Meditation

Transcript

and I'm kind of actually really excited x about this tonight's class this is x something that's been on my mind a x little bit x um x for a while now I guess and it's x something I've been thinking about x obviously for a while now and and we're x going to talk about this idea of God x consciousness x um I'm not sure of how popular a term x that is I know I heard it when I was x younger um brother Brian Stiles was kind x of the first person I heard used it but x I I don't know where it comes from or x who coined it um but God Consciousness x is this idea of being conscious or aware x of God throughout our day-to-day life x um and I think it's it's pretty x important uh in our life as a Believer x and something we want to work on and you x know try to be better at being more God x conscious seeing him in our lives x um and I'm assuming it's something that x we've all struggled with at some point x or another in our lives you know between x work and personal goals everyday tasks x of living like cooking shopping cleaning x um working in the yard you know I find x it's really easy for us to try to just x go a whole day without really thinking x about the role that God plays in our x lives it's really easy to just kind of x forget about it and kind of just live x your life and not really think about it x at all x um x and I don't know if it's you know x the the busyness of our day and age x um or if it's just kind of the way x things have always been x uh but it's easy to let a whole slip a x whole day slip by without even thinking x about God x um and so what kind of got me you know x this is a couple years ago kind of x sparked my thoughts on this a little bit x um and as you know we're going to share x some tools that I've been using uh x tonight and what kind of sparked me x working on some of these tools is a x passage that were pretty mostly familiar x with I'm guessing most of us are x familiar with x um it's a passage of first Thessalonians x 5 17. x which you know simple Verge just says x pray without ceasing great memory verse x first for Sunday school if you ever need x a good Sunday school memory verse three x words pray without Cece x that's such a pretty incredibly hard to x ask x um when there's so many other things x that we have to keep track of throughout x our daily life x now I have ADHD x um and if you don't know anything about x ADHD x um it makes this issue actually a little x bit harder for me than I think for most x people x um as someone who is has ADHD or really x anyone who's neurodivergent x um I think it's x um I have this thing called object x pertinence or permanence sorry object x permanence which essentially means that x unless I have some kind of a physical x reminder like I need to see something or x hear something if I don't have that I I x it's really easy for me to completely x forget about something x um I can often just completely forget it x exists if I don't have that physical x reminder x so an example is my wife bought me a x watch a couple years ago and I decided I x was going to put it away for safe x keeping because I didn't want to ruin it x so watch for special occasions and I x completely forgot she had bought me that x watch for several years because just x something I didn't have I didn't see it x I had no reminder of it x um yeah and it's a that's a you know x it's a condition that I have and I don't x think it's Unique to people with a x neurodivergency I just uh x I just think it's something that you x know it's a little more difficult x um for me because of because of my ADHD x um so I have reminders I know I have to x put reminders down I have to you know x leave my tax forms right on my desk so I x see them otherwise I'll forget to fill x them out I have to keep a checklist of x things to do x um and these are like I said issues that x I think everyone struggles with x um x but as someone who's you know struggles x with them a little extra a little more x I've had to come up with tools and x resources to help me x um overcome that issue yeah it's a x pretty common thing as someone with ADHD x you learn to have these little tools x that you use regularly to help you live x your day-to-day life x and so as you can imagine you know being x God conscious when I don't have a x physical God that I can look at and see x or one who physically speaks to me it's x something I've really struggled with for x a long time right if I don't have a x Bible class to work on or if I don't set x reminders for myself I don't put my x Bible out somewhere obvious I can go a x whole day without really thinking about x God at all and it you know it just slips x by really easily x so when I talk about being God conscious x it's not as someone who's an expert at x these things and listen I'm not coming x at this is you know someone who does x this all the time and is very aware of x God in my life x um but as someone who's had to implement x specific tools to help me kind of get x better at it x so what I want to do tonight is look at x a few of those tools and we'll talk x about some of the biblical principles x behind it but then I want to share some x of those tools that I have x um and use on a regular basis in the x hopes that it helps inspire you guys to x um x to work on these things as well x um and these are tools that work for me x I'm not suggesting that these are tools x that you all needed to go home and start x implementing you know these exact tools x take them and make them work for x yourself or hopefully Inspire something x for you know that you know you can think x about for your own life and and helps x you in that sense uh you know gives you x kind of ideas of what you potentially x could do and how to be more x god-conscious in your day-to-day life x so before we get into those tools I just x want to start off by looking at some of x the biblical principles behind those x ideas x and I want to start by talking about x faith in our day-to-day life this is x something I've been if you remember back x when I I first you did this Bible class x with you guys we spoke on uh the Life of x Christ and I one of my big points was x you know we want to have a day-to-day x faith and not just a grand gesture faith x no it's something that I think it's x really misunderstood by a lot of our x young people or something that I at x least misunderstood when I was younger x younger and really struggled with and so x I've you know it's been on my mind a lot x about how can I create this more x day-to-day faith and not just a grand x gesture of faith x so for example the way we structure our x community I think x um really revolves around specific Faith x moments these like I call grand gestures x they're moments that require us to kind x of set aside our life our day-to-day x life uh specifically to show Faith or do x something for God so for example x memorial service x no one would normally get up on a Sunday x and and drive half an hour to an hour to x another building uh to sit for a couple x hours and listen to someone speak and go x through these kind of uh Traditions that x we have it's just not something we x normally would do in our day-to-day life x that's something we purposely set aside x Sunday for we relieve the normal flow of x our daily life to go do this on Sunday x and show our faith to God and that's an x important thing don't get me wrong I'm x not trying to say these are bad things x to do these are just things that x their ways of setting aside our regular x life to serve God x or another example would be the Bible x readings x um I know many of us actually now listen x to our Bible readings or we're working x on something else but as a young person x growing up it was really emphasized to x me how important it was to sometimes x specifically to read the Bible and study x the word of God like x said all other distractions aside and x give yourself half an hour just