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Archive for June, 2012

Your Dedication

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on June 29, 2012| Leave a Comment »


The way of Love, upon which you may step at any moment — at this moment if you like — requires no formal permit, has no entrance fee, and no conditions whatever. You need no expensive laboratory in which to train, because your own daily life, and your ordinary daily surroundings are your laboratory. You need no reference library, no professional training, no external acts of any kind. All you need is to begin steadfastly to reject from your mentality everything that is contrary to the law of love. You must build up by faithful daily exercise the true Love Consciousness. Love will heal you. Love will comfort you. Love will guide you. Love will illumine you. Love will redeem you from sin, sickness, and death, and lead you into your promised land.

Say to yourself:“My mind is made up; I have counted the cost; and I am resolved to attain the Goal by the path of Love. Others may pursue knowledge, or organize great enterprises for the benefit of humanity, or scale the austere heights of asceticism; but I have chosen the path of Love. My own heart is to be my workshop, my laboratory, my great enterprise, and love is to be my contribution to humanity.” And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God (Romans 8:28). 

 

 

Change your heart and your world will change. Change your thoughts and all your deeds will change. And if that change is toward love, then all these changes will ensure your joy and gladness each day. 

Dedicated to love,

Z gardener

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The Path of Love

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on June 26, 2012| 1 Comment »

All the old traditions tell us that there is more than one path to the great Goal. Just as there is more than one road up every great mountain, and yet all roads meet at the top, so in the spiritual quest there are several roads, all of which lead in due season to the one great End.
There is the path of knowledge. True knowledge of divine things is one of the appointed paths to attainment; but that path is by no means for everyone. And there is the pathway of action—of organized activity—and the world needs this too; but this again usually calls for a special gift, and special circumstances in which to apply it. And there are others.
The shortest and the easiest pathway of all is the pathway of Love. It is the one pathway that is open to all, irrespective of what their personal conditions or circumstances may be. For every man, everywhere, the true attainment awaits through the yoga of Love, for yoga means union and it is our union with God that makes the attainment possible.
There is no fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment…(1 John 4:18).
…God is Love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him(1 John 4:16)
When our knowledge and our works fail us, love will guide us and lift us up. When our senses and our perception fool us, love will make everything clear. And when heartache cripples us and friends let us down, love will lift us up.
True selfless love, agape; will inevitably lead us to God; guide our paths; inform our senses and perceptions, and keep us safely in peace. All the good we seek can be found through love. Whether a scholar or a plumber, a priest or a parishioner, a king or a slave, love’s mighty power will overcome all things, restore all things and renew all things.
Take the path of love and rest assured that the journey and the destination will be full of joy, hope and peace. As John Lennon said “Love is the answer, you gotta’ let it flow”.
Flowing freely,
Z gardener

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Your Own Valuation

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on June 25, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The world will take you at your own valuation. Your body will take you at your own valuation. Your business will take you at your own valuation; for the value that you really put upon yourself is the one that manifests. You may say, “ But that cannot be true, because I know several people who are always boasting and pretending and yet no one ever takes them seriously.”
Please note that I said the value you really put upon yourself. People who boast, bluff, and pretend have really a poor opinion of themselves—or why would they pretend? And it is this poor opinion or sense of inferiority that is demonstrated in the failure that such people always make of their lives.
The man who really believes that his wares are excellent does not dream of lying about them. The man who is satisfied with what he is has no incentive to pretend to be something he is not. The man who is conscious of substantial achievement has no desire to boast.
Nature always takes you at your own valuation. Believe that you are the child of God. Believe that you express Life, Truth, Love. Believe that Wisdom guides you. Believe that you are a special enterprise on the part of God—and what you really believe, that you will demonstrate.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be… (John 3:2).
Brothers and sisters, this is not done by thinking about what great and talented persons we are. It is not done by recounting all our accomplishments and accolades. It is done by accepting and believing we are God’s children, created by a loving God with a special purpose ordained by God.
Also, no one is denied this status because they have failed, lost or seem to have no special accomplishments or talents. So, when we affirm all the above, it is not because of what we have done, or not done, here below. It is because we are God’s children.
So, when we ask ourselves “how can we believe all this?” considering our weaknesses and shortcomings, the answer is simple. We can believe it because it is the truth as revealed by the creator of the universe, our loving Father.
Being valuable,
Z gardener
Author’s Note: We are joined today by another gardener. He is a Christian leader who has served the public and ministered to many. We are blessed to welcome you to the Garden, brother. Z.

