this story so meaningful to me is what she does with the information she has. In John 9 Jesus tells the Pharisees would not be guilty if they were truly blind but they claimed to see. This woman was still blind in very important ways of understanding what Jesus would do for her, yet her approach to the truth, to Jesus as the way, was phenomenal. She believed and trusted Jesus. It can be valuable to look for the lessons in the scriptures that are for us also. Each one of us has more information than this woman. We have the advantage of having the full account of Jesus and his saving effort. We get to see stories of him in so many situations teaching. We hear his full message of love to many different situations. We have the stories of His miracles. We see the impact of the cross and the resurrection. And what do we do with that information? This woman had such limited information about Jesus, yet she invested herself in that message. The believed Jesus and attempted to share that. How blessed we are that we get to live in a time where Jesus is known across the globe. Certainly not be every person, but to billions of people. Sometimes I have thought that it would be amazing to live in the time of Jesus to get to see him, yet I think we are so blessed now to have a much deeper understanding of Jesus. The question that remains, what do we do with that knowledge? The most important knowledge of all? Many times we see  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: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod

NET 24 God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." 25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (the one called Christ); "whenever he comes, he will tell us everything." 26 Jesus said to her, "I, the one speaking to you, am he."