Good Morning Garden

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).

The love we give to others is the surest demonstration that we understand and appreciate the love that God the Father gives to us. So today, let us love fully, serve happily and live gratefully that we may exist in the reality of the Garden that God created for us.

Z gardener

Read Full Post »

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.

This truth means that we are all part of one family. God intended that humans not be separated from each other, just as we are not to be separated form God. Those things which separate us are barriers to our unity with one another and create obstacles to obeying God’s will. When Jesus gave his last wisdom to the disciples, his parting commandment was that we love one another as brothers and sisters. He did not say to love only those who look like us or with whom we agree. This, he said would be the sign that we belong to God. Father, grant this day that we love and pray for all our brothers and sisters, and that we follow your will in all ways.

Z gardener

Read Full Post »

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).

Just think, we are essentially the same type of being that God is. When we are able to peer through the veil of our sensory-limited perceptions and their false reality, and see our true nature, and experience existence through our spiritual awareness, then we will be living in the Garden. Then we will know true peace, free from fear and filled with hope, confidence an d joy.

Lord, let us live this day in your presence, fully aware of our true nature as children of God in love, faith and gladness.

In the true spirit,

Z gardener

Read Full Post »

This simple statement fixes clearly the nature and character of God. It tells all that man needs to know about God, and about himself, and about his neighbor. Oliver Wendell Holmes said: “My religion is summed up in the first two words of the Lord’s Prayer.”

“Our Father.” In this clause Jesus lays down once and for all that relationship between God and man is that of father and child. This eliminates any possibility that the Deity could be the relentless and cruel tyrant. The majority of men and women are at their best in dealing with their children. Speaking of the same truth elsewhere, Jesus said:

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him? (Matthew 7:11).

It is hard to conceive of anything that would give us greater hope, faith and comfort, than to know that the creator of the universe is our Father and loves us as a Father loves their child. Beyond that, to know that we are created in God’s image and are the child of God means that we too are spirit beings that will exist forever. Even more astounding is the realization that, as God’s children, we are capable of manifesting his will here in the physical plane.

Yes, we are capable of miracles and and great power. However, this power does not come from us and can not be accessed by us except through submission to God’s will. Just as our earthly Father’s would not help us do something against their will that would hurt us, our heavenly Father will not grant his power for any use contrary to our best good. For instance, a good Father would not let a baby drive a car. Obedience and seeking to do God’s will, opens the channel through which God’s love, power and majesty flow into our lives. Just as on earth, when we listen to, understand and obey our heavenly Father, we will receive the power, protection, safety and blessings that are waiting for us.

In obedience, reverence and awe,

Z gardener

Author’s note – The web site below is a great one page instant reference to the Bible. The author hopes it is helpful to all.
http://www.jrsbible.info/bible.htm

Z

Read Full Post »

The Lord’s Prayer is the most important of all the Christian documents. Everyone who is seeking to follow along the Way that Jesus led, should pray the Lord’s Prayer intelligently every day.

The Great Prayer is a compact formula for the development of the soul. It is designed with the utmost care for that specific purpose, so that those who use it regularly, with understanding, will experience a real change of soul. It is the change of soul that matters. The mere acquisition of knowledge received intellectually makes no change in the soul.

The first thing that we notice is that the prayer naturally falls into seven clauses. This is very characteristic of the Oriental tradition. Seven symbolizes individual completeness, the perfection of the individual soul, just as the number twelve in the same convention stands for corporate completeness. The seven clauses are put together in perfect order and sequence, and they contain everything that is necessary for the nourishment of the soul. The more one analyzes the Lord’s Prayer, the more wonderful its construction is seen to be.

After this manner therefore pray ye…. (Matthew 6:9).

Jesus himself gave us the words of this prayer. He, who created us, died and was resurrected to save us and who left the Holy Spirit in us said pray in this manner. Like most truth conveyed by our Lord, its meaning goes several layers deep. When understood and accepted, this prayer will unlock the door of truth, feed the soul and guide us down the path toward fulfillment of God’s will in our lives.

Father, as we in the Good Morning Garden contemplate this prayer over the next few days, let every mind be opened and every heart be filled with the truth and joy that its understanding brings. Then, by your grace, may we all live this prayer each day, thereby securing our faith and our place in the Eden God gave us here, and in heaven forever with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Prayerfully,

Z gardener

Read Full Post »

Truth is within ourselves; it takes no rise
From outward things, whate’er you may believe.
There is an inmost center in us all,
Where truth abides in fullness; and around,
Wall upon wall, the gross flesh it in,
This perfect, clear perception—which is truth.

A baffling and perverting carnal mesh
Binds it, and makes all error; and to know,
Rather consists in opening out a way
Whence the imprisoned splendour may escape,
Than in effecting entry for a light
Supposed to be without.

—Robert Browning, “Paracelsus.” Part I

…Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).

This poem is a beautiful and artful way of saying that all we seek is already within us trying to get out. Or as we say in the Good Morning Garden “As within, so without”. When we express God’s truth, our light shines forth affecting everything around us. It is when we commune with God and obey God’s will through our faith and the Holy Spirit that we allow this light to show forth. Nothing we seek comes from without. All that we seek comes from within through God’s will and through God’s love for us. In essence, we must overcome this “baffling and perverting carnal mesh” that we call ourselves if we are to be the temple we were created to be. Then, we will radiate the love, hope and faith that God placed in the “inmost center in us all”.