sit and x read God's word you know it wasn't x something that was a part of my regular x life it was something I set aside my x regular life for and I dedicated that x time just to serving God x and maybe you see the history maybe you x don't but x um what happened for me in a lot of ways x when I was growing up was I ended up x living two lives right I had my faith x life I had the life I had when I was x serving God and going to meeting and you x know Bible schools uh doing Bible study x but then there was my regular day-to-day x life you know when I was at work or x school and I I unintentionally created x that division between the two you know x this is what I'm serving God and this is x what I'm just living my life x so when we come to passages like first x Thessalonians 5 17 which encourages us x to pray without ceasing or passages like x Joshua 1 verse 8. Psalms one first one x and two and Psalm 119 verse 97 they all x encourage us to meditate on God's word x both day and night x you know we have to ask ourselves x am I really doing that if I split my x life into two different sections or if I x have my faith life and then my regular x life am I really meditating on God's x word day in and day out x so you know as I was thinking about this x like I sort of ask myself what what did x the early church uh or the Israelites do x did they pray without ceasing like do x they meditate on God's word day and x night x it was actually something they did or is x that something that's kind of just like x uh x you know the high Mark goal that we're x supposed to reach for and not actually x something we're going to achieve x I mean I can tell you the average x Israelite did not spend day in and day x out in the temple of God x I mean the fact of the matter was they x had to live their lives the same way do x like we do you know they had to work x they had to go and buy food they had to x grow food they had to prepare meals they x had to clean their homes they had to x travel you name it they still had to x live their regular lives x I do think it's worth noting that their x lives were different than the lives we x lived today x um x they couldn't really stay up much past x Sunset if you think about it you know x once the it gets dark we have the x privilege of being able to sit here in x our lights and and you know have these x classes together and read the word x um x they didn't have that advantage that we x do they couldn't just drive five minutes x down the road to the grocery store x they'd have to walk you know sometimes a x couple hours just to get to the nearest x Village x and I think uh they had a lot more what x we called mind I I call at least mind x free work than ours x um this is a quote from a book I was x reading recently x um when I was working on this class it x says physical labor is great for the x mind as it leaves all kinds of time to x consider the world x other work like accounting and scribing x demands little of the body but siphon x energy from the mind x and as a computer programmer I can x relate to that quote a lot there's a lot x of days where the day just flies by I'm x focused on one specific issue and time x just kind of disappears because my mind x is preoccupied x and before you know it I've mislunged I x haven't done my readings I haven't x thought about God once my brain is fried x and it's already 4 30. the day is pretty x much over x and I don't feel like doing anything and x it's the rest of the evening because I x just I've spent all my mental energy x just on trying to get through work x so I you know they didn't have that you x know you're working in the fields your x hands are busy but physical labor their x hands are probably a little more busy x but their minds were a little less x preoccupied x let's turn over to uh Deuteronomy 4 or 6 x sorry Deuteronomy 6 Verses 4 to 9. x I'll read that x Deuteronomy 6 Verses 4 to 9 reads hear o x Israel the Lord your God the Lord is one x you shall love the Lord your God with x all your heart and with all your soul x and with all your might x these words which I'm commanding today x you shall be on your heart you shall x teach them diligently to your sons and x shall talk with them when you sit in the x house when you walk by the way when you x lie down and when you rise up x you shall find them on your as a sign on x your head sorry hand and they shall be x on the frontals of your forehead x you should write them on the doorpost of x your house and on your Gates x you're thinking about or meditating on x God's word or talking about it but x something that Israel was commanded to x do as they lived their daily lives x that's what I got from this was that you x know something that you do as you're x sitting in the house as you're walking x down the path x as you're coming into the house since x you're going out as you're lying down to x go to bed it was something that they x were meant to do as a regular part of x their life was talk about the word of x God with those around them x you know I can picture A young John out x in the boat quizzing the older Peter x about David as they cast their Nets or x maybe Rebecca helping Jacob memorize the x story of Noah while they worked in the x tent x or maybe a young Jesus asking Joseph to x recite him a Messianic Psalm as he x carried the lumber home from the next x town over x thinking about God's word was not x something they were supposed to set x their lives aside to do x but to do as they live their day-to-day x life it was something that was a part of x their regular lives x so I think that's something that should x be our goal as well right obviously with x many of us holding less physical labor x jobs you know working in accounting or x programming this is often easier said x than done x um especially when you struggle to think x about more than one thing at one time x so what I want to do for the rest of x this our time together is just look at a x few tools that I've found helpful in my x life x and if you have any other suggestions or x comments as we go through these x different tools please feel free to x share like I was saying at the beginning x I'll try to open it up at certain x moments at the end of each tool x um to give people an opportunity to x share comment if you want x all right so the first the first tool x that I found and this is a little x contrary to what I just said x um but I think it's an important first x step to help us build the habit of x meditating and being God conscious x the first tool is to set aside specific x time to meditate and think on God's word x now when I talk about meditation I I x don't I guess I should clarify that this x what I'm really talking about here is uh x not sitting in a blank room you know x with ocean music playing on the x background or you know if that's x something you find helpful go for it but x really what I'm talking about is just x setting aside five minutes at the end of x your lunch 10 minutes before you go to x bed to just unplug from any form of x media to put away all distractions and x to just think about God in your life x spend some time just thinking about the x role he's played in your life or how you x saw God to that day x um using that dedicated time kind of x gives us gives us into the habit of you x know looking for God in our lives x looking uh for opportunities to x recognize him as we go about our daily x life x um x yeah we make it a goal then to meditate x regularly and as we get that habit x formed it becomes more natural like any x habit you do the more you do it the more x natural it becomes and eventually you'll x start being God conscious outside of x those specific moments x uh I like this uh there's two Psalms x here that kind of help with this uh x Psalm 119 verses 148 says my eyes x anticipate the night Watchers when I may x meditate on your word it was a time that x the psalmist had set aside like I'm x going to when I lay