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Archive for September, 2008

Raised Consciousness

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on September 26, 2008| Leave a Comment »

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
 
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:2,3).
 
Moses lived in Egypt over three thousand years ago, and he led some six hundred thousand people out of Egypt and through the wilderness. That is historical. But, Moses also stands for a faculty in yourself, and the things that Moses did typify your state of mind.
 
The mountain means prayer—the elevated consciousness. We are told that the general public were not allowed to go up Mount Sinai, but that does not mean that certain people were not good enough to go up. It means that if we want to go up the mountain—if we want to raise our consciousness, if we want to get closer to God—we must prepare ourselves by prayer. If we want to go up the mountain, we have to become a high priest spiritually and we must rid ourselves of our faults and weaknesses—otherwise we cannot elevate our consciousness and get our contact with God.
 
Moses had his revelation, and then he realized it as the experience that God and man are one. When he got that revelation, Moses brought back the laws of life, beginning with the First Commandment, as we call it..
 
What is the beginning of the First Commandment? I am the Lord thy God. Our trouble in our religious life nearly always is that we think, “In the beginning Me.” That is very human but is does not get us the revelation that Moses got. After affirming I am the Lord thy God… the First Commandment says thou shalt have no other gods before me.

When we learn to put God before ourselves and our personal perceptions and experiences, we open ourselves to  the higher level of consciousness in which God expresses himself limitlessly in our lives. We clear the channel so that God’s signal comes through. Then we can be close to God and then our prayers are fully heard and answered. The self, and our perceptions of it, is a false god and our preoccupation with it denies our true godliness. The divinity God will manifest through us if we put him first and prepare ourselves with prayer.

Being prepared,
Z Gardener

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Taking Material Steps

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

When you set out to solve a problem by means of prayer you should take all the ordinary normal steps in addition. Do not simply pray and then sit down and wait for something dramatic to happen. For instance, if you are praying for a position, you should pray for it as well as you know how each day, and then go out and visit agencies or prospective employers, write applications, or insert advertisements in suitable periodicals.
 
If you want a healing, treat about it in whatever way you usually find to be best and, in addition, take whatever material steps seem to be appropriate.
 
If your business is not prospering, have a checkup to discovery if you are managing it efficiently. If you find weak points, as you almost certaily will, you must correct them forthwith.
 
We certainly cannot expect to go on breaking the laws of the plane on which we live, and expect prayer to compensate for this foolishness.
 

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might… (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

God has a partner here below in each of us. It is our job to carry out here below that for which we pray above. We can pray for rain to water our gardens, but if we are not tending to it, the rain will be of little use. God will send us what we need in due course and if we make proper use of it our lives will be blessed in the ways for which we pray.

Tending the garden,
Z Gardener

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Final Authority

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

And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes
(Matthew 7:28-29).
 
It is always so. The message of Jesus Christ is utterly revolutionary, for it turns our gaze from the outside to the inside, and from man and his works to God.
 
He taught as one having authority. The greatest glory of the Spiritual Basis is that  you  begin  to  know. When you have obtained the smallest demonstration by means of prayer, you have experienced something that never leaves you. You have the witness of Truth within yourself, and this is the only authority worth having.

What a precious gift is the ability to know what the truth is. How many times in our lives do we struggle to know what is right and true? Discernment is something for which all the faithful strive. Jesus’ teachings were given to us so that we may know and understand the truth. That truth becomes ours when God demonstrates in our lives as a result of our obedience and faith in him. As we practice those truths, our lives become full of this truth and authority.

Gazing inside,
Z Gardener

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A Rock Foundation

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

Read Matthew 7:24-27.

 
Therefore whosoever heareth these saying of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock (Matthew 7:24).
 
One of the oldest symbols for the human soul is that of a building, sometimes a dwelling house, and sometimes a temple. The first thing that has to be done by the builder of a house is to select a sound foundation. On the shifting sands of the desert it is impossible to build anything at all, and so when the desert dweller intends to put up a permanent structure he looks about for a rock. Now the Rock is one of the Bible terms for the Christ, and the implication is very obvious. Christ is the one and only foundation upon which we can build the temple of the regenerated soul with safety. As long as we are depending upon something less than that Rock—upon will power, upon so-called material security, upon the good will of others, or upon our own personal resources—we are building upon sand, and great will be our fall.

