So many Martial Arts classes practice Eastern Religion Meditation. Since we are a Christian Karate Class we do not do that, instead we meditate on God’s Word, so these are the passages with my thoughts on them for this week.
Over the next few months we are going to be looking at passages on different subjects like, God’s love, Loving others, Sin, Forgiveness / Redemption, things like that. We are going to start with God’s love. A lot of these could work for a few of the subjects but we will just go with it.
Tuesday 3/18/2008
Over the last few weeks I have been, I guess you could say that I have been a little bit spiritually off. No falling into big sin per say, just a little off. Feeling distant from God, not wanting to pray or read much, just not wanting to be involved if you know what I mean. It is sad really because I read stuff like this and I get put into my place about it. God loves me so much, beyond measure really, no matter how much I keep Him at arms length He keeps on loving me. Kind of like in that Casting Crowns song I was talking about a few weeks ago. It says, not that I am holding on to you but you are holding on to me. God loved us first, way before we were capable of loving Him and He just keep on loving me no matter how stiff my arms are. His love is strong enough to get past my stubbornness. I don’t quite get the stubbornness though. We all have it. Life is so much better and more fulfilling when we are seeking God. We can see and feel the love much more.
Psalm 36:5-10
5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.
7 How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
10 Continue your love to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Thursday 3/20/2008
You all know that this week is Holy Week. We just had Palm Sunday, then later this week Good Friday, then Resurrection Sunday. This last Sunday Pastor Dennis was talking about Why God Allows Suffering to Happen. He mad some good points of why it happens like, mankind chose to sin in the Garden of Eden and it cursed us all, we still chose to sin now and it distances us from God even more, we suffer because of others choices, but in that suffering we still have a choice. One: become bitter and push God away even further. Two: we can run to God and have Him help us through it. But the beauty of it is that God knows first hand what it is like to suffer. He spent the last three years of His life being plotted against, hated, mocked; then sold out by a friend, arrested for doing good, abandoned by His friends, whipped and beat beyond the point of recognition, hung on a cross till dead. He knows suffering. Just like us He had choices. He could have stopped it all at any time but He didn’t. He chose us. He chose to go through all that for us. That is love.
Luke 23:35-46
35The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."
36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."
38There was a written notice above him, which read:| THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don’t you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[a]"
43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
44It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.
Tags: God Jesus Bible Meditation
