Romans 8:13 Meditation
Text (Ro 8:13, NIV):
"For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."
Amplified Rendering:
If you chase after the cravings of the false self, you'll, little by little, kill yourself off(1). But if, in your pursuit of Divine Union with God's Spirit, you kill-off the habitual bodily practices of the false self, you'll live life to the full(2).
Consecrating Prayer:
Holy Father...
In every moment, I turn from my striving to satisfy the temporal inclination of my false self and, instead, choose You and the fullness your Spirit brings. Help me, O God, to crucify every practice(3) that doesn't find its original and sustaining energy in You(4).
In the Name of Jesus, I ask these things...
Amen.
Notes:
See Ec 6:9, 2Ti 2:22, Ja 4:1, 1Pe 2:11, and 2Pe 1:3-4.
See Jn 15 (the whole chapter) and 2Pe 1:3-4.
See Mt 16:24, Ga 5:24, Ep 4:22, and Co 3:5
See Ps 36:6, Ac 17:28, 1Co 8:6, and Co 1:17 .
My new book, Experiments in Prayer: Monastic Practice in Ordinary Life, is now available in paperback from Amazon.
Click here to access my Amazon book page.
100% of all author royalties are, most gratefully, donated in equal parts to Christ the King Church and Zoweh Ministries.
A Note to All My Blog and Social Media Friends and Followers:
I've made it a point, over the last decade, to accept friend and follower requests from any who ask. I think I've "defriended" only three or four people in the last ten years and did so only because they posted inappropriate material to one of my walls or timelines. Thankfully, it's been several years since anyone committed such a breech of etiquette.
I write all this to indicate I have many "friends" and "followers," whom I do not know personally (yet!). Lately, I've been getting countless (sometimes more than 200 a day) messages from people I don't know. Please know this: I speak a brief word of blessing over each person who sends me a message, but I can respond directly to only a few each day. If I did not discipline my activities in this way, I could, conceivably, spend my entire day every day responding to such messages.
By disciplining myself to the above social media activity-limitation plan, I in no way want to belittle or disrespect anyone or hurt anyone's feelings. My hope and prayer is that, even if I don’t respond to your message directly, you will know I cherish you and pray you'll experience God's love and grace personally and deeply. Experiencing God is the highest Good anyone could ever experience. May each of you experience such Good through your pursuits of Divine Union with Jesus Christ, the Eternal Living God.
As always, may the Lord bless you and keep you…
IKIGAI Weekly Blog Schedule (per The Training Trinity):
Mondays: Meditative Prayer
Wednesdays: Holistic Discipline
Fridays: Martial Arts Practice
www.TempleMartialArtsTraining.com