down on my bed you x know it's dark at seven I'm gonna lay x down on my bed from Seven I'm not tired x yet until eight o'clock I'm gonna spend x an hour just meditating on God's word x you know they spent that they set aside x that specific time to sit there and x think about uh God and and his word and x what it meant to them x Psalm 63 verse 6 says the same thing x pretty much it says when I remember you x on my Med or on my bed I meditate on you x in the night watches x so this idea is like as you're laying x down when it's dark just take a moment x to reflect to think about God's word and x kind of set that time specific time to x do it x um x yeah like I said I can understand why x Knight would be appealing for them x without their modern lighting x um so that is a time that maybe we can x try x um x you know like I said I like to do it x after lunch I like to spend some amount x of time after my lunch just sit and x think about God's word x really is that you know find a time x that's a regular habit in your life x um and just you know ask yourself x questions where do I see God in my life x what can I how can I recognize him more x regularly x the next tool kind of ties into that x once I'm gonna just keep going before we x open it up here really quick x um x because if you're someone like me with x ADHD sitting in a dark room for 30 x minutes without any form of stimulation x is absolute torture I can't stand it x um so the next suggestion is to use a x tool or a tool that you can use is to x write a journal you know as you take x that time to sit and meditate take notes x right you know write it down x um as you reflect on your day and what x you did and why you did it write write x it down in a journal uh it can be x helping be more definitive in the way x you think x um it's a nice way of recording things x so you can go back and reflect on x previous days as well x and if you really want to get x technologically advanced you can keep a x video Journal my wife finds this pretty x hilarious but I did a road trip last x summer out to Peter and Melissa's x wedding and I was by myself so I would x record myself as I was driving and would x monologue all the way to record my x thoughts and and I found it great as a x way for going back and reflecting on x those different days that I got to have x was to go back and watch that video uh x Journal that I kept x the more reflective I think we are the x more we're going to for God's x example in our own lives and the more we x do that the more we'll start to see them x so any thoughts or comments there on x those first two tools x I love that verse in Psalm 119 the I x think the version that you quoted x spoke of the psalmist anticipating x the watches of the night like you know x looking forward oh I'm gonna have this x break from the day-to-day from the you x know the travails of work and I'm gonna x you know joyfully meditate on the word x that's kind of you know that's x interesting to me x you know there's a time when uh my x oldest Paul went off to college I set an x alarm on my phone x um x and it went off you know every day at x the same time and it was designed to x cause me to pause and to think of my son x and to pray x you know for him and for his situation x you know x and I haven't done that in a while but I x had done that for a long time sort of uh x that stimuli to like Snap me out of uh x you know whatever I was doing x so yeah thanks for those reminders yeah x there's a lot of really neat tools that x we can use in today's society to help x jog our memory like that you know um x I even uh even something as simple as x posted that I like posted notes during x covet my wife and I had posted notes all x over the house to kind of remind us of x different things and uh they can be x really I know there's a lot of really x different options you can get really x creative with those you know external x reminders yeah x yeah x Gideon this is Dana Pratt and I love x journaling too I think that's such a x powerful method for connecting us with x God and um I have found often journaling x after doing the readings x because so frequently we just kind of do x the readings and it goes straight out of x our minds but when I do the readings and x then it often becomes a prayer that I x Journal you know maybe just a short x sentence or two but it's then it's there x it's tangible you like you said with x your Journal you can look at it again be x reminded of things you've learned and x hopefully it makes the tracks in your x brain a little deeper with doing the x readings for the day x yeah for sure I like that x all right I will keep going again if you x want to keep jumping in there I have x another comment we've got plenty of x opportunities I'll open up a few more x times here x um the next tool that I had x um x is a little different it's not an x exercise I do every day x um but it's one that I found really x helpful uh as you know kind of when I x talk about meditation and taking time x just think about things x um x the next tool that I really enjoy or I x would like to share is this idea of x thinking about the people who have x influenced you in your life and helped x make you the person you are today x and you know I really like this idea x like taking time specifically to say you x know wow I really appreciate how this x person has influenced me in this way and x you know I I can see myself trying to x emulate them in this way like because it x makes us self-reflective right we have x to pick out qualities that we have x um and the or that we need to work on x but then it's also outwardly reflective x right it's recognizing how other people x have been so influenced us towards those x positive traits or who we would like to x emulate better x um because they're kind of a role model x to us x so for example what this kind of looks x like x um you know I'll take time we'll set x aside a specific time and did this a lot x on my uh you know just recently in the x past few months x um x where I would you know say hey I really x appreciate how I learned a lot of my x speaking skills and my class formats x from Brother John Doe and these are made x up names just to be clear I figured it's x better than using real names just for x the sake of uh an anonymity x um but sister Sue taught me how to be a x real chiffer Giver I saw her example as x a real show for cheerful Giver x that's something I you know I really x want to emulate that in my life uh x brother Steve showed me how to kind of x be the balance needed in a situation x rather than just defaulting to the x personality or what I personally felt x was important you know to kind of make x sure I'm checking myself against the x balance of what's needed in that x specific situation x uh Tim dear taught me how to love being x at meeting and how to greet everyone x with with enthusiasm and a five five and x a hug x uh brother Bob taught me that um you x could always find a role in the Ecclesia x and that serving behind the scenes is x one of the most important rules you can x have x yeah I took the time to sit and reflect x on on all those different x characteristics you know remembering how x they had influenced me when I was x younger how they've influenced me now x and how I want to emulate them x um x and I think it really helps me refocus x on what matters right it reminds me of x the characteristics that I want to have x I'm not as cheerful of a giver as sister x Sue was x um but whenever I take time to remember x on her influence her on my life it x re-motivates me to try and be better it x helps me to look for opportunities where x I can be more like she was x a lot of those people that I I mentioned x or you know part of why this one can be x so impactful is a lot of those people x have passed removed moved away from my x life x um they've kind of left a hole in my x life or in the Ecclesia x and taking time to remember them