Good Morning Garden

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Matthew 5:17-18).

A “jot” or yod was the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, like the Greek “iota.” A “tittle” (really “little horn”) is one of those tiny spurs or projections that distinguish certain Hebrew letters.

The scribes and the Pharisees were for the most part worthy men leading strictly moral lives according to appearances. Their faults were the weaknesses of the religious formalist everywhere; spiritual pride and self-righteousness. Of these faults they were unconscious; that is the deadly malice of these diseases of the soul; but they did strive to fulfil the law, as they understood it. Jesus knew this, and he gave them credit for it. Here he warns his followers that unless their practical conduct is better than that of these people, they need not suppose that they are engaged on the spiritual path.

One of the fundamental premises of the Good Morning Garden is revealed in today’s message. That premise is that our thoughts create our reality and drive everything that happens in it. Our thoughts shape our point of view, our attitudes our spirits and our perceptions.

Think God,
Z gardener

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Mathew 5:17-20 The Fulfillment of the Law

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

If anyone were so insane as to suppose that the knowledge of the Truth of Being could put him “above” the moral law, in the sense of authorizing him to break it, he would speedily discover that he had made a tragic mistake. The more spiritual knowledge that one possesses, the more severe is the punishment which one brings upon oneself by any infraction of the moral law. The Christian has to be very much more careful than other people. Indeed, all real spiritual understanding must necessarily be accompanied by definite moral improvement. A theoretical acceptance of the letter of Truth might go with moral carelessness (greatly to the peril of the delinquent), but is it impossible to make any real spiritual progress unless you are trying your very best to live the life. It is impossible to divorce true spiritual knowledge from right conduct.

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).

Yoked to God,
Z gardener

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And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:32).

Never try to force other people to accept spiritual truth. Instead, see to it that they are so favorably impressed by your own life and conduct, and by the peace and joy that radiate from you, that they will come running to you of their own accord, begging you to give them the wonderful thing that you have. To do this is to make your soul truly the city upon a hill that cannot be hidden because it is the City of God. This is to let your light shine to the glorifying of your Father which is in Heaven.

This day we have the opportunity to shine God’s love, grace and power on all those we touch or for whom we pray. This day we can lift up, strengthen and glorify every person we care about. To do so we must start with ourselves.

Shine on,
Z gardener

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Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

The state of your soul is always expressed in your outer conditions and in the intangible influence that you radiate at large. There is a cosmic law that nothing can permanently deny its own nature. Emerson said: “what you are shouts so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” The soul that is built upon prayer cannot be hidden, it shines out brightly through the life that it lives. It speaks for itself, but in utter silence, and does much of its best work unconsciously. Its mere presence heals and blesses all around it.

Today, and every day, we have the choice between shining the light of love or casting darkness upon those around us. That choice is not made by how we act, but by how we choose to think. No outer conditions can hide the light of love and no amount amount of superficial activity can enlighten inner darkness.

Looking in,
Z gardener

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We often hear the expression “saluting the Christ in him,” or “seeing the Christ in him,” and we may well ask ourselves what that phrase really means. It is simply the practical application of the rule of Jesus Christ.

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment (John 7:24).

Each of us has a divine Self that is spiritual and perfect but that is never seen on this plane. That is the true man, God’s man, and is what we sometimes call “the Christ within.” Now whenever you dwell upon or realize the presence of the Christ within yourself or within anyone else, outer appearances begin at once to improve. If somebody displeases you, silently salute the Christ in him. If someone says something against John Smith’s character, salute the Christ in him, refuse to discuss the matter, and of course do not repeat it.

The more often you salute the Christ in others, the sooner you will find Him in yourself.

What do we see when we look at those we dislike, fear or those who have hurt us? Do we see one of God’s children, our brothers and sisters? Or, do we see an evil one who isn’t deserving of our love, sympathy or help? It is not easy to withhold judgement and to offer to love those who hurt us, scare us or those we have judged and condemned. Yet, that is the very thing Christ and all the Bible tells us to do.

Seeing God’s children,
Z gardener

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What has your religion done for you? For years probably, you have been attending church, reading spiritual books, studying the Bible. Now I suggest that you have a spiritual stocktaking. Ask yourself what difference religion has made in your life, in your home, in your affairs. How much peace of mind has it given you? How much courage? How much understanding? How much opportunity for service? For, make no mistake, real religion does give all these things.

