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Archive for April, 2008

Turn Within

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on April 29, 2008| Leave a Comment »

All that we seek is within us to be found through communion with He that made us, saved us and redeemed us. If we will fix everything on the inside, everything on the outside will be well.

Still fixing,

Z Gardener

Turn Within

            Don’t wait about for God to act dramatically—because He probably won’t. When people expect a dramatic miracle from the outside, they are really hoping to change conditions without changing themselves; to get something for nothing, in fact, and that would be a violation of cosmic law.

 
Don’t wait for God to tell you what to do from the outside—He won’t.
 
And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ (2 Thessalonians 3:5).

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Spotlights

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on April 28, 2008| Leave a Comment »

One of the things we enjoy least is accepting our faults, failures and weaknesses. However, this is exactly what we must do if we are to progress and succeed in our spiritual and material existence. No one has the strength to carry the guilt of thirty years worth of denial and mistakes. Each day we should confess our mistakes and ask for forgiveness and guidance. In this way we can rejoice each day and be glad in it as God intends. The unforgivable sin is one we refuse to accept and for which we fail to seek forgiveness.

Seeking forgiveness,

Z Gardener

Spotlights

            To recognize failure intelligently is the first step toward building success.

 
Recognize success with thanksgiving, and build more success on that..
 
You can have anything in life that you really want, but you must be prepared to take the responsibilities that go with it.
 
God is ready the moment you are.
 
You really do not know John Smith; you only know the idea that you form of John Smith.
 

One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all

(Ephesians 4:6)

 

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You Set the Clock

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on April 25, 2008| Leave a Comment »

The bible says “Prepare ye the way of the Lord”. Sometimes we question why our prayers are not answered, or why we have not manifested God’s promises in our lives or why we are beset by troubles. Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions. Maybe the question should be, “are we prepared to receive God’s promise, or the answer to our prayers or relief from our troubles?” To live in the Eden God has given us; we must release the self, eliminate negative thought and action, and accept the spiritual nature of our existence. Until then, we are the answer to the questions above.

Preparing the way,
Z Gardener

            There is nothing in the universe that you cannot do or be if you are mentally ready. People speak of golden opportunities but what we call opportunity is really our own mental readiness. Napoleon said, “Opportunities? I make opportunities”; and while this would be merely a vainglorious boast for one who is not on the spiritual basis, yet when you do understand the Truth of Being, it is simply a statement of fact. The Romans could have had the telephone; the Greeks could have had the cinema; the Babylonians could have had the automobile—had they been mentally ready. The laws of nature were the same in those ages as in ours, the same materials were in the ground—but the minds of the Ancients were not ready for those things, and so they had to go without them.

 
Supply the necessary mental condition, and the demand, the opportunity, or the occasion, will present itself automatically.
 
Whenever you are ready you will find that everything else is ready too.
 
Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is (Mark 13:33).

 

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Confusion of Duties

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on April 24, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Sometimes a sense of duty becomes the sacred cow that we can not release and which blocks us from our joy and our true purpose. If that which we feel duty-bound to do is beyond our reach, or if it  causing us to be negative, perhaps we should take a clear look to determine if it is really a duty or just a sacred cow.

Confusion of Duties

It cannot be your duty to do anything that is beyond your reach or your strength at the moment.

 

It cannot be your duty to do anything that sacrifices your own integrity or your own spiritual development.

 

It cannot be right to be hurried, or sad, or discouraged, or angry, or resentful, or antagonistic, under any circumstances.

 

If you have not time for prayer and meditation, you will have lots of time for sickness and trouble.

 

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this the the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

 

 

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Holy Cows

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on April 23, 2008| Leave a Comment »

We all have certain behaviors in which we engage that just seem too good, too important or too much a part of our being to consider giving up. But we know in our hearts that these behaviors block us from full communion with God, from becoming our best selves and from fulfilling the purpose we were created to accomplish. These behaviors may be life long habits, ways of thinking or a set of priorities. Some of them may actually lift us up to a certain point, but them limit us from achieving the ultimate destination we seek. These behaviors are like a hot air balloon that is tethered to the ground. It is safe, but can only achieve limited altitude. If we are to soar to the heavens we must cut those lines that tie us down and limit our development.