and the x impact they've had on my life that just x can kind of be at peace with the fact x that they're no longer around x it also reminds me that there are people x still in my life who have influenced me x and and I want to make sure I thank them x for that and express that to them x um x and they really appreciate the role that x they've played in making me who I am x any thoughts or comments on that one I x think I think it's one that x doesn't have to be every day but you x know once a month uh or so just take x time to really reflect on those people x it it can be a really nice tool x not so much self uh internally talking x about it Gideon but um or actually x one going one step further is to x actually make mention to those people x um x you know on uh I was baptized x uh October 16th and on every October x 16th I try to send a note x to uh brother Steve and brother Steve x because they were the ones who x uh help me get through you know my Bible x lessons and led me to be baptized so x that's not only beneficial to me it's x beneficial I think to them for sure I x mean people I know when people give me x positive feedback that lightens my step x through the rest of the day and brings x it brings a smile I think it's uh yeah x natural follow-on so thanks for that x them x I like to think that uh x that we take a little like you know also x each of us are made up of the kind of x little bits and pieces of other people x that we've taken who have influenced us x in our lives and so to really think x about it that way that you know let's x break down a specific character and be x like this is the characteristic that x I've learned from this person x you know again it gives you that kind of x that Clarity or that a bit more x definition that I yeah but the idea of x going to the people who who have still x you know you still have and and yeah x it's something I really want to get x better at because I know there are x definitely a few people that I know I x didn't express it enough and I I you x know something I regret a little bit and x I want to make sure I don't feel like x that again right I want to make sure x that's something I'm sharing with people x while they're still around because x yeah you know looking back as someone x who's grown up in the truth I've had x some amazing influences in my life and x uh yeah being able to share that's x really special x yeah thanks for that Gideon that's an x interesting idea x um I like Jim's idea as well as letting x those people know but x um you make an interesting point that a x lot you know things change and people x move on and x um x you can lose track of the people who x have influenced you and uh that's x unfortunate so so I think it's important x to keep in touch and also like you put x it to remember what they've done for you x I think that's a that's a great point to x make thank you for doing x appreciate it x yeah and I I love the idea of thinking x about people x in gratitude as opposed to like thinking x only about those people that might need x help or those people who are sick or I x mean that's important too yeah but I x don't know that I've ever considered x like going through the you know the x church directory and saying yeah you x know x I'm really grateful that this individual x specific person you know and reflecting x on that specific thing that they might x have said or done or x a general character trait I think I'm x gonna try and x Implement that yeah that's really good I x appreciate it Gideon if if I might get x in uh also the idea of journaling I I x think there are times where we have x people coming and going in and out of x our lives and and sometimes decades can x pass and we may have uh remembered the x influence that they had on us but there x may have been you know different things x that we help them with and advice that x we gave them and and we just think well x I'll always remember that okay and then x maybe 20 30 40 years from now we're x faced with the same situation and we x could use maybe our own advice in x looking into the journal and say you x know when that brother or sister was at x that point in their life x this was the advice that you gave them x and and sometimes a journal can help us x remember that as well we look you know x we can learn a lot from one another as x we observe their different aspects of x life and I can just say now at 65 I you x know I always thought when I was 20 or x 30 well I learned that and I'll always x remember that but there are some things x that you know that do pass with time and x so I I I've been I actually went out and x bought a journal I just haven't started x writing in it but uh but uh it's been on x my mind so I you know this might be the x final kick here but anyways thank you x for that x at 65 can you remember where you put x that journal no I didn't remember but I x got the bill so I know I bought it next x to Gideon x exactly x and I should say in the context of this x right we're talking about being God x conscious you know what we're looking x for is that you know each of us emulates x Christ and and Christ emulates God and x so you know when you look for those x characteristics that you know here's a x time when this person was reflecting God x that that's what we're looking to do x because it's to encourage us to think x about God's character and our lives and x things like that more right so uh just x add that caveat in there as well that x that's all that's how this ties into the x god Consciousness part as well if that x wasn't wasn't x apparently x oh sorry x yeah go ahead x go ahead bye brother goody yep uh yes I x remember a sister by the name of Annie x Craddock I used to go visit uh many x years ago and um x he um x at first I didn't know what to talk x about x um being new in the truth x and then I noticed when I started x talking about the scriptures she was the x elderly sister and um x I quoted uh John x 14 I think I was x and uh I quoted it wrong and she said x that was my Billy's x um favorite verse she said and uh x he quoted that whole verse uh In My x Father's House of many mansions and so x forth my point is that I was amazed at x this elderly I think she must have been x in her x 70s or or even early and I was amazed x that x when I talked about scriptures she was x right there if I said anything about x anything else she wouldn't respond x mm-hmm x Bonnie you got something to add yeah x so the Bible tells us that out of the x abundance of the heart the mouth will x speak right and we know it means what's x up here so I wanted to tell Gideon x you're still young right so you're gonna x keep filling that up with the right x things with God and I can tell you nine x out of ten times God will be right there x there's something I if I'm not doing x something right or my mind is x bettered with foolishness about x something it will come to me because and x that's what I answer to so I think when x we fill up our minds with God over time x and experience and joy and love with him x I think it comes right back as you get x older Gideon x to begin those you know good habits now x but it he is ever with us so you know it x works out so I always think of that you x know out of the abundance of the heart x the mouth will speak but I think we x think there too so I I appreciate that x that's it that's good yeah it is it's x something getting into this habit you x know it's not something that's going to x come quickly but it it does come if you x can form that habit you'll start to see x it more and more again it's one of those x the more again again with any habit the x more you do it the easier it becomes and x what Uncle what uh Brother Richard said x uh it stays with you and that elderly x sister corrected uh brother there x because she understood it like she could x elaborate it because about her son Billy x but I mean there it stays with us very x clearly you know not perfectly