Hello and welcome to Meditation Time.
My name is James Whitaker.
As we near Easter,
Let's spend some time reflecting on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The message of Easter is simply this,
The Lord Jesus died for you and me.
We are able to become children of God and have been seen as blameless before him.
So let us be positive at this time of year and remember why it is we celebrate this holiday.
We will start with prayer and then some breathing to slow ourselves down.
Then we will spend some time contemplating the amazing gift of Christ's death and resurrection while looking at our personal walk with Jesus.
In John 3 16 in the Passion Translation,
It says,
For here's the way God loved the world.
He gave his only unique son as a gift.
So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but experience everlasting life.
Let's start with prayer.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for sending your son.
While on earth,
He taught us how to live.
When he died on the cross,
He saved us.
We were saved from all shame,
Sickness,
And sin.
Death's sting is gone.
Please guide us as we spend special and deliberate time reading scripture,
Praying,
And meditating.
May we examine our hearts and minds and look to you.
Calm our hearts,
Calm our minds,
And calm our breath.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
We are now going to deeply focus on our breath.
Start by just being with your breath.
In and out.
Don't change anything yet.
Just focus on where you feel it and how it feels.
For instance,
How does it feel in the space between your mouth and your nose?
Is it cold air or is it warm?
Just settle into those thoughts.
Okay,
Now we are going to make our breath more even and balanced.
Please follow along.
In through your nose,
Long and deep,
Out through your mouth,
Long and slow.
In through your nose,
Long and deep,
Out through your mouth,
Long and slow.
Long and slow.
Gently close your eyes.
In through your nose,
Out through your mouth,
Long and slow.
In through your nose,
Long and deep,
Out through your mouth,
Long and slow.
Let your breathing return to its normal rhythm.
If you find yourself distracted during the meditation,
You can return to this breath practice.
Let yourself settle in a little more.
Feel your body on whatever surface you are on.
Keep your eyes closed and focus as I read a few scriptures and ask a few contemplative questions.
What did Christ's life on earth mean to you?
Think about it.
While he was here,
Walking on this earth,
What did that mean to you?
While on earth,
While on earth,
Jesus Christ said this in John 5 24,
The Passion Translation,
I speak to you an eternal truth.
If you embrace my message and believe in the one who sent me,
You will never face condemnation.
In me,
You have already passed from the realm of death into eternal life.
Okay,
Now what did his death mean to you?
He went on the cross and he sacrificed everything,
Everything for us.
In Romans 3 25,
The Passion Translation,
It says,
Jesus's God-given destiny was to be the sacrifice,
To take away sins,
And now he is our mercy seat because of his death on the cross.
We came to him for mercy,
For God has made a provision for us to be forgiven by faith in the sacred blood of Jesus.
This is the perfect demonstration of God's justice,
Because until now,
He had been so patient,
Holding back his justice out of his tolerance for us.
So he covered over the sins of those who lived prior to Jesus's sacrifice.
What does his resurrection mean to you?
The stone rolled away and he rose again.
The tomb is empty.
In 1 Corinthians 15 56 to 57,
The Passion Translation,
It says,
It is sin that gives death its sting,
And the law that gives sin its power.
But we thank God for giving us the victory as conquerors through our Lord Jesus the anointed one.
Christ's complete gift fully covers and saves us.
He lived,
He died,
And he rose again.
Take the next five minutes meditating on these questions and verses.
Then we will close in prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Words are not enough to express what you've given us.
I pray as we live every day dedicated to you and your word,
I pray that we will keep your life,
Death,
And resurrection on our minds at all times.
Thank you,
Father.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Praise God.
Jesus is risen.
I want to wish everyone who listens a very happy Easter,
Very happy Easter,
And God bless.