If your spiritual stocktaking does not turn out to be satisfactory, I believe that you will find the explanation to lie in the following law: What you put into your religion, that you get out of it.

If you put in 5 percent of yourself, you will receive a 5 percent dividend or demonstration. If you put in 20 percent of yourself, you will receive a 20 percent demonstration. Complete returns call for a 100 percent investment.

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

Investing out time and focus in our faith is the best return on investment we will ever experience. For, unlike material investments, there is no cap on spiritual return rates nor the length of time those investments will pay off. No collapse of the market will destroy them and no recessions will erode them.

Investing in faith,
Z gardener

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To me the butterfly teaches the most important lesson that we human beings ever have to learn. You all know his story. He lived what seemed to him a very long time as a worm;what we call the humble caterpillar. Now the life of a caterpillar could be taken as the very type and symbol of restriction. He lives on a green leaf in the forest, and that is about all he knows.

Then one day the little caterpillar finds certain strange stirrings going on within himself. The old green leaf, for some reason, no longer seems sufficient. He becomes moody and discontented, but, and this is the vital point, it is a divine discontent. He feels the need for a bigger, finer, and more interesting life. His instinct tells him that where there is true desire there must be fulfillment.

And so the wonderful thing happens: the butterfly emerges beautiful, graceful, now endowed with wings, and instead of crawling about on a restricted leaf, he soars above the trees, above the forest itself; free, unrestricted, his own True Self.

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him (1 Corinthians 2:9).

When divine discontent spurs us to seek our True Self, we can wrap ourselves in the cocoon of God’s love so as to emerge from it a beautiful new creation. Then, we may soar on the wings of our faith through God’s garden created for our joy, peace and gladness.

Claiming the wings of faith,
Z gardener

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I had an amusing experience when I first came to America. Passing an attractive-looking restaurant, I went inside, and selecting a table, sat down and waited. Nothing happened. I continued to wait. All around me, people were enjoying their food, and only I was left out. After a while the truth dawned on me; I was in a cafeteria.(This system had not yet made its appearance in England.) I then realized that while there was plenty of food to be obtained, one had to go forward and claim it for oneself, or go without.

The universe is run exactly on the lines of a cafeteria. Unless you claim “mentally” what you want, you may sit and wait forever.

Every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat. (Isaiah 55:1).

How do we “mentally” claim something. In short, it is in how we truly see ourselves. Do we see ourselves as deserving, happy people on the road to success and peace. Or, in our core, do we see ourselves as flawed, anxious and small creatures getting by from day to day.

Let it be,
Z gardener

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Today most commercial flying is done on a radio beam. A directional beam is produced to guide the pilot to his destination, and as long as he keeps on this beam he knows that he is safe, even if he cannot see around him for fog, or get his bearings in any other way. As soon as he gets off the beam in any direction he is in danger, and he immediately tries to get back on the beam.

Those who believe in the Allness of God, have a spiritual beam upon which to navigate.

You are off the beam the moment you are angry or resentful or jealous or frightened or depressed; and when such a condition arises you should immediately get back on the beam by turning quietly to God in thought, claiming His Presence, claiming that His Love and Intelligence are with you, and that the promises in the Bible are true today. You are back on the beam and you will reach port in safety.

Keep on the beam and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

For this God is our God for ever and ever. He will be our guide even unto death. (Psalm 48:14).

When we are off the beam and beset by negative interference, all we have to do is call out to God in our hearts. Some negative interference is so strong that we can not break through it on our own. When we find oursleves unable to find the beam from God, then we have to issue a mayday call.

Seeking the course,
Z gardener

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Change is the law of the universe. Without change, the world would not merely remain in a static state, but it would soon become stale and stagnant. Without change there would be no progress, for change is the essence of betterment. It is obvious that to do anything in a new and better way there must be a change.

Many people look upon change with dread and foreboding. But for those on the spiritual path, for those who believe in God and the power of prayer, change is a fuller expression of life.

When a problem or condition arises in your life that indicates a change, rely upon God, and realize that it is not so much that a door has closed on a chapter of your life, but rather that a door has opened on new and more interesting things.

Behold, I make all things new (Revelation 2:15)

How often would we change if we were not forced to do things differently? And, if we never changed, how would we get better or progress to higher levels of spirituality or consciousness? The answers are not much and we wouldn’t. In fact, not only is change required, but so are the challenges that make us change, grow and progress.

Springing forward,
Z gardener

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