but very x well so I think when scripture says x learn a new song yeah that's that's the x new song where to learn is you know not x the old man but the the new song you x know of the history inspiration of God x singing in our hearts you know I like x that yeah well there you go x all right well the next two I want to I x want to talk about is one I like the x most x um I know it says I can say this about x all of them but x um this is actually also the x inspirational friend I guess I keep x putting this down there in my notes I'm x realizing that the students first from x my class is very inspiration for the x class but uh this next tool has really x really kind of got me thinking I'm gonna x say that because I already said that as x well x um but this idea of looking for God in x your regular life and the things around x you x um whether it's something that you hear x or whether it's something you experience x whatever it may be try to think about a x spiritual lesson that you can learn from x whatever that thing is now that's this x next tool x um the more God contrast we are right x the more we'll start seeing God in x everyday things x um x doesn't necessarily meaning and you know x I think this isn't important right this x idea of recognizing where God is working x in your life that's not necessarily what x I'm talking about here though I'm x talking about when you for example when x I did this road trip out x um out to uh Peter Melissa's wedding x um I went to as many national parks as I x could and I saw some amazing locations x and my goal of mine was that anytime I x saw an amazing landscape or something I x would stop and ask myself what is God x teaching me in this moment like what x what about the Mississippi River can I x learn now what does the Mississippi x River teach me about God or you know x um all these different Landscapes and x things like that what can I learn about x God from these things that I'm x witnessing and experiencing in my life x um an example so so I'm going to walk x you through another example of this x um from that road trip x um I had a couple opportunities to watch x the sunrise from a Mountaintop and one x morning I was in Zion National Park x um and it always remember this is one of x the most amazing sunrises I've ever seen x it was a beautiful sunrise I'm not sure x she was at a spot called lava point x which is up above Zion National Park if x you know anything about Zion there's x some really cool canyons and these high x mountains and lava Point actually sits x at the top of the Colorado Colorado x Plateau overlooking the park x uh and the first thing that struck me as x I was sitting up there was uh whoever x came up with the saying the night is x darkest just before the dawn clearly x never watched the sunrise x um if you're an early riser or if you've x ever gotten up to watch a sunrise before x I just notice how bright it is before x the sun even peeks Over the Horizon x um well as I was watching the sunrise I x noticed this is something I observed I x witnessed and I asked myself what's the x spiritual lessons that I can learn from x that you know x um x and this is what I came up with i as I x was sitting up there and thinking about x this and reflecting on this uh the x sunrise is often a type of the return of x Christ right uh in the Kingdom in x scripture like it's a type that's used x in Scripture that we can see x um and so as we picture the end times x and the return of Christ I think we can x often imagine passages like those will x be the days just like lot in Noah or you x know the passage of a crisis will a son x of man Find Faith or this faith in the x earth in that day x we often picture so things getting much x much worse than they ever were before x Christ will return right the night will x be darkest just before Christ returns x but I don't think necessarily that's the x case x um x do you know where it is darker as I was x watching the sunrise I noticed where it x is darker before the sun rises is in The x Valleys it's in the low parts of the x earth and as I sat there in Zion x National Park I noticed that the spots x were the light of the sun Shone first x were the tops of the mountains you know x there and then all these passages about x Believers ascending and non-believers x descending and if we're looking for the x crisis Christ return if we're looking x for the sunrise you're going to to x get to a high point you want to get to x the very top of the mountain to watch x the sunrise if you're going to do it x you're going to ascend up uh into the x mountains x and if you do that the night won't be x darkest just before the dawn in fact x we'll be able to see the Light of Christ x coming long before he actually appears x Additionally you know if when he does x return and he does arise that sun does x arise it's the tops of the mountains x we'll be the first ones to see that x light and that sun when he comes If x instead we're descending down into the x valleys and you know we're hiding down x there we're not really looking for the x sunrise or looking for Christ or if x we're looking from the wrong places x it will be darker for us we won't see x signs of this coming because we aren't x in the right place for it x so am I stretching that a little bit x yeah probably x um but it's that kind of critical x thinking and that kind of analyzing that x I think God wants us to do as we witness x the world around us as we experience x life x he's created this world in a very x specific way and I think it was intended x for us to kind of provoke thought in us x right to reflect on who he is in his x plan for our world x uh Romans 1 verse 20 says that for since x the creation of his of this world is x invisible sorry his invisible attributes x his eternal power his divine nature have x been clearly seen being understood x through what has been made so that they x are without excuse like through nature x we can recognize attributes of God's x character x and you know this is something we see x over and over again done by the authors x in the Bible and granted they were x inspired x um but this idea of finding spiritual x principles in the world around us is x clearly something that we find rooted in x the Bible x um it doesn't apply just to national x parks for beautiful landscapes you know x we can ask our same thing or ourselves x the same questions we see a flower x growing in the sidewalk x um when we're you know sitting beside a x bonfire when our minds are on the word x of God we'll start with some connections x from our daily life and the world around x us to his word x I think I saw brother Ben link uh there x on the camera a little bit but Ben gave x a class recently on the spiritual x lessons that we can learn from the game x of chess x you know when we start looking for God x in our lives you'll find those x connections anywhere you look you can x find it in the game of chess x um so let's go to Second Timothy two x this is one to seven here's the passage x that kind of talks about this I think x second Timothy 2 verses one to seven x says you therefore my son be strong in x the grace that God or Grace that is in x Jesus Christ x the things which you have heard from me x in the presence of many witnesses and x trust these to Faithful Men Who will be x able to teach others also x for hardship with me as a good soldier x of Christ Jesus no Soldier x who's actively engaged or sorry no x soldier in active service entangles x himself in the Affairs of everyday life x so that he may please the one who x enlisted him as a soldier x and if anyone competes as an athlete he x does not win the prize unless he x competes according to the rules x the hard-working farmer ought first to x receive his share of the crops consider x what I say if the Lord will give you x understanding in everything so here's x Paul looking at three examples in the x world around him soldiers Farmers