You're listening to Encounter, a simple daily podcast of sacred and mindful Christian

meditations.

You can listen here, but if you would enjoy being able to search and favor it, forward

and journal as you listen, I encourage you to download the encountering piece mobile

app where all the meditations are free as they should be.

My wife and I lived in New York for several years and I worked in Manhattan.

My daily train commute into and out of Grand Central Station always involved navigating

in, around, through and often over panhandlers begging for money.

I know this can be a touchy issue, but one day I overheard two friends debating it.

Why do you give money to them?

They're only going to use it to buy more drugs, one of my friends said in a belligerent

tone.

My other friend responded in a surprising way.

I'm not giving it for them.

I'm giving it for me.

The theme for this meditation from Matthew chapter 6 is God's reward of love.

Being aware not only of our giving, but our motivations in giving, seeking recognition

and reward of the world, or God's reward in giving out of love.

So no matter whether dawn or dusk, this contemplative meditation is a secret retreat for you to

leave behind the motivations of the world and pursue God's reward, often awarded and

private.

You can't rest without God, so begin by becoming aware of God resting within you as you

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