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Stop Limiting God

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on June 22, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The principal reason why prayers are not answered is because in our hearts we limit the power of God. The Bible constantly tells us that the people got into trouble because they limited the Holy One. When you say, “There is no way out of my difficulty,”what can it possibly mean except that you cannot see a way out? When you say, “It is too late now,” what can that possibly mean except that it is too late for you?
When you pray you are turning to the power of God and surely you will admit that God is omnipotent, and therefore nothing can be too difficult, or too late, or too soon for Him. You will surely admit that infinite Wisdom takes action when we pray and so our own limitations do not matter—unless we think they do.
Children often find themselves completely overcome by a difficulty that a grown-up person easily solves. What to the child seems an impossibility is quite easy to his father, and so even our greatest difficulties are simple to God.
Infinite Wisdom knows a beautiful and joyous solution to any dilemma. Do not limit the power of God for good in your life.
…Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? …(Isaiah 50:2).
When we relate to God through our limited human experience; our senses; our human perception; we are not truly limiting God. We are limiting our ability to access God’s limitless power and grace. We are cutting ourselves off from God.
If we accept our own limitation while affirming God’s infinite ability, then our senses are opened, truth is revealed and God comes fully into our lives. We are the gatekeepers to our spiritual world however, and can block our own access to God.
Let us rise above human perception and sensory-based understanding of the world. Then we can have eye’s to see and ears to hear the good news of God’s love and limitless power.
Without limits,
Z gardener 

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Life Is Like That

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on June 21, 2012| 1 Comment »

You form certain beliefs, for one reason or another—and then you have to live with them. When you were growing up, well-meaning people told you many negative things by way of warning, thereby implanting fears; and these fears are with you today, consciously or subconsciously.
You meet your fears dramatized. The things that we fear in our hearts have a way of coming to us in the guise of other people’s acts; of business conditions; of a breakdown in some part of the body.
Thank God it is not necessary as a rule to delve into the recesses of the subconscious and dredge for these things. In the spiritual teaching, as given in the Bible, we learn that by beating the symptoms spiritually (not, of course, covering up symptoms, but beating them) the fear or false suggestion that caused the symptom disappears too, and the patient is free.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace… (Job 22:21).
This does not mean that every bad thing that happens to us is the result of our own fears. It does mean that our thoughts, conscious and subconscious, drive many of our problems and our perception of and reaction to challenges that arise. It also means that the fears we harbor do manifest themselves in our lives.
To overcome this spiritually we must constantly remind ourselves that feelings of fear and our own limitations are the result  of separation from God’s truth. When we depend on ourselves for solutions, we cut God out of the formula by replacing our faith in God with faith in ourselves. We believe more in our own perception and senses than in God’s promise.
The remedy is to be ever aware that we alone are incapable of knowing real truth, and that we must lean on God’s word and believe in our hearts that all we receive can be for our best good. Even that which hurts us and challenges us. Remember, we are not alone and we do not depend on our puny human capabilities. We are children of God and can walk in joy and peace through all seasons and all tribulations.
In peace,
Z gardener

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The Devil’s Last Ditch

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on June 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »

When you have driven the devil out of every other corner of you heart, his last refuge is to take shelter in negative analysis. He will say, “You prayed before and nothing happened,” or, “You have been praying so long for that…” Or perhaps he will say, “There is no way that it can come about.”
When this kind of thing comes into your thought, do not be discouraged but rather rejoice, for this means that satan is positively in his very last ditch, and now is the time to clear him out; and if you will be loyal to God it will not be difficult. Now is the time to know the Truth quietly, and to hold to it in spite of false appearances. Now is the time to witness to the faith that is in you. No finer opportunity for a great step forward spiritually can ever come to you than this one. So take advantage of it and rejoice in your good fortune. It is not when things are going well that we make our progress. It is not even when things are going wrong and yet we feel sure that we can handle them with prayer that we advance.
It is when, smitten by the temptation to discouragement or even despair, we yet stand for what we know is the Truth, and say with Job, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him (Job 13:15
When we believe truly in God, we will search for the blessings hidden in our pain. We will know that the darkest night will result in the brightest dawn. And, we will know discouragement and despair for what they are; the adversary’s last ditch effort to keep us from our blessings.
Its like the loan shark who never wants their victim to get out of debt so they must keep paying. Our adversary wants us crippled by doubt and beaten down with despair so we are blinded to the good that comes from our challenges. Refuse to despair or be discouraged under any circumstances, and thereby kick the adversary out for good. Remember, its the last ditch from which we will have to cast out our prosecutor.
Kicking out doubt,
Z gardener

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Losing Interest in Outer Things

Posted in Uncategorized on June 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