How comforting it is to know that our salvation and happiness are not dependent upon our own limited perceptions, abilities and resources. When we accept the will of God and obey Him, all the limitless power of the creator is at our command to help us overcome all weakness, fear and doubt. When we build our lives, both earthly and eternal, on this rock, we can be sure that we will succeed and that nothing can block us from the love of God.

On the rock,
Z Gardener

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Unremitting Vigilance

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

Read Matthew 7:21-23.
 
We are all willing to do God’s will sometimes and in some things, but until there is a complete dedication of one’s whole self, there cannot be a complete demonstration. “There is no home for the soul in which there dwells the shadow of an untruth,” said George Meredith.
 
Never is it more true than in the life of the soul that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. We must not allow any consideration whatever, any institution, any organization, any book, or any man or woman, to come between us and our direct seeking for God. Centers, churches, schools, all fill a useful purpose in providing the physical framework for the distribution of right knowledge, but the actual work must be done by the individual.
 
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 7:21).

Complete dedication of one’s whole self is a tall order! It does not happen overnight, although a decision to dedicate oneself often is instantaneous. Such a decision must be followed by an eternal commitment to obey God’s will in our lives. It is a process of shedding the old human self and manifesting the new godly self. It is a life long pursuit that will fill one’s life with joy, peace and hope. It also ensures that our eternal lives will be filled with the same.

Ever vigilant,
Z Gardener

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Bearing Fruit

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on September 19, 2008| Leave a Comment »

 Read Matthew 7:15-20.
 
If man really were left without a simple practical test of religious truth, he would assuredly be in a sad plight; but happily this is not the case. Jesus, the most profound, and at the same time the most simple and practical teacher the world has ever known, has provided for this need, and has given us a universally applicable test for truth. It is as simple and direct as the acid test for gold. It is the simple question—Does the truth work in our lives? This test is so staggeringly simple that most clever people have passed it over. Truth heals the body, purifies the soul, reforms the sinner, solve difficulties, pacifies strife. There is no such thing as undemonstrated understanding. If you wish to know how you really stand spiritually, look about you at your environment, beginning with the body. There can be nothing in the soul that is not demonstrated sooner or later in the outer, and there can be nothing in the outer tha t does not find some correspondence in the inner.

         By their fruits ye shall know them (Matthew 7:20).

When our religion produces love, light, hope, faith, miracles or joy we can be sure that we are on the path of truth. If on the other hand, our religion is producing anger, hate, darkness, desperation, resignation, judgement or sadness we can be equally sure that we are not on the path of truth. To see the truth in our faith we have to look no farther than the mirror. What are the fruits of our faith?

Being fruitful,

Z gardener

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The Gracious Will of God

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on September 18, 2008| Leave a Comment »

A tragic mistake that is often made is to assume that the will of God is bound to be something very dull and uninviting, if not positively unpleasant. Consciously or not some persons look upon God as a hard taskmaster, or a severe parent. Too often their prayers amount to something like this: “Please God, give me such-and-such a boon, which I sorely need—but I don’t suppose you will, because you won’t think it is good for me.” Needless to say, a prayer of this sort is answered as all prayers are answered, according to the faith of the subject; that is to say, the boon is not granted. The truth is that the will of God for us always means greater freedom, greater self-expression, newer and brighter experience, wider opportunity of service to others—life more abundant.

 
God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
(1 John 4:16).

Dwelling in love is easier some days more than than others. But here is something to remember that should help on those days it is more of a challenge. Do two things. First, remind yourself that God almighty wants us to be happy, loving, free, new and bright every day. Second, do something for someone else. He wants us to have what we need and will respond to faith in Him and love within us. If we pray to dwell in love, express our gratitude for our blessings, serve our brothers and sisters and pray with faith, God will respond. The first thing He will do is help you see the challenge of a difficult day as just another opportunity to excel, overcome, triumph and serve. The rest of your day will be much better.

