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Archive for the ‘Good Morning’ Category

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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Flee Desolation

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 4, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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.
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains;
Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house;
Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes(Matthew 24:15-18).
Jesus teaches this lesson in his own graphic way. The holy place is your consciousness and the abomination of desolation is any negative thought, because a negative thought means belief in the absence of God at the point concerned.
It is impossible to forget this illustration once we have taken it in.
Negative thoughts are like hot cinders that land on your jacket. If it is flicked off immediately, it causes no harm. If not, it burns a hole in the jacket. So, let us avoid negative thinking\ and when they do come, flick them away immediately.
Flicking away,
Z gardener

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Consistent Building

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »

…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.
Negative thinking is the metal equivalent of acid or rust. Pessimism, cynicism, doubt and anxiety, like rust slowly eat away at our mental and spiritual structures. Hate, anger, revenge, harsh judgements and condemnation, like acid quickly dissolve our mental house and lead to catastrophic breakdowns of our happiness, peace and joy.
Hope, optimism, faith and anticipation strengthen and reinforce our mental constructs. Love, hope, tolerance, acceptance and joy build new and even stronger mental states that renew us and those around us. Practicing positive mental activity is the antidote to our fears and is the path to true peace.
Building peace one thought at a time,
   Z gardener
Author’s note: A new sister joins us today in the garden. She devotes her life to teaching others in a spirit of joy. We are blessed to have her in our midst. Welcome sister. Z.

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Priming the Pump

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

            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, scientifically understood.
…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.
Acting on our faith is where the rubber meets the road. It is in acts that we find faith’s fruition. Forgiving those who hurt us, showing tolerance to those with which we disagree, facing the truth when it is the hardest and speaking it when its most difficult are all ways to act on our faith. Showing compassion to the despised, making ourselves vulnerable and refusing to yield to wrongheaded social pressures are other ways to act on our faith. When we act according to God’s will, our faith becomes real.
In faith,
Z gardener

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Register Joy

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

            The principal revelation of the Jesus Christ teaching is the omnipresence and availability of god, and the belief that God not only transcends His universe but is everywhere immanent in it—that He indwells in it.
If you really believe in the existence of God you should be happy and cheerful. God has all power, and God is good; so life must be good too.
Meet the world with a smile. You owe this to God, to your fellows, and above all, to yourself.  If you go about with a face like an east wind, what can you possibly expect to attract from the world? We all know people who carry a fixed, frozen, mirthless, almost professional, smile. Such a smile is just a permanent wave in the face.
Smile, even if it takes a little effort, and keep it up until it becomes spontaneous, as it will. In the graphic language of Hollywood, register joy, and hold it!
For ye shall go out with joy… (Isaiah 55:12).
We instructed by the Bible that “this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it, ” and that we are to be “thankful for all things”. This is not meant like the ubiquitous “have a nice day”. It means that God created an Eden for us to inhabit in joy, and that is his desire for us. It is God’s expectation that we should be filled with joy and peace in all circumstances. If we are to live according to God’s will, then we must fulfill the purpose for which we were made. It is our part of the job to live happily according to our created purpose.
Have a joyful and glad day,
Z gardener

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