x athletes and pulling spiritual lessons x out of those things that he's witnessing x that's the kind of mindset we want to x have as we go about our day as we're x interacting with people say what can I x learn about Christ in this moment that's x being God conscious that's thinking x about who God is x Christ says it's in Matthew 6 26 through x 30 he says look at the birds of the air x they do not sow nor reap nor Gather in x Barns yet your heavenly father feeds x them are you not so much more than they x who can being worried cat a single hour x to his life and why are you worried x about clothing observabilities of the x field and how they grow they do not toil x no spin uh yet I say to you not even x Solomon and His glory was closed like x one of these x but if God so closed the grass of the x field which is alive today and tomorrow x is thrown into the furnace really not x much more clothe you x oh you have little faith and we can see x it's over again and over again in x scripture Proverbs 6 6 8 go to the ant x You sluggered observe her ways and be x wise which having no chief officer or x ruler prepares for food in the summer x and gathers her Provisions in the x Harvest x uh Psalm 145 verse 5 on the Glorious x Splendor of your majesty and on your x wonderful works I will meditate x take time to sit there and think about x what God has done and the creation x around us and how it can teach us about x him x uh Psalm 8 verses 3 to 4 when I consider x your heavens and the works of your x fingers the moon the stars which you x have ordained what is man that you've x thought of him or the son of man that x you care for him x so as you can see something that we see x over and over again in scripture this is x what we're trying to do in being God x conscious see something ask yourself x what does this teach me about our Lord x thoughts or comments on uh on that one x Gideon I uh really resonate with um x you're saying on that topic uh that when x you were talking about the x um the Dawn watching it in Zion x um x I your my mind went to proverbs 4 18 and x 19. uh it says and I have this on my x wall in my office I really like this x first but the path of the righteous is x like the light of dawn which shines x brighter and brighter until the full day x The Way of the Wicked is like deep x Darkness they do not know over what they x stumble so it actually has x the righteous who who see that light x getting brighter and brighter x and I think that as we as we wait for x and hasten the you know the day of Jesus x return x you know there we can the anticipation I x think can can make light uh kind of grow x in our hearts and Minds more and more x and we see God's God's way God's path x for us x um but if we're down in those valleys x then you know then you're in the Deep x darkness and you're going to stumble x right can you quote that again sure x proverbs 4 18 and 19. x Brian I was just going to ask you your x thoughts about the uh before the sun x actually Rises but the sky begins to x brighten you also see a crescendo of the x birds beginning to uh the song If you x start listening to the birds they'll be x very quiet and then as soon as you see a x little bit of light you'll see one two x three and then there's a whole Crescendo x of Life beginning to come back okay and x yet the sun hasn't quite appeared yet x but they know the sun is about to rise x so life begins to return to the Earth at x that point x I love sitting on my deck listening x listening to those birds uh in the x morning you know even Before Sunrise and x and yeah I know exactly what you're x talking about Chris x also I remember um x the Apostle Paul but forget where it is x where he said he was in the sea x Knight and Day x and my mind went too x uh where it says sorrow endureth only x for a moment but Don comes in the x morning x yeah joy cometh in the morning yeah x the night he's he's in the sea at night x and and uh I see in it but joy comes in x the morning x did you throw your your uh comments I'm x really enjoying it x um at the beginning of your class you x made some reference to the x um the Israelites and how they you know x what would they have had to encourage x them x and x um I think the law if they tried to keep x the law kept God always in their minds x it was very x much something they had to do I heard a x rabbi one time talking about and he x lived in New York and he decided or a x Jew maybe it wasn't a rabbi he decided x he was going to try and keep the law x just x it was going to do that and he said x every aspect of his life was x controlled can I eat this with my x morning coffee is this under is is this x mixed in the right way has it got the x right ingredients for kosher and things x like that and it just every aspect of x their lives would have been x reminding them of God I'm not saying x that we should go back to the law but to x think it's a powerful lesson and another x one one that I heard another Jew who's x had been living in Israel and his x children then he moved to the North x America I don't know whether it was x Canada or the states and he said his x children in the car when they were x driving somewhere would say well what x happened here what because when they'd x lived in Israel every time he drove in x the the x um you know through the land he would be x telling them this is what happened in x the Bible you know this is where David x defeated Goliath and this is where this x happened and he said when he came to x North America his kids would be saying x well what happened here Dad x and there was nothing to say x oh that's great I I like that idea of x the law because it's true like and this x is kind of what gets behind it was what x I was trying to get at when I was x talking about the day-to-day versus x Grand gesture Faith the law wasn't just x about sacrifices and rituals and x traditions it was about everyday life it x was something that was supposed to be x part of how they lived their lives and x that's what we want we want this to be x just a part of how we live our lives x and that's something you know we set our x side of our life to do no it's it's a x part of who we are it's all one thing x all right uh next tool I got two more x that I kind of want to get through x um okay bear with me we'll try to we'll x try to get through these two and then x we'll open up for comments again x um the next tool that I have is always x ask questions uh this is something just x you know as a reminder something to work x on trying to do uh always ask yourself x questions always ask questions I think x it's something that um x at least in my life I don't feel like x was encouraged enough when I was younger x and something I feel like we need to be x better at encouraging as a community x um it's one of the most useful tools x that God's given us right God's given us x a brain and the ability to reason so we x should use it right we should ask x ourselves questions and try to reason x out the answers x um every day as we're going about your x day-to-day life just ask yourself x questions think about questions that you x may have and write them down ask your x friends or family just just get into the x habit of using questions regularly x um one of my favorite uh friends or x peers that I have is someone who asks x the best questions x um they're not shy at all about asking x questions and I often reflect on how I x would like to be more like him x um they'll randomly ask me about how my x prayer life is doing or he'll constantly x ask questions about what I think about x this topic in the Bible and they'll hit x it with some oddballs sometimes but it's x great because it gets me thinking about x these things more regularly I guess it's x both thinking about it because he's x trying to reason now in his mind and x he's asking me and I now I'm trying to x reason and out and we can have x discussion and we can ask for more x clarification