817 Free Form Christian Meditation on Luke 2:1-3 with the Recenter With Christ app

820 And An Angel of the Lord Appeared to Them, A Guided Christian Meditation on Luke 2:7-9 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 to do 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 Luke 2  NIV 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. NASB 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night.9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. Reflection on Scripture: God does not need your validation. He doesn't need human clout. The Son of God was laid in a food box for animals instead of a bassinet or crib. Jesus did not use his influence to avoid personal hardship. God doesn't need human legitimacy. He didn't send his son to a golden throne but was born during a tax audit during a time of subjugation of Gods people.  Then instead of sending word to the kings and emperors of the world he shared the news with humble shepherds. He didn't need the approval of nations and people. He had angels to declare the glorious message. I don't think we recognize this in our lives.  God doesn't need the approval of the world. He doesn't need to convince the world. He rules the heavens and has power to crush or burn the earth. He chooses to allow us to know about plans. He uses whatever means he chooses. The same applies to your life. He doesn't need our validation. He doesn't need your effort but rather we should glorify God because he is worthy of it.  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 4 Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was rbetrothed to him, and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

818 He Belonged to the House And Line of David, A Guided Christian Meditation on Luke 2:4-6 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 to do 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 Luke 2  NASB 4 Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was rbetrothed to him, and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. NIV 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, Reflection on Scripture: As we mentioned last week, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This fulfills the prophecy in  Micah 5:2  "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,     though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me     one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,     from ancient times." As we read in Micah The one who will rule over Israel will come from Bethlehem. This is the city in which David was born. David was anointed to become the King and as a child fought Goliath. God chose his leader in David. Jesus came to Bethlehem in order to have a mirroring of the role of King of Israel, just as its most famous king. Jesus was to be the eternal King of Israel. He is the prophesied Messiah. The chosen one who would come to rule We recognize that Jesus is the savior of the world. Who took upon him our Sin, yet also he is the eternal King. He is the King of Kings. Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. As we honor God, let us never forget that Jesus is our King, our true ruler in heaven and for all eternity. For this reason we celebrate His birth. We celebrate the coming of the King. He is the fulfilment of prophecy. He was destined to do what he did, from the very beginning. You can trust a God who designed the universe and then after he was Done with that, created us, and also created a plan. God is way ahead of you. What is happening in your life is not a surprise to Him and it will not derail your path of sanctification if you turn to Him.  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  

KJV 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

816 There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, A Guided Christian Meditation on Luke 2:1-3 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 to do 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 Luke 2  KJV 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. NIV 1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. Reflection on Scripture: With the coming of Christmas in several weeks I wanted to focus on the Birth of Christ. Luke 1 focuses on the foretelling of the birth of Jesus and the different testimonies of his divinity. Luke 2 here starts at an interesting spot. It begins with the Romans. This provides a very interesting question. Why did the Romans form the basis for the birthplace of Jesus? It seems that Jesus could have chosen to be born anywhere. He could have made it a deeply theological one as to where he was born, yet her the justification of why Jesus was born in Bethlehem came down to the decisions of Romans, who were gentiles, and were considered enemies to the people of God. Interesting that God chose to fulfill prophecy this way. Just as interesting, why didn't He prophecy something else as to the birthplace? God can fulfill his purposes any way he chooses. We can look to. Just as in times of old, he can chose any means he wants to fulfil his word. Many times in our lives we become convinced that God will only answer things in a certain way, or that good things can only come from good things. Yet God uses the oppression of his people and the respective census to begin the story. God can use bad things in our lives to drive positive change. The real distinction for what makes something good or bad, has more to do with how it causes us to draw near to God. God may have a calling for you, wrapped up in a bad package. The thing that makes it from God is that it draws you to God's light and truth.  Ponder now for a moment the different challenges you face? Might those be opportunities for your story to transition. Might they be the beginning of a story God is forming in your life. The struggle is that you will not know that until it is far too late to act. We must first seek the Kingdom of God. Pursue God and understanding will come later. 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

RSV 39 Again they tried to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. 40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John at first baptized, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him; and they said, "John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true." 42 And many believed in him there.

814 They Attempted Again To Seize Him, But He Escaped Their Clutches, A Guided Christian Meditation on John 10:39-42 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 to do 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 NET 39 Then they attempted again to seize him, but he escaped their clutches. 40 Jesus went back across the Jordan River again to the place where John had been baptizing at an earlier time, and he stayed there. 41 Many came to him and began to say, "John performed no miraculous sign, but everything John said about this man was true!" 42 And many believed in Jesus there. RSV 39 Again they tried to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. 40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John at first baptized, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him; and they said, "John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true." 42 And many believed in him there. Reflection on Scripture: Imagine the ridiculous idea. A group of  religious policemen go try and arrest the creator of everything on the earth they walked. When I read this I am overwhelmed by the irony of it all. Jesus on many occasions escaped capture. He would not go until his time came. Even when he was finally captured he did so knowingly. He even told Judas to betray him  quickly. For us to assume that we can dictate God's plans is such a spiritually immature and damaging mindset.  Yet we are not above this mindset. We like to think we control our world. We like to feel empowered. In some ways this is something God has created within us. Our Godly drive to improve the world around us is good. If we are not careful we can get captured by the idea that we can bend God to our will. Equally unhelpful is that God wants to help us to do whatever we want. God wants our development and perfection and only he knows what it is.  With that said I do believe God wants us to learn to pursue good autonomously. Also I think he wants to empower us to engage with Him regarding our plans. I think this is drastically different than us being a law unto ourself and pursuing our own selfish desires and claiming it is what God wants. I believe that God wants us to reach out to him and plead for discernment regarding our lives. The goal should always be for us to seek God's will not to bend God's will to our own. I want you to ponder   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

KJV 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? 37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

812 Is It Not Written In Your Law 'I Have Said You Are Gods'?, A Guided Christian Meditation on John 10:34-38 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 to do 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 NIV  34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are "gods"'? 35 If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." KJV 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? 37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. Reflection on Scripture: In some ways this feels like a challenge to our understanding. It seems wrong that Jesus said this. In defense of the accusations of blasphemy Jesus said the scriptures said ye are gods. I have seen a lot of commentary about this point and I don't mean to dig into deep meaning but Jesus' words are always important. Let's not miss an incredibly important idea. We are not holy. The natural human condition is not holy. To say humans are gods would be wrong and miss the point. What is it that makes men and women holy? It is the holy name of Jesus Christ. Just as there are no saintly people, the thing that makes someone a saint is the name of Jesus Christ. If we have taken upon us the name of Jesus then we can become holy.  Roman's says we are children, and as a result are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Our suffering does not make us holy. Our struggles in life do not clean us from sin and spiritually transform us. But through the suffering of Jesus does transform us. The suffering Jesus experienced on the cross is what makes us holy. That is what makes us join heirs.  We should trust in Jesus who has promised us all the Father has. We don't need to fear the accusations the people laid on Him. He said He is the Son of God. We can trust that. Jesus did not claim any authority that He did not deserve. You can believe the works He did. The healings of lepers, and healing the blind were attested to by so many witnesses. The greatest work of all was His atoning sacrifice. Trust that work. Trust that Jesus is allowed to offer you what He has offered which is salvation, forgiveness, healing, and eventually completion. Through His works you become holy. 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 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?" 33 The Jews answered him, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God."