Dwelling in love,
Z Gardener

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The Dual Law of Thought

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on September 17, 2008| Leave a Comment »

            Every thought is made up of two factors, knowledge and feeling. A thought consists of a piece of knowledge with a charge of feeling, and it is the feeling alone that gives power to the thought. No matter how important or magnificent the knowledge content may be, if there is no feeling attached to it nothing will happen. On the other hand, no matter how unimportant or insignificant the knowledge content may be, if there is a large charge of feeling something will happen.

 
It makes no difference whether the knowledge content is correct or not as long as you believe it to be correct. Remember that it is what we really believe that matters. A report about something may be quite untrue, but if you believe it, it has the same effect upon you as if it were true; and that effect again will depend upon the quantity of feeling attached to it.
 
When we understand this law we see the importance of accepting the truth with joy in every phase of our experience.
 
Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy…(Psalm 16:11).

Without feeling, knowledge is just information. Without feeling, belief is just a mental exercise. Perhaps that is why so many people find their real faith in moments of deep crisis. It is when we are most fervent and having very strong feelings that the strongest connections come into being. Feeling and believing are not always conscious choices we make and often spring full blown into our lives. So we must exert some discipline in both areas. Negative feelings and unhealthy beliefs can slip into our lives unless we maintain control over our thoughts and responses to things around us. The choice of what we accept in our feelings and beliefs are ours to make, or not.

Choosing to believe,
Z Gardener

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The Strait Gate

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on September 16, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:13-14).
 
There is only one way under the sun by which man can attain salvation, in the true sense of the word, and that is by bringing about a radical and permanent change for the better in his own consciousness.
 
For countless generations humanity has been trying in every other conceivable way to compass its own good. This change in consciousness is the strait gate that Jesus speaks of here, and he says, and the number of those who find it is comparatively small.
 
Now why should man be so reluctant, apparently, to try to change his consciousness? The answer is that the changing of one’s consciousness is really very hard work, calling for constant unceasing vigilance and a breaking of mental habits. Entering the strait gait is, however, worth much more than whatever trouble or effort it may call for.
 
If you make a qualitative, change in consciousness, which is what happens in prayer, then not only is the effect of that change felt in every department of your life, but it is with you through all eternity, for you never can lose it. Thieves cannot break in and steal.
 
As soon as you obtain this spiritual consciousness you will find that all things indeed work together for good to those who love God.

Isn’t it ironic that all the power to save ourselves rests within us? By changing our consciousness we open the door to our spiritual selves that God enters to change our universe for the better. It is a decision we make and even though it is very hard to achieve, each of us can do it. Prayer is the key that unlocks our spiritual consciousness. Each time we pray, our spirit grows and God’s power flows through us. Let our prayer for today be that we will love God, obey His will and be filled with his spirit.

In obedience,
Z Gardener

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The Golden Rule

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on September 15, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law of the prophets (Matthew 7:12).

 
Here in the sublime precept that we call the Golden Rule, Jesus reiterates that great Law in a concise summing up. This repetition follows upon his wonderful statement of the fatherhood of God. The underlying explanation for the existence of the great law is the fact that we are fundamentally all parts of the Great Mind. Because we are all ultimately one, to hurt another is really to hurt oneself, and to help another is really to help oneself. The fatherhood of God compels us to accept the brotherhood of man, and spiritually, brotherhood is unity.

What a wonderful world we would awaken to if today, every person in the world became our friend and a member of our family. Then we would truly see that every person is a part of God and us, and we would not think of hurting them, or wishing  them harm. We would not gloat over their failures or desire anything they have. Instead, we would forgive them, pray for them and help them, just as we pray for ourselves, our  family and our friends. We would have compassion for them and feel sorrow when they are sad. We would love them, wish the best for them and be one with them. As Louis Armstrong said, “What a wonderful world!”.

In wonder,
Z Gardener

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