Hello,
And welcome to Meditation Time.
My name is James Whitaker.
Today we will be doing a short devotional lesson,
And then meditate on what we have learned.
Humility is a virtue that helps us to be more like Christ,
Who humbled himself and became obedient to death on the cross.
C.
S.
Lewis,
A famous Christian author,
Defined humility as,
Not thinking less of yourself,
But thinking of yourself less.
This means that humility is not about having a low self-esteem,
Or being self-deprecating,
But about recognizing our true value and worth in God's eyes,
And being grateful for his grace and mercy.
Humility is also about putting others first,
And serving them with love and compassion,
Just as Christ did for us.
The Bible verse Philippians 2.
3 says,
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
But in humility count others more significant than ourselves.
This verse teaches us to avoid pride,
Which is the root of many sins and conflicts.
Humility also enables us to learn from others,
To admit our mistakes,
And to grow in wisdom and faith.
Let's pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your amazing love and grace that you have shown us through your Son,
Jesus Christ.
Thank you for humbling yourself in dying on the cross for our sins,
And rising again to give us eternal life.
Help us to follow your example of humility,
And to not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to.
Help us to see ourselves as you see us,
And to be thankful for all that you have done for us.
Help us to put others first,
And to serve them with love and compassion,
Just as you did for us.
Help us to avoid pride,
Selfishness,
And conceit,
And to count others as more significant than ourselves.
Help us to learn from others,
To admit our mistakes,
And to grow in wisdom and faith.
Help us to be humble in your sight,
And to glorify you in all that we do.
Calm our hearts,
Calm our minds,
And calm our breath.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Now we are going to do a short breathing exercise.
Inhale for four seconds,
And say to yourself,
I am God's beloved child.
Hold your breath for seven seconds,
And feel God's love filling your heart.
Exhale for eight seconds,
And say to yourself,
I am called to serve others.
Inhale for four seconds,
And say to yourself,
I am God's beloved child.
Hold your breath for seven seconds,
And feel God's love filling your heart.
Exhale for eight seconds,
And say to yourself,
I am called to serve others.
Inhale for four seconds,
And say to yourself,
I am God's beloved child.
Hold your breath for seven seconds,
And feel God's love filling your heart.
Exhale for eight seconds,
And say to yourself,
I am called to serve others.
Let your breathing return to its normal pattern.
Now think of someone who needs your help,
Your kindness,
Or your forgiveness.
Take a moment now and pray for that person,
And ask God to show you how you can be a blessing to them.
We are going to take a few moments here to do that.
Finally,
Thank God for His love,
And His example of humility,
And ask Him to help you to follow in His footsteps.
Inhale for four seconds,
And say to yourself,
I am God's beloved child.
Hold your breath for seven seconds,
And feel God's love filling your heart.
Exhale for eight seconds,
And say to yourself,
I am called to serve others.
Now say to yourself,
I am grateful for God's grace and guidance.
Take some time now as the music fades out,
To spend some time in His presence,
And make heartfelt prayers to our Lord.
I will be back in about five minutes to close us in prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank you for this time of meditation,
And reflection on your word and your will.
We thank you for your love of the Lord,
And your will.
We thank you for teaching us the value and the beauty of humility,
And for showing us how to be more like your Son,
Jesus Christ.
We ask you to help us to apply what we have learned today in our daily lives,
And to be humble servants of your kingdom.
We ask you to help us to love you,
With all our heart,
Soul,
Mind,
And strength,
And to love our neighbors as ourselves.
We ask you to bless us and keep us,
To make your face shine upon us,
And to be gracious to us,
To lift up your countenance upon us,
And give us peace.
In Jesus' name we pray,
Amen.
Have an amazing day,
And God bless.
