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Archive for October, 2012

What Did Jesus Teach?

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 30, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Jesus Christ is easily the most important figure that has ever appeared in the history of mankind. This is true whether you choose to call him God or man. His life and death  and teachings have influenced the course of human history more than those of any other man who ever lived. There can hardly, therefore, be a more important undertaking than to inquire into the question of what Jesus really did stand for.
What did Jesus teach? What did he really wish us to believe and to do? How far does the Christianity of today present his message to the world? What did Jesus teach?
…for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21).
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you (John 15:12).
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it (John 14:14).
Jesus did not say “love one another as I have said to love one another”.  He said, “Love one another as I have loved you.” He loved us enough to give his life for us; not just on the day he was crucified, but on every day of his life.
Who are we giving our lives for today and each day? Is it all about ourselves, or do we give ourselves to others. Remember, there is nothing we can give away that won’t come back to us many times over. This works whether we are giving love or selfishness.
The Kingdom of God is within us so that we can love one another and therefore we can know that anything we ask in God’s name (according to his word) will be given to us.
With love,
Z gardener

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Dig Deeper

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 29, 2012| 1 Comment »

March 13
The study of the Bible is not unlike the search for diamonds in South Africa. At first people found a few diamonds in the yellow clay, and they were delighted with their good fortune, even while they supposed that this was to be the full extent of their find. Then, upon digging deeper, they came upon the blue clay, and to their amazement found as many precious stones in a day as they had previously found in a year.
In your exploration of Bible Truth, see to it that you do not rest satisfied in the yellow clay of a few spiritual discoveries, but press on to the rich blue clay underneath. The Bible, however, differs from the diamond field in the sublime fact that beneath the blue clay there are more and still more and richer strata, awaiting the touch of spiritual perception—on and on to Infinity.
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33).
And what do we suppose those miners were digging through? Were they digging through cotton candy, ice cream or pudding. No, they were digging through rocks, dirt and grit. Their efforts were not a walk in the park. It was hard, dirty and sometimes dangerous. And, so is the effort to mine the diamonds of truth, joy, peace and hope.
The good news is that the work, toil and danger does lead us to the sparkling, brilliant and priceless treasure that is the love of God. There, the soil is filled with precious gems and the Eden that God created awaits us.
Digging on,
Z gardener

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Cast Thy Burden

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22).
We sometimes hear the expression used, “ cast the burden,” and it is useful to consider what this phrase really means. Used intelligently, it is one of the great keys to spiritual victory. To cast the burden means really to insist upon harmony and peace of mind, and to cease from worry and anxiety there and then.
If, when you are faced with trouble, whether it be old or new, you can affirm positively the harmony of being and then refuse to reopen the case, no matter how much fear may urge you to do so, you have cast your burden upon the Lord, and you will win.
The harmony of being is the truth and the reality created by God. When we live in that harmony, regardless of our external circumstances, we inhabit the Eden God created for us. When we succumb to the false notion of disharmony, we are living a lie  that separates us (sin) from God, the truth and our garden.
In the garden,
Stan

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Prayer As Treatment

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

Treatment is a psycho-spiritual term that means knowing the spiritual truth about any person or situation. If, like most people, you believe that appearances are realities and that they cannot be changed, then you cannot perform a treatment. But if you believe that the Bible is right when it says,
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…(Proverbs 23:7).
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgement(John 7:24),
then it is in your power to change anything for the better and to heal most things. Begin every treatment (no matter how many you may perform) by saying: I can overcome this difficulty.
If we really know the spiritual truth about anything, then our behavior will manifest that knowledge.If however, are actions do not manifest knowledge of truth, then we are simply aware of it, we do not “know” it.
If we are to change something for the better and heal that which is broken, then we must behave according to the spiritual truth. The truth is that we can overcome any difficulty with God’s help when we “know” the spiritual truth about it and when our behavior demonstrates that truth.
Treating with truth,
Z gardener

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Open Your Mind

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

Have you an open mind? Is the window of your soul open for fresh air and the sunshine of Truth to come in, or is it closed and shuttered by mental laziness or the emotional congestion that we call prejudice?

None of us knows how many fine things we have missed through being self-satisfied and cocksure. No one can be considered really intelligent who does not have a readiness to examine new ideas with an open mind.