It happens to some students of prayer who are especially zealous, giving much time to study and meditation, and making more than average progress, that a time comes when their ordinary daily work begins to seem dull, tiresome, and really not worthwhile. Such a person may actually have a very important and interesting position, which most people would consider ideal; but now he is no longer content or happy. He would like to throw off business life altogether and devote all his time to his spiritual development.
The healing of this problem is first to know that a great many people have to meet it. It is not at all uncommon or peculiar to one person; and those who have it always come through it and find themselves happier than ever before because this particular difficulty only happens to wholehearted and zealous people. Such people usually spend too much time in prayer and meditation, and become waterlogged.
Having come through that stage they always find themselves more interested in their business than ever before; they do much better work, and at the same time they progress much faster in their spiritual lives, and have a great deal more power in prayer than they ever had before.
I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. (Job 42:2).
Our daily work is as much a part of our ministry and response to God as any other part of our lives. While it may also be necessary to support oneself, it is clearly an opportunity to apply our faith, and practice God’s charge that we “do the good things for which we are created”.
By understanding our work is part of our spiritual life, we can elevate that work and our attitudes about it to higher levels of joy, satisfaction and ministry. Then we will find true joy in our work, and our work will produce joy in the world. Have a joyful day at work today.
Working in faith,
Z gardener

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And Mean It

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on June 15, 2012| 1 Comment »

Think of God. Review some of the things that you know to be true about Him – His perfect goodness, infinite intelligence, all presence, limitless power, unbound love, and so forth. Claim that God, who is all those things, is with you – and believe it.
Read a few verses of Scripture or any spiritual book that helps you.
Say silently that you forgive everyone who may seem to need it; without exception or mental reservation – and mean it.
Claim that God is now inspiring you, teaching you, and healing you. Claim that He is giving you the greatest of all gifts – HIMSELF – because having Him you will have everything else too.
Give thanks in advance for the peace of mind, the harmony, and the spiritual growth that is yours – and mean it.
Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High (Psalm50: 14)
The real questions for we of faith is “do we really believe it…do we really mean it”? How do we know the answers to these questions? We will know them by the fruits of our faith. If our faith brings us love, comfort, peace, joy, forgiveness, power, goodness, etc, then we truly mean it and believe what we say about our faith.
If, on the other hand, our faith is not producing such fruits, then we need to put the advice above into practice daily. Each day we must think of God, claim God and thank God…and mean it.
Then, we will bear the fruits of faith in such abundance that neither we nor anyone else will have any doubt that we walk in the garden God gave us.
Meaning and believing,
Z gardener

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Make It Work

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on June 14, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom and instruction, and understanding (Proverbs 23:23).
All you have of Truth is what you understand of it – and what you understand you always demonstrate. It naturally follows from this that the only way to improve yourself and your conditions is to gain an increase in understanding. And the only way to gain an increase in understanding is to make practical use of the Truth you already know. Knowledge that you do not actually use is only intellectual knowledge and is barren, and even that fades out in time through lack of use.
You will never demonstrate or progress on mere theories that you have not put to the test. You will never demonstrate or grow spiritually on what is in a textbook or a lecture until you have begun to put such knowledge into practice. It is far better to have a thimbleful of spiritual knowledge and use it than to have a whole mountain of correct spiritual doctrine most of which you have never made work.
Spiritual knowledge and truth are like our muscles. We must use them or lose them. Just like our muscles, the more we use them in different situations, the stronger and more flexible they become. That is one of the reasons that we face challenges and obstacles in our lives. So we can build up our spiritual strength in overcoming them.
Let us today exercise our spiritual selves so that we may have the faith and understanding that transforms our lives. Then we can walk in the garden.
Spiritually working out,
Z gardener

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You Cannot Have Both

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on June 11, 2012| Leave a Comment »

You cannot have peace of mind, and have your ailment too.
You cannot have a sense of divine Love, and have your jittery nervousness too.
You cannot have a feeling of toleration and kindliness and faith, and have your digestive troubles too.
You cannot have harmony continually unfolding in your life, and enjoy gossip and criticism too.
You cannot have power in prayer, and the luxury of resentment and condemnation too.
You cannot build a new consciousness and a new body, and live mentally in the dead past too.
…Choose you this day whom ye will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15).
It is our choice whether to experience all the good offered by our faith, or to reject that good in lieu of our negative habits. The choice is ours and the results of that choice will determine to what degree we will live in Grace. However, we may not choose both because they are mutually exclusive. We may keep our weaknesses or trade them in for God’s promise. The choice is ours.
Choosing Grace,
Z gardener

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