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Newsletter -- Spring 2007 Edition
 
Content:
  • A Drop of Meditation
  • Prayer Tips:  Contemplative Prayer of Repetition
  • Short Devotional:  Matthew 3:7
       
      A Drop of Meditation 
      Posted on Apr. 2, 2007
       
      "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree:
      As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out,
      you know that summer is near."
      Matthew 24:32　(NIV)
       
       
      It has been said that there are foreshadows in God's doings. When the twigs of a fig tree become tender and its leaves sprout, you’ll know that summer is near. This is simply a matter of course for those who have experienced and know about growing a fig tree, but it might not say anything to those who have neither experienced nor studied the cycle of a fig tree’s growth.

      Likewise, those who have immersed themselves in the Sacred Word in the presence of the Author Himself with a humble heart in searching for the Divine Will. The longer and more sincerely one searches for signs of God and his plan for us, the more readily one will discern the foreshadowing that He allows.

      Today, phrases such as "the end of the world is near" are notions we often hear. For Christians, though, it is best to keep walking in simple faith, following the Lord in His unerring goodness.

                                                                                                                                                                  ~S.H.~
       
      Prayer Tips: Contemplative Prayer of Repetition 
      Posted on Apr. 2, 2007
                                                        
      In the U.S., where the most advanced medical sciences abound at every corner, people are suffering from an illness of a different kind. It is the illness of the heart and mind, which brings to a human being far deeper destruction than a physical illness can. Paul urged us:

      “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, . . .”
      (2 Corinthians 10:5b, NASB)

      When I first encountered this verse as a new Christian, I began to practice holding my mind in the thought of Jesus and His Word (namely, the Bible) as long as I was awake. I recall that I was amazed by know undisciplined my mind was. Within one or two minutes my mind would easily stray toward other thoughts!

      In the process of disciplining my mind, a prayer practice suggested by Richard Foster in his book, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home, helped me a great deal. It is a type of contemplative prayer of repeating a short Bible verse or phrase, either aloud or in your heart, to bring the focus of one’s mind to the Lord, and to Him alone.

      This type of meditation generally involves learning, through practice, to control one's thoughts and redirect one's attention for the purpose of sustained concentration on a given object. This is also important as a means of understanding, in order to appreciate the purpose of repetition. This is not a "vain" repetition but repetition with an important, sacred goal. It’s a historical and sacred Christian practice, for example in the Eastern Orthodoxy (i.e., in "The Way of a Pilgrim," the anonymous author's use of the Jesus Prayer and its corresponding fruition in his life).

      For me, the practice of repeating a simple, sacred portion of the Word has helped train my mind so that it can focus on the Lord--for example, when preparing my whole being to enter the mode of prayer--and eventually all day, no matter what I might be doing.

      For instance, when I catch myself going on my “own” way with no thought of Jesus in my mind, it is a sign that my pride has popped up, leading me to think I can go forward without Jesus. In this case, for example, I use the phrase in 1 Peter 5:5: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble," until my soul surrenders completely to His guidance.

      When I’m too afraid or confused to present a logical prayer to the Father, I repeat Romans 8:26, “... for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us,” until my soul rests completely in His faithfulness.

      I hope you’ll give it a try sometime. It’s easy to do. Simply find a short verse that’s most meaningful to you at the moment, and just keep repeating it, in your mind or out loud. You can even write it down again and again, until it becomes a part of your reality. The goal, you ask? It’s the oneness with our loving Father, of course.

      Oh, how our soul yearns for a day when there will be nothing but Jesus, and the mind will be filled with the reality of all the blessings He has bestowed on us!
       
                                                                                                                     ~S. H. ~
       

       

      Matthew 3:7 
      Posted on Apr. 2, 2007
       
      "“But when he [John the Baptist] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them:
      "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?      "
      Matthew 3:7 (NIV)
       
      Pharisees and Sadducees, in Jesus' time, were considered to be exemplary people who were closest to God among the Jewish population. Indeed, a Pharisee, for example, would wear a blue garment signifying the alleged closeness to Heaven. They looked down on the others who did not know the Law. But while the Law asked for love, they used it as a ruler with which to measure people.

      Not only did John the Baptist warn the Pharisees but Jesus did also, as we can see in Matthew 11:22, which uses the analogy of cities such as Chorazin and Bethsaida (the "Galilean" religious center with central synagogues): "Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you." For the Jewish people of that time, Tyre and Sidon (as described in Genesis) were the symbol of "sin." These were the places where people would proudly say, "I am so glad that I don't live there. I am in the world's preeminent city of God!"

      Generally speaking, Christians, too, may be strong against temptations from such as tax collectors and prostitutes, but probably weak when it comes to Pharisaic temptations.

      Christianity begins with the acknowledgment of one's sins. Jesus Christ came in order that He might redeem our sins. So, in order for us to receive something that has been freely offered by God to begin with, we must fully acknowledge how much we need to receive that gift.

      Let us guard our hearts.

       
      "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
                                Luke 14:11 (NIV)

                                                                    ~S. H. ~


       
       
       
       
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