and we can it helps us x both get into the word more x and so I think we should do this with x ourselves you know we do this with our x peers or friends or family ask questions x it's a powerful tool x um you know try to stump an elder with a x more difficult question or if someone x asks you a question don't just shoot out x a quick answer x um take time to meditate on it reflect x on it and what they're actually asking x maybe ask for them more questions for x clarification that idea of asking x questions back and forth can be really x really powerful trying to understand and x clarify things x um x if you can't tell like this is a tool x that I absolutely love um just because x it's really simple like it's a simple x thing to do just be like okay what x question can I ask myself you know when x I'm sitting there eating lunch all right x what do I need to know what what do I x want to know more about you know what am x I thinking about right now x um that's a you know when you get into x the habit of it it's a really powerful x tool x and I think we find this in scripture as x well like this is not a tool that x um you know it's just something that I'm x pulling out a hat I think this is x something that you know God uses in x scripture God often asks questions in x scripture if you look for it you'll x start seeing questions everywhere you x know one caught it God asked Cain where x is your brother it's not because God x doesn't know it's because he wants Cain x to reflect on what he's done he's trying x to stimulate that that thought process x in Kane's mind x um so when we see a question in x scripture don't just Breeze by it don't x just kind of jump to the answer stop and x meditate on it you know Paul Paul does x this a lot in his writing he he writes a x lot of rhetorical questions if you if x you read Paul's writings don't just skip x over to what he says in the next verse x and look for the answer take a second x and reason it out you know shall we x continue in sin that Grace May abound x I don't know is it really that bad that x Grace abounds what's the problem with x going on today x can I go on sinning if I've Crucified My x Flesh with Christ like am I really being x a new man if I'm purposely going on x sinning take time to think about the x other questions and and the answer x before you just jump to the next day you x know the next verse x and recognize you're not always going to x find an answer right away there are x times where there are questions that x we're going to come across that we can't x answer right away those are good x questions those are those are those are x great questions that have to write down x um there are times I think you won't x ever find an answer I know there's one x brother growing up who used to have a x question that's in the back of his Bible x and probably half of them weren't x answered or questions that he had not x found an answer to yet x um but there were questions that he x would bring up and think about and ask x people all the time because there was x something that was on his mind x um I like this verse Luke 2 verse 19 x says that but Mary treasured all these x things pondering them in her heart and x that Greek word for pondering means to x converse with oneself she's like she's x talking to herself thinking in her head x about you know what do these things mean x asking yourselves those questions x um about what you know trying to figure x out what that all these things the angel x had said or meant x um or sorry the Shepherds sorry all the x things the Shepherds had done for her x had been x um as you may not have known right she x probably didn't know right away what x that meant when these Shepherds came to x visit her in the uh in the barn but it's x something that she took time to reflect x on and think about x there is one great debate over questions x though that I think is worth mentioning x and it's the debate about whether or not x there is such thing as a bad question x you know you'll hear often hear your x teachers say there's no such thing as a x bad question x um my answer to this debate though is I x think there is such thing as a bad x question and I think a bad question is x any question that doesn't follow what I x call the first Thessalonians 5 21-22 x rule x so first Thessalonians 5 21-22 says x examine everything carefully that's ask x questions you know try to figure out the x answer hold fast what is good but reject x any form of evil x so I think a bad question is a question x that we're not actually examining if x you're not going to put the time and x effort into Define the answer if you're x just going to kind of go you're not x actually going to start going to listen x to the answer when you ask the question x don't ask the question right like like x if you if you see God tells us we'll x find x don't give up on answering a question x just because it's too difficult x I've seen too many friends I think walk x away from the truth because they're x unwilling to examine everything x carefully x they're unwilling to kind of put the x effort in to figure out what's good and x what's evil they ask the question but x they were asking it more as an excuse to x you know to behave the way they wanted x to rather than trying to find and listen x to the answer when they've found it God x tells us ask and you will be given seek x and you will find it won't happen right x away but take the time try to find the x answer examine everything carefully hold x fast so what is good and reject any form x of evil x additionally use the Philippians 4 verse x 8 rule x um to help determine what's good and x evil Philippians 4 verse 8 again and x passage I think most of us are probably x familiar with finally Brethren whatever x is true whatever is Honorable whatever x is right whatever is pure x whatever is lovely whatever is of good x repute if there is any excellence and if x there's anything worthy of phrase x meditate and think on these things x the next question is not one or sorry x tool sorry the next tool that I have is x not one that I'm particularly good at x but it's one that I thought I'd share x just because it came up a few times in x my study on this topic x Psalm 143 verse 5 says remember the days x of old I I will remember the days of old x I will meditate on your doings x I'm used on the work of your hands x and that word muse in that verse means x to sing or vocally talk about x I'm not the most musical person in the x world but one good way to meditate on x God's word is to sing about it x um sing verses sing songs about God x music is a powerful tool for memorizing x and unlocking memories x take time to sing aloud x uh that can be a great tool and when it x comes to meditating on God's word x Psalm 77 verse 6 says I will remember my x song in the night I will meditate with x my heart and my spirit Ponders x I shall remember the Deeds of the Lord x surely I would remember your wonders of x old I will meditate on your work and x Muse on your Deeds your way o God is x holy book God is great like our God so x sing songs that's another another great x tool that we can use x and the final tool I want to talk about x I know I said two but I'm going to throw x this third one in there is this idea of x praying without seasoning now this is a x tool that I would say is definitely a x personal tool this is something that you x know I find works for me I've shared it x with a few friends who have outright x said that this just doesn't work for x them so um x it's not something I'm suggesting that x you all need to go and do and try x um but for me what this looks like is x directing my thoughts towards God x whenever I remember to x um and I think it's directly related to x the way I think I know some people think x differently they've done all these x studies on it uh I think in x conversations and in words so in my head x I'm I've got a little ongoing monologue