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Archive for the ‘Good Morning’ Category

As We Forgive

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

   As we repeat the Great Prayer intelligently, we are suddenly caught up and grasped as though in a vise, so that we must face this problem of separation from God. We must extend forgiveness to everyone.
Notice that Jesus does not say, “Forgive me my trespasses and I will try to forgive others.” He obliges us to declare that we have actually forgiven, and he makes our claim to our forgiveness to depend upon that.Who could be so insane as to endeavor to seek the Kingdom of God without desiring to be relieved of his own sense of guilt? We are trapped in the inescapable position that we cannot demand our own release before we have released our brother.
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts(Psalm 139:23).
Release today, our brothers and sisters with forgiveness; and rise up, freed of our own guilt. Wash away today, that which binds us to our own judgement; and forgive all. This is our personal Emancipation Proclamation. Claim it, proclaim it and live in the Eden waiting for us TODAY.
Released,
Z gardener
Author’s note: Today, let us remember those lost on 9-11, their loved ones and the first responders who still suffer each day. Remember our men and women in uniform who are still rooting out this evil.
But also, let us remember the everyday citizens who stood up to terror and rose from the ordinary to the legendary. Neil Young put best it in his 9-11 anthem “Let’s Roll”. That song was inspired by the phone calls made from Flight 93. Proof to any cynic that people are good, and capable of making the ultimate sacrifice for others. The lyrics and link are below.   Peace, Z

 

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Forgive Us Our Trespasses

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

Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us (Matthew 6:12).
This clause is the turning point of the Prayer. It is the strategic key. Having told us what God is, what man is, how the universe work, how we are to do our own work, what our true nourishment or supply is, and the way in which we can obtain it, he now comes to the forgiveness of sins.
The forgiveness of sins is the central problem of life. Sin is a sense of separation from God, and is the major tragedy of human experience. It is, of course, rooted in selfishness. It is essentially an attempt to gain some supposed good to which we are not entitled in justice. It is a sense of isolated, self-regarding, personal existence; whereas the Truth of Being is that all is One. Our true selves are at one with God, undivided from Him, expressing His ideas, witnessing to His nature. Because we are all one with the great Whole of which we are spiritually a part, it follows that we are one with all men.
Evil, sin, the fall of man, in fact, is essentially the attempt to negate this Truth. We try to live apart from God. We act as though we could have plans and purposes and interests separate from Him. All this, if it were true, would mean that existence is not one and harmonious, but a chaos of competition and strife. But, of course, it is not true, and therein lays the joy of life.
In this passage our forgiveness from God is linked to our forgiveness for others. If God forgives us “as” we forgive others, then the way we forgive directly affects our forgiveness from God. This raises a tough question. Are we forgiving others “as” we would have God forgive us? Would we be willing to accept the same level of forgiveness from God that we give to others? Do we show mercy to those who offend us as we would want God to show us mercy? The fact is we can”t have it both ways. I f we are harsh, unforgiving and judgmental, then we should expect to be judged and treated the same way.
Now is the time to let go of all those grudges, resentments and judgements against those who have hurt or wronged us. This day we can claim mercy and forgiveness for ourselves by giving it to others. Each day we can live in harmony with God and those we touch by freely offering forgiveness and mercy. Then we will be in communion with God and those around us as we walk in the garden God created to share with each of us.
In forgiveness,
Z gardener

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Our Daily Bread

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on September 5, 2012| 1 Comment »

     In speaking of the “bread of life,” Jesus calls it our daily bread. The reason for this is very fundamental—our contact with God must be a living one. It is our momentary attitude that governs our being.
…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation(2 Corinthians 6:2).
The most futile thing in the world is to seek to live upon a past realization. The thing that means spiritual life to you is your realization of God here and now.
Be thankful for yesterday’s experience, knowing that it is with you forever in the change of consciousness that it brought about, but do not lean upon it for a single moment for the need of today. The manna in the desert is the Old Testament prototype of this daily nourishment. The people wandering in the wilderness were told that they would be supplied with manna from heaven every day but they were on no account to try to save it up for the morrow. When, notwithstanding the rule, some of them did try to live upon yesterday’s food, the result was pestilence or death.
So it is it us. The art of life is to live in the present moment, and to make that moment as perfect as we can by the realization that we are the instruments and expression of God Himself.
What a wonderful blessing it is to be able to live in the present. Free from past guilt and future anxiety, we can live in a forgiven and hopeful present, regardless of the outer circumstances of our lives. With this freedom comes the responsibility to make each present moment one of joy and gladness in communion with God and God’s children. If we waste these moments with anger, doubt or fear, then we have abrogated our call to live in faith and grace for that moment.
So today, let us govern our attitudes is response to God’s desire for our best good. Let us be the loving, hopeful and enthusiastic gardeners that God created us to be. Let us treasure every moment as a non-recurring gift that can not be repeated or stored away for a rainy day. Let us spend each moment as if it were our last. Then we will find ourselves in the Eden God meant for us to have here below.
Being today,
Z gardener