In the balloon,
Z Gardener

Holy Cows

            Most people have certain sections of their lives where, for various reasons (mostly unknown to themselves), they do not wish to make any change. These places are set aside and surrounded with an aura of spurious sanctity like the sacred cows of the East, which are considered too holy to be touched. But if you really mean business about regenerating your soul and body, there must positively be no sacred cows in your life.

 
Nothing is truly sacred but your own Indwelling Christ and the process of His awakening.
 
…Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light (Ephesians 5:14).

 

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Consistent Building

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on April 22, 2008| Leave a Comment »

We are all familiar with the old saying “One step forward and two steps back”. When we indulge negative thoughts, we are engaging in just such a activity. But reality cries out” Hey, only a fool wearing rose colored glasses reacts positively to bad news”. Refusing to harbor negative thoughts is not the same as refusing to accept reality. Rather, It is choosing how we will react to a situation. So we must (and do) choose between reactions that continue to build or those which tear down that which you have built. Negative thinking really is demonstrating lack of faith. It is counterproductive, blinding and crippling. Positive thinking puts our faith to work and it enhances, enlightens and enables us to build a life that is joyful, productive and secure. Or as the once popular song says, “Don’t worry, be happy.” It is more than a song title, it is God’s will.

Moving forward,
Z Gardener

Consistent Building

            …be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…(Romans 12:2).

 
This is Paul’s admonition.
 
Many people understand this in principle, but they fail to demonstrate because they do not carry it out logically in practice. During prayer, they carefully build up the new mental structure, but as soon as their time of prayer is over, instead of faithfully preserving that structure intact they promptly knock it down again by negative thinking. Obviously, a bricklayer could work hard in this fashion year after year without ever accomplishing anything.
 
If you are failing to demonstrate, it is probably due to the same cause—building followed by wrecking. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds.

 

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Flee Desolation

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on April 22, 2008| Leave a Comment »

When we fully grasp that indulging any negative thought is harmful to our hearts, our minds and our souls, we will find a way to eliminate them from our lives. “Whoso readeth, let him undesrstand”.  We must treat negative thoughts as if they have a warning label like those on a toxic substance. They are poisonous and harmful to our bodies as well as our relationship with God, ourselves and those around us. They are the equivalent of dangerous chemicals and in fact cause our own bodies to inject harmful substances into our own bloodstream. If bottled they would have a warning label “harmful to human beings”. More importantly, they block our relationship with God, poison our spiritual health and stunt our spiritual growth.
The good news is that there is an antidote to this poison readily available to every human. If it were bottled the label would read, “When afflicted by negative thoughts, immediately take two doses of God.” Turning your thoughts to God is the anti venom. If taken immediately, it works whether the negative thought is the West Nile virus equivalent or just another mosquito bite. If taken daily, it also works as a vaccine to innoculate yourself from negative thoughts.
Reading the labels,
Z Gardener

 

 

 

Flee Desolation
            The moment you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, you should reject it instantly. Do not stop to say “good-by” to the error but immediately switch your attention to the presence of God. Indeed, we may say that when error presents itself to consciousness, the first five seconds are golden.  

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On Faith

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on April 20, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Faith is belief in something unseen. A clear path and sure footing requires little faith. When you can see where the road leads and it appears safe and dependable, you don’t have to accept the unseen to proceed. It is when we can’t see the trail and the outcome is hidden that faith is required. True faith is manifested in action taken with no guarantees, no security and no insurance.  Act on faith and God will handle the rest  But remember, many times a leap of faith initially feels like falling off a cliff.

Free falling,

Z Gardener

Priming the Pump
            An Understanding faith is the life prayer. It is a great mistake, however, to struggle to produce a lively faith within yourself. That can only end in failure. The thing to do is to act as though you had faith. Act out what you wish to demonstrate, and you will be expressing true faith. This is the right use of the will.

 
…Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done (Matthew 21:21).
 
This statement of Jesus is perhaps the most tremendous spiritual pronouncement ever made. Jesus knew the law of faith and proved it many times. We shall move mountains when we are willing to believe that we can, and then not only will mountains be moved, but the whole planet will be redeemed and re-formed according to the Pattern in the Mount.

 

 

 

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