Growing with Jesus Christ
In the last issue we reflected on Jesus’ saying "I have come that they may have life and have it the full" (Jn.10:10b).
In this issue we shall reflect on how we can live this new life in Jesus and one of the avenues He has given us to be in touch with Him.
God has given us many gifts and in my opinion, the greatest gift is prayer, and this can never be taken away from us. Only an individual can give up praying and chose to be entirely self centred.
On the contrary, many have used prayer to be in touch with God through their daily quiet time. During this time our Risen Lord meets us to teach and to guide us through the day. The following verses from John 14:13-24 are good for reflection:
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him and we we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me."
Continuing from the last issue, we see that God has, in giving us the Holy Spirit to dwell with us forever, provided us with the means to grow with him. The following verses are selected for your reflection. Read them a few times and pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten us in the light of our own personal experiences.
Come to Me and Rest
At that time Jesus said. "Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned. Yes, Father, this was how you wanted it to happen.
My Father has given me all things. No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
Come to me all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest. For the yoke I will give you give you is easy and the load I will put on you is light. (Matt.11:25 – 30) (GNB)
My dear friends, when we reflect particularly on the last paragraph, we see Jesus calling us to come to him for rest. Is there any human being on earth today who is not tired or weary from carrying life’s cares and burdens?
We are encouraged not only to come but to take his yoke and put it on. Thus we are joined to Him and we learn from Him all about the new life we can have with Him. Yes, my friends this a privilege we have and as we go on, we will discover what a wonderful, caring and comapassionate Savior we have in our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.
Contemplative Prayer
The word "Prayer" has been defined in many ways. It can be said that, through prayer we reach out to God the Almighty, in our time of need, and God responds to touch our hearts in His varied ways. Many a Christian has found strength and comfort as well as encouragement in prayer, and with prayer becoming part of his or her daily quiet time with God. Contemplative prayer is one many forms in the disciplines of prayer
Contemplative Praying
a) Contemplative praying is spiritual discipline – which is Christ-centered
b) In contemplative praying we learn to still our thoughts and emotions and focus on God
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c) Jesus Prayer and Centering Prayer are contemplative prayer forms.
d) Contemplative Prayers are not contemplation. They may lead to contemplation.
Benefits of Contemplation
1. Dwelling on the presence of God is healing
2. In contemplation our imagination is purified by God.
3. Our ideas and images are the primary focus of Satan’s temptations.
4. In contemplation our evil idea-system is replaced with ideas of Christ as contained in the Scriptures
5. Contemplative praying connects us with our inner motives and inherent needs to be with God.
The following is taken from the site Sacred Space in the internet. You may find this helpful during your daily quiet time of prayer.
1. The Presence of God
As I sit here, the beating of my heart, the ebb and flow of my breathing, the movements of my mind are all signs of God’s ongoing creation of me. I pause for a moment and become aware of this presence of God within me.
2. Freedom
I will ask God’s help, to be free from my own preoccupations, to be open to God in this time of prayer, to come to love and serve him more.
3. Consciousness
In God’s loving presence I unwind the past day, starting from now and looking back, moment by moment. I gather in all the goodness and light, in gratitude. I attend to the shadows and what they may say to me, seeking healing, courage, forgiveness
4. The Word
I take time to read the Word of God, slowly, a few times, allowing myself to dwell on anything that strikes me. I then ask "What are you saying to me, Lord?"
5. Conversation
Do I notice myself reacting as I pray with the Word of God? Do I feel challenged, comforted, or angry?
Imagining Jesus sitting or standing by me, I speak out my feelings, as one trusted friend to another
5. Conclusion
I end my prayer session with the following word or other endings:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen
Prayer request:
Let us pray for peace in the world, that all the people may live in harmony without hunger, suffering and conflicts brought about by human intolerance and natural disasters of floods and earthquakes
.Prayer request:
Let us pray for all those who are ill, that God in His love and mercy will be near them to comfort them in their illness.
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.With regards, Fred