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The Giver of Our Bread

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

People think of their supply as coming from certain investments, or from a business, or from an employer, perhaps; whereas these are merely the channels through which it comes, God being the Source. A particular channel is likely to change, because change is the cosmic law for manifestation. Stagnation is really death; but as long as you realize that the Source of your supply is the one unchangeable Spirit, all is well. The fading out of one channel will be but the signal for the opening of another.
In its inner and most important meaning, our daily bread signifies the realization of the Presence of God—an actual sense that God exists not merely in a nominal way, but as the great reality; we can rely upon Him to supply all that we need to have; teach us all that we need to know; and guide our step so that we shall not make mistakes. This is Emanuel, or God with us.
But my God shall supply all your need…(Philippians 4:19).
All we need to tap into the ultimate supply is to rely on God, believe his word and act according to his will. This means, of course, sublimating our will and desires to God’s. That is easier said than done. But just as it is easier listening to music than playing it; the music of God attracts us then we are motivated to learn how to play it. The more we practice our music and our spirituality, the better we get, and the easier it gets. Then, we can share this beautiful music with others.
So, when we turn to God for our needs, they are met and we learn how to receive them and share them with others. This is how we live in the garden God created for us, and how our music draws others to the garden.
Playing God’s tune,
Z gardener

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Thy Will Be Done

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on August 31, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
Now we too often choose to use our free will in a negative way; allowing ourselves to think selfishly, and this wrong thinking brings upon us all our troubles. Instead of understanding that it is our essential nature to express God, to be ever about our Father’s business, we try to set up our own account. We abuse our own free will, trying to work apart from God; and the very natural result is all the sickness, poverty, sin, trouble, and death that we find on the physical plane. We must never for a moment try to make plans or arrangements without reference to God, or suppose that we can be either happy or successful if we are seeking any other end than to do his Will.
Our business is to bring our whole nature as fast as we can into conformity with the will of God.“In his will is our peace,” said Dante, and the Divine Comedy is really a study in fundamental states of consciousness, the Inferno representing the state of the soul that is endeavoring to live without God, the Paradiso representing the state of the soul that has achieved its conscious unity with the divine Will. It was this sublime conflict of the soul that wrung from the heart of the great Augustine the cry, “Thou has made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find themselves in Thee.”
    Know this. Until we are in harmony with God’s will, our reality will be limited to the worldly one one that we perceive. When we are obeying God and following God’s will, our reality will be the Eden God created for us.
So, it boils down to who we trust. Do we live in the reality given to us by the Creator of the universe, or will we live the reality created by our limited and self-dominated human perception. As for me and my family, we will follow the Lord.
Doing his will,
Z gardener

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Thy Kingdom Come

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

Thy kingdom come. (Matthew 6:10).
Man, being manifestation or expression of God, has a limitless destiny before him. His work is to express, in concrete, definite form, the ideas that God furnishes him, and in order to do this, he must have creative power.  Elsewise, he would be merely a machine through which God worked—an automaton. But man, having the nature of his father, remains a creator. Notice that the word individual means“undivided.” The consciousness of man is not separated from God’s consciousness.
“Thy kingdom come” means that it is our duty to bring more and more of God’s ideas into concrete manifestation upon this plane. That is what we are here for. The old saying, “God has a plan for every man, and he has one for you,” is quite correct.
If only you can find out the thing God intends you to do, and will do it, you will find that all doors will open to you, and you will be gloriously happy. There is a true place in life for each one of us where we can bring the Kingdom of God into manifestation, and truly say, “Thy kingdom cometh.”
There is nothing more essential to our happiness, security and well-being than discerning that which God intends us to do and to be. When God’s will conflicts with our desires, God’s will must be done. That is how we exist undivided from God. When we separate ourselves from God’s will, we condemn ourselves to live in the world we created, instead of the Eden God created for us.
When we do understand and follow God’s will for us, we open the doors to Eden and help usher in God’s kingdom here below. We are the instruments by which “Thy kingdom cometh”. Be the person God created you to become and find your true place in God’s kingdom. Then your Eden will embrace you forever.
Thy will be done,
Z gardener

