1 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: This is my commandment that ye love one another as 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: I have loved you John fifteen twelve. Dear Heavenly Father, 3 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:20,280 Speaker 1: your love is vast, like the expanse of the heavens. 4 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:24,919 Speaker 1: Your love is deep, like the depths of the sea. 5 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: Your love is tender, like a mother to her newborn child. 6 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: It seems too great a task to emulate that love, 7 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 1: to show it to others, Yet you give us that command. Nonetheless, 8 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 1: you have commanded me to love others as you have 9 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 1: loved me. I know this is impossible without your spirit 10 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: guiding me and empowering me. So today, as I reflect 11 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: on your goodness, I pray that you would help me 12 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: show love to everyone around me. In Jesus' name. Amen, 13 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: thank you for joining me in prayer. Stay tuned for 14 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: today's free podcast Meditative Prayers with Doctor Tim Clinton, where 15 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: you can draw close to God and find strength in him. 16 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,399 Speaker 2: Welcome to your meditative prayer on loving kindness. To get 17 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 2: the most out of your spiritual journey. I hope you 18 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 2: use pray dot com every day. Make prayer priority in 19 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 2: your life. Our goal for today's meditative prayer is on 20 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 2: love and kindness. Take a moment to gather your thoughts. 21 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 2: Maybe quiet your spirit, get yourself in a comfortable corner 22 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 2: place where you could close your eyes, breathe easy. Now 23 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 2: I want you to fix your attention on God. Turn 24 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 2: your heart toward him and all they he asks for you. 25 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 2: This day we're going to be meditating on John fifteen, 26 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 2: verse twelve. From the King James version, it says, this 27 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 2: is my commandment that ye love one another as I 28 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 2: have loved you. Take a moment right now to adore 29 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 2: God for loving you in spite of your sins. He 30 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 2: loves you. God. I look to the cross and praise you, 31 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 2: for your love is great. I praise you for sending 32 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 2: your son to sacrifice himself for me. By your love 33 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 2: and the strength of your power, you have redeemed me. 34 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 2: I sing your praises for you alone hold salvation in 35 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 2: your hand. God. I worship you for your loving kindness 36 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 2: has restored my soul, and that you do not hide 37 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 2: yourself from me, and you give your love without measure. 38 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 2: Loving others that Jesus loved you requires submission to his word, 39 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 2: Submitting to anything that's a struggle, more so, even to 40 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 2: the word of God. Human nature, by default, is contrary 41 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 2: to the calling found in Christ. The things I would do, 42 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 2: I don't. Your mind has its own selfish ways, and 43 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 2: your heart longs to please itself. Your desire will be 44 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 2: against you, and so it's up to you to overcome it. 45 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 2: God set that bar high. Yet don't be discouraged or disheartened. 46 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:55,800 Speaker 2: God knows the task is not easy, and you are 47 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 2: not perfect. You're going to war within yourself, and you're 48 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 2: going to struggle with your flesh to submit to God. 49 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 2: And the road to success will be filled with impasses 50 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 2: and imperfection. But the secret to success is simple. Don't 51 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 2: allow these imperfections, these insecurities, these challenges to bind you 52 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 2: or blind you. Keep reaching out to God with your 53 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 2: whole heart. Confess your concerns of the Holy Spirit, and 54 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:36,040 Speaker 2: He will care for you and aid you. Take a 55 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 2: moment right now to dwell on the unconditional love that 56 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 2: God has for you. Think of how Jesus had to 57 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:47,160 Speaker 2: submit to God's plan. Thank him for submitting himself in 58 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 2: obedience to God's love, even though that love took him 59 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 2: to the cross. Thank him for setting aside his desires 60 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:01,600 Speaker 2: out of love for you, for sacrificing who he was 61 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 2: to restore you to whom you are called to be. 62 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 2: Thank Jesus for loving you unconditionally in the past and 63 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 2: even now. Thank him that his love will never change. 64 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 2: Give thanks to God for loving you yesterday, today and always. 65 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 2: I love that God is present and that He's listening 66 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:36,279 Speaker 2: to you. Jesus was intimately acquainted with the pain of submission. 67 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:40,600 Speaker 2: He is aware of the struggle and the sorrow associated 68 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:46,600 Speaker 2: and the difficulties was submitting to God's will. However, he 69 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 2: overcame the world, and as Jesus overcame, you can too. 70 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,120 Speaker 2: Know this. You are not alone. Ask the Holy Spirit 71 00:05:56,160 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 2: to help you submit your whole heart to obeying Christ. 72 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:06,159 Speaker 2: Ask him to empower you with conviction and determination to 73 00:06:06,279 --> 00:06:11,480 Speaker 2: live as Christ lived, To love as Christ loved. And 74 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,360 Speaker 2: remember God has called you to love others as He 75 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:17,919 Speaker 2: loves you. Never forget the intensity and the depth in 76 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 2: which you are loved. God's love for you is unconditional. 77 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:26,599 Speaker 2: He will always choose you. His unrelenting love for you 78 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 2: will never dissipate, regardless of what you do and who 79 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,719 Speaker 2: you choose to be. I hope you're encouraged by this truth. 80 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 2: Love others with the same reckless abandoned and your life 81 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:46,159 Speaker 2: will be transformed. Thank you for completing today's meditative prayer 82 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 2: on pray dot combine. Incorporating this healthy habit as a 83 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:52,799 Speaker 2: daily practice, you are making prayer priority and I believe 84 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 2: your strengthening your walk with God. Hey, maybe God has 85 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 2: gifted you with the heart to help others. If that's you, 86 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 2: the people will often come to you for prayer, maybe 87 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,720 Speaker 2: for guidance and direction. I hope you'll consider being a 88 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:08,760 Speaker 2: part of our Mental Health Coach first Responder training program. 89 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 2: You can enroll right now and become a board certified 90 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 2: mental health coach. That's right. Everything you need to know 91 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 2: about this forty two hour training program featuring some of 92 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,560 Speaker 2: the world's leading experts in mental health and ministry, go 93 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 2: to light University dot com forward slash mental Health Coach. 94 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 2: Best news, we're offering a full twenty four hundred dollars 95 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 2: prey dot com scholarship up there, maybe for someone just 96 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:37,240 Speaker 2: like you. Nearly fifty thousand individuals have now enrolled. The 97 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 2: program's exploding. I'm doctor Tim Clinton, President of the American 98 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 2: Association of Christian Councils, and we love being part of 99 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 2: your life.