The history of scientific discovery shows that almost every new step was opposed by the very people who should have welcomed it.

Harvey was denounced for claiming that the blood circulated through the body; Galileo was persecuted for saying that the earth went round the sun; Pasteur was branded a quack for advancing the germ theory of disease; Jenner was threatened with the police for pioneering vaccination. The finality of the atom, which was a scientific dogma in the child hood of most of us, has been completely discarded.

Probably the only incorrigible fool is the man who says that anything is impossible, or that there is any limit to the conquests that divine Intelligence working in mankind can achieve.

The Lord is able to give thee much more than this (2 Chronicles 25:9).

It is only when we rise above the human limitations of sensory-based perception, that we are able to truly open our hearts, spirits and minds. The Bible says, “their wisdom (non-believers), will make them foolish, and our (believers) foolishness will make us wise”.

Consider this; those who persecuted and ridiculed the great scientists mentioned above, were the “wise” of their age. Just as the Scribes and Pharisees who attacked Jesus, were the “wise” of their community. All were made foolish by their “wisdom”.

So today, let us rise above our puny human limitations and open our minds and our hearts to the infinite wisdom of God’s word. Let us rise above the hubris of human assumptions that we can know everything, or even truly understand anything, based on our limited capability. It is only God’s capability operating through our open minds, that make us truly wise.

Mind open,

Z gardener

 

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Turn Within

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Don’t wait about for God to act dramatically from the outside—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).
As within, so without. The first order of business for all who are seeking God’s help is to work on themselves from within. We must face the truths about ourselves and commit to addressing those things which contradict God’s will for our lives. We are the switch that opens or closes our will, thoughts and deeds to God’s in-dwelling spirit and will.
We must prepare the soil of our souls for God’s planting. Then we must nurture that soil and that seed so that it germinates, grows. flowers and bears fruit in our gardens. Then we can walk with God each day in the Eden that awaits us. It starts with us; it starts within.
Working within,
Z gardener

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Spotlights

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 16, 2012| 2 Comments »

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)

God is ready for anything in life that is for our best good. Are we ready to accept those responsibilities? How do we know if we are ready?

We know we are ready when we are following God’s will and our lives reflect that obedience. If we are not ready, we cling to our own ideas of our best good instead of God’s  idea.

Ready to follow God,

Stan

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Mental Readiness

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 10, 2012| Leave a Comment »

            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.
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).
What are doing today that prepares us mentally for achieving our dreams, for communion with God and for peace, joy and gladness. What thoughts and feelings are we planting in our mental gardens? What present life are we living and what future are we envisioning?
Supplying the necessary mental conditions is like tilling, fertilizing and planting seeds in our gardens. When we plant faith, hope, peace and love; that is what we reap when our harvest matures. When we obey God’s will, it is like planting and harvesting according to nature. We do not plant in the winter nor harvest in the spring.
Let us take heed, watch and pray to God so that our gardens become the Eden God created for us. Then, anything that is for our best good will be possible.
Planting goodness,
Z gardener

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Confusion of Duties

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 9, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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
It is just this simple; anything that sacrifices our integrity and/or spiritual development can not be for for best good.
If we are being hurried, or sad, or discouraged, or angry, or resentful, or antagonistic, under any circumstances, it is not for our best good.
If we make time for these things, but leave out prayer, we will not find our best good.
So, let us respect God’s will and commandments today, and enter the Eden God created for us and for our best good. That is our whole duty.
Peace,
Z gardener

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Holy Cows

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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 sleeepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light(Ephesians 5:14).
How many negative sacred cows are we harboring and nurturing? The hurts we will never forgive, the condemnation so fervently believed, the guilt so deserved that we refuse to let them go. Just as the burning ember must be flicked away, these sacred cows must immediately be dispatched. Yet instead we hold them close and let them burn us time and again.
Let us free ourselves today from these burning coals of negative thought. Whether we started the flame that caused the burning ember, or it came from another, we are the only ones who can put it out. Today, we can be liberated from burning negativity by refusing to give it a place to burn us. Through forgiveness and prayer, we can not only extinguish the flame of negativity, we can flood it with living waters that turn the ugly burn into a beautiful lake. And by focusing on love, hope and joy, we can plant a garden by that lake that returns us the the Eden God intended for us.
Turn or burn,
Z gardener

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