x in the back of my brain x um so when I remember that I need to x make coffee I'll literally say in my x head something along the lines of oh x yeah I should go make coffee how should x I make coffee today I guess uh we don't x have any pre-ground beans so I'll have x to get the grinder out yada yada I have x this monologue that kind of goes on in x my head x um x and so when I'm reminded of God x throughout the day I try to change my x internal conversation to address God x instead of addressing myself x um when applicable right so instead of x this internal dialogue going on I have a x conversation with god going about my x daily life x so an example of what this might look x like is my wife will tell me some news x about someone and in my head I'll go man x that sounds really tough I hope they're x doing gonna be okay God please help uh x look help me look for a way to support x them if I can x um you must know how hard this is x actually for them so I hope you're able x to help them be okay you know instead of x having that conversation with myself I x try to direct it to God you know x sometimes it'll be like oh man we're x really gonna uh we still have to pay for x this thing this month I could really put x us in a tough situation if we're not x careful God please provide for us please x make sure that we're going to be okay x um x you know what's been on my mind so x please help me continue to trust in you x right so whenever I can get those x external stimuli to think about God I x try to change the way I think to be x directed to God x I think an example of this is Nehemiah x um who prayed while he was at work x bringing the cup to the king x there's a good chance that Nehemiah x didn't have time to set the cup down x step off to the side chamber bow his x head before God in a formal prayer he x most likely just had to direct his x thoughts quickly towards God as he heard x this news about Israel x and quickly asked for his help as he did x his daily job x so I'm not perfect at this I don't x actually do this without ceasing you x know I don't pray without ceasing x literally x um x but it's a tool that has helped me x really become more and more God x conscious in my life because I get again x the more I do it the more and more I the x way I think changes because I start x direct more and more of my thoughts x towards him x and this one I think really only works x once you've had a solid foundation so x this is not the one I would say go start x with you know build the habit of x thinking about God first x um this is something if I had tried to x do this when I first really was trying x to have more and more God conscious this x would have been a lot harder x so I just to kind of close out x um x God doesn't want us to stop living our x day-to-day lives you know he didn't x require the Israelites to stop thinning x their fields or to spend all day in x every year x in his Temple he wanted them and us to x turn our day-to-day life moments into x moments when we're thinking about him x we're thinking and praying to him and x building a relationship with him I think x a really good analogy of this is you x know the relationship that we have with x a spouse or a child x we don't separate our life into moments x when we're married and not married you x know you don't stop being a parent just x because you're at work x you do those daily actions you go about x that daily routine so that you can be a x good parent or a good spouse so you can x provide for one another and care for one x another x you don't let those moments get in the x way of being a parent or a spouse x um but you recognize that those x day-to-day moments are part of your x relationship and I think it should be x the same with God right we don't need to x put our life on hold to serve God we x want to find ways to serve God as we x live our life make our faith a x day-to-day faith x so that's all my thoughts for tonight x um are there any other questions or x comments that people wanted to share x just on Psalm 8 Gideon you know us x thinking about God I think uh I don't x know if you said this and my mind just x hasn't caught up with what you said yet x but x um you know he's always thinking about x us x right who who are we mindful of us x right that to me that's just an awesome x thought that he is mindful of us and so x uh x to reflect him to show what he does x uh that's a perfect x uh perfect thing to do I like that no I x hadn't mentioned that but that's great I x really appreciate that just the same way x that you know in The Sermon on the Mount x Jesus says don't worry your father knows x what you need how does he know what we x need he he knows every fiber of our x every what is a hair in our head right x every fiber of our being he's put in x place so he knows us and thinks on us so x yeah thanks for that and then just um x the fact that you have been so open with x us about your x struggles about your x um about the way you do things about the x way you think uh you've been very uh x very open and exposed yourself to us in x a way that helps us learn x um you know I know a lot of people are x very private about how they do things x and the way that you've shared with us x makes it extremely personal and x practical right I can do x uh those things you're not just giving x like far-fetched examples that don't x apply to your life x driving down the road having a monologue x uh you know while while that would be a x unique unique thing to most of us from x the first of us uh you know it you're x you're teaching us about x how x Jesus would have done things how our x father does things so thanks for that x very important x I appreciate it yeah x well thank you Jim for those kind words x I'm not sure the hair on the head x analogy works for you but I understand x where you're coming from x anybody does anybody else have anything x uh there you go x it's not very hard for God to keep track x of the hairs on Jim's head right no we x only have one it's easy x Gideon thank you very much I really like x the idea of being in constant thought x um with God and and our Lord and always x thinking of that and I really like that x idea about x um x you know when we pray I went for a walk x this morning I was telling Steve that I x was praying not my mind was all over the x place it was worse than squirrel it was x like all over the place I don't even x know how my mind was going this morning x and I was just like oh x but um but I really like that idea of x being able to be in constant thought of x what we see to to be thankful for what x we see or to be thankful for that right x yeah x so I appreciate it and and I think it x was Dana who said something about x journaling after reading I thought that x was a great idea x you know just a little jot something x down I'm like that's great you know x and maybe go back each year and say oh x yeah that was a good thought so anyway x thank you so much and I'm just so happy x to see you and give my love to shoshana x thanks I hope you appreciate it okay one x of the things that keep me in check is x that um find myself uh x um x constantly x almost constantly x um x asking God to don't let me offend him x and help me to make the right decisions x and um even uh give me a little bit more x extra food and then I say to myself well x he's given everything that is needful x and uh he'll give us the desires of our x heart x and uh uh I find that to be very very x true and one last thing is is that we x can believe everything that God says why x because he's a god of Truth x and it's impossible for him to laugh why x why x can we how can we depend upon Him x utterly x because this word is true that x everything that God says is true and I x find that constantly going through my x mind and uh uh that's one of the main x keys for me to keep me in check x also that day the pain and Agony that he x went through to bring us uh to his x father