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Hallowed Be Thy Name

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

            If we trace the derivation of the word hallowed, we will discover a most extraordinarily significant fact. The word hallowed has the same root as holy, whole, wholesome, and heal, or healed; so we see that the nature of God is complete and perfect—altogether good. Some very remarkable consequences follow from this fact. We have agreed that an effect must be similar in its nature to its cause, and so, because the nature of God is hallowed, everything that is projected by that Cause must be hallowed or perfect too. God cannot cause or send anything but perfect good. God cannot, as people sometimes think, send sickness or trouble, or accidents—much less death—for these things are unlike His nature.
Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity…(Habakkuk 1:13).
We were created perfect. Our separation from God, has left us vulnerable to imperfection because we chose our own path rather than following God’s will. If we are to claim the perfection God granted us, we must reunite with God fully, wholly and willingly. When we do, we will open the door to the garden and the perfection therein. There, we will be healed, whole and holy.
In communion,
Z gardener
Author’s Note: Please pray for those in the path of Isaac. Our spiritual union with them will strengthen and lift them.

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Father of All

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on August 24, 2012| Leave a Comment »

He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird and beast;
He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small:
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.
—Coleridge
But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the Fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee…that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this (Job 12:7-9).
How do we love, and to whom do we turn to learn? Do we love well, and do we listen to all things great and small?
Stop for a moment, listen to the earth, the fowl and the infinite creation of God. Then walk hand in hand with the creator, your Father and wonder in what his hand has wrought. Then fly to Eden.
In flight,
Z gardener

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Our Father III

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on August 24, 2012| 1 Comment »

Now the Prayer says, not“My Father,” but “Our Father,” and this indicates beyond the possibility of mistake, the truth of the brotherhood of man. If forces upon our attention at the very beginning the fact that all men are the children of one Father; and that
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).
Here Jesus cuts away the illusion that the members of any nation, or race, or territory, or group, or class, or color, are, in the sight of God, superior to any other group.
The final point is the implied command that we are to pray not only for ourselves but for all mankind. None of us lives to himself, however we may try. In a much more literal sense than people are aware we are limbs of one Body.
“Our Father”—a spiritual explosive, that will ultimately destroy every kind of human bondage.
So, brothers and sisters, we are all one, we are all God’s children and we are all put here to help each other. What happens to one affects all, and whatever happens, we are to be our brother’s (and sister’s) keepers. As members of the family of mankind, that is our reality. The more we live in it, the more our Edens flourish.
In the garden,
Z gardener

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Our Father II

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

Note that this clause that fixes the nature of God, at the same time fixes the nature of man. It is a cosmic law that like begets like. It is not possible that a rosebush should produce lilies, or that a cow should give birth to a colt. The offspring must be of the same nature as the parent; and so, since God is divine Spirit, man must essentially be divine Spirit too, whatever appearance may say to the contrary.
At a single blow this teaching of Jesus swept away 99 percent of all the old theology, with its avenging God, its chosen and favored individuals, its eternal hell fire, and all the other horrible paraphernalia of man’s diseased and terrified imagination. God exists—and the Eternal, All-Powerful, All-Present God is the loving Father of mankind.
If you would meditate upon this fact, until you had some degree of understanding of what it really means, most of your difficulties and physical ailments would disappear, for they are rooted in fear. If only you could realize to some extent that Omnipotent Wisdom is your living, loving Father, most of your fears would go. If you could realize it completely, every negative thing in your life would vanish away. Now you see the object that Jesus had in mind when he placed this clause first.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him(Genesis 1:27).
If we accept this truth fully, how could we fear, have doubts or ever believe that we are on our own? Yet, even the most ardent believer still experiences these human weaknesses. We are human. However, we are also divine and we can draw on that truth to live each day in joy and gladness. Even in the face of great pain and tragedy, our Father is ready and willing to supply the strength and blessings we need to overcome any negative circumstance.
The real question is this. Do we believe with every fiber of our being that our Father sends everything to us for our best good? If the answer is yes, then every circumstance of our lives will lift us to new heights of understanding, hope and peace. If not, then we will struggle with unnecessary fear, anxiety and uncertainty that feed on our false sense of being alone.
We are not alone! Our Father is with us each moment. And when doubt or fear creep into our human hearts, we simply need to call on our Father and receive his grace, love and mercy. Then, we can act on our faith and rise above all that would try to separate us from our God and our brothers and sisters.
“For I am convinced that nothing can separate us from the love of God.”
In the presence of the Father,
Z gardener

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