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Archive for the ‘Good Morning’ Category

Beware the Dog!

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on February 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »

He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears (Proverbs 26:17).

If, when those around you are talking negatively about something or someone, you chip in with your contribution, you are taking a strange dog by the ears – so look out! If you get emotionally entangled in what is not your affair, through indignation, self-righteousness, hatred, or otherwise, you have seized the dog again – and he will bite. And even to think negatively concerning such matters in the secret chamber of your own heart, will bring you proportionate and natural punishment.

It is always right to think rightly about any person or situation, and if you do this many opportunities will come to you to help people practically, without any breach of law, and without coming near the dangerous dog.

How many dog bites have we endured because we failed to heed this proverb’s wisdom? This is not to say that we should deny help to those around us. It simply means we should be sure that such strife is actually our business. When we have rightly determined that it is our dog, then we ensure that our actions and motives emanate from love and manifest themselves in right behavior. If our thoughts and actions condemn, judge, hurt or tear down, then we can be assured to be bitten by the strife which we adopted. When our desire is to help, our actions will lift up, heal and nurture the object of our attention. Love is the antidote to strife.

Petting the right dog,

Stan

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On Minding One’s Business

Posted in Good Morning, tagged on February 4, 2009| Leave a Comment »

It would probably be safe to say that more than half of the evil in the world is due to well-meaning busybodies who just cannot refrain from interfering. Needless to say, such people never have harmony or success in their own lives, for it is an invariable rule that he who minds his neighbor’s business, neglects his own.

To interfere mentally in any situation involves you in the consequences just as much as would a physical interference. Of course, where it is your duty to concern yourself in any matter, you must do so – constructively and spiritually – and then the consequences to you can only be good.

For every man shall bear his own burden (Galatians 6:5).

It is a fine line we walk while discerning when to involve ourselves in the affairs of another. Out of love we may feel we must do something to help, or out of a sense of justice we may feel the need to punish. How do we know when to act and when to acquiesce?

First, we should seek God’s guidance to ensure our motives derive from the desire to help and not our personal gain, comfort (or discomfort), our judgements or any self-righteousness. If so, then watch. If not, we should then determine if our concern is warranted. In other words, do the actions that concern us rise to the level of action on our part. For instance, is your neighbor simply burning trash in his yard or setting the neighborhood on fire. If its his yard, then watch and pray.

Lastly, when we have decided that we must act, we should prayerfully seek guidance on what is the best course of action. Sometimes swift and drastic action is necessary such as pulling a child from the path of a car. Sometimes, no action is required, such as allowing an errant child to suffer the consequences of bad decisio ns. And, sometimes there is no action that can contribute toward a solution and we must resign ourselves to prayer and loving concern.

The key is to subject every thought, word and deed to God’s wisdom through prayer and to the written word of God. If our actions meet the tests of love, then act and pray. If not, then watch and pray. We will always respond rightly if we ask ourselves in the words of pop culture, “What would Jesus do”? Then we must follow the answer.

Minding the garden,

Z gardener

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A Dependable Recipe

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on February 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »

When you make a cake, you know that whatever you put into your mixing bowl will appear in the cake itself, and, on the other hand, that unless a particular substance does go into the mixing bowl, it cannot appear in the finished article.

The thoughts and beliefs that fill our minds ultimately appear in the cake of experience, and to realize this is to save oneself a lot of trouble. No one puts kerosene in the mixing bowl because no one wants it in the cake, for everyone knows that, if it does enter the bowl, in the cake it will be.

…They that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same (Job 4:8).

The truth of this is summed up in the statement “as within, so without”. Each thought and emotion we allow in ourselves manifest themselves in our lives. When we feel fear, doubt, anger or hurt, if we replace those thoughts and feeling with thoughts of God, they will subside. If we continue to do so, they will stop. When experiencing any negative thought or feeling always think, “God is with us, God is guiding us and God is filling us with and surrounding us with his peace, joy and love”. The more we practice this, the better it works. When perfected, it will relieve us of all habits that allow negativity within and its expression without.

Z gardener

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The Use of Intelligence

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on February 2, 2009| Leave a Comment »

It is your duty to God to run your life on intelligent lines. God gives us all as much intelligence as we can possibly need, but, unfortunately, in most cases we use very little of it.

Ask yourself today if you are really conducting your life intelligently. Are you eating and drinking intelligently? Do you select your reading intelligently? Do you spend your money intelligently? Do you consider intelligently the things that you hear, or do you just accept them uncritically? Do you exercise intelligence in carrying out your daily work? Do you seek to approach each new problem with intelligence instead or mere emotions?

Have you intelligent plans for the future? Do you know what you would really like to do or to be, and if not wouldn’t it be only intelligent to go to work and find out and then draw up an intelligent plan for gaining your desire?

The world needs more intelligence. There is plenty of will, but because people will not use enough intelligence, mankind everywhere is in difficulties. Your intelligence is the light of God in your soul.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5)

Just think. If we do that we are probably ahead of most people. People just don’t think intelligently enough and some don’t think at all. They “just do it”. For instance, if we thought about anger and all the negative things that flow from it, we would probably be angry less. If we think instead about God’s instruction that we love our neighbor as ourselves, we would certainly be more likely to forgive those who anger us. This would enable us to turn or anger into something positive. Just think! The possibilities for positive change are endless.

Z gardener

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Let God!

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 30, 2009| 2 Comments »

           In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, you will remember that God creates by “letting.” God said “let,” at every act of creation, and it was done. Now God creates by means of you if you will let him, but you must let.  Someone said, “Let go and Let God,” and this is a wonderful recipe for overcoming fear or getting out of a tight place. In any case, the rule for creation is always to let.

            People often say, “I try to do so-and-so, but I fail.” The explanation for their failure is contained within the words themselves. You should never “try”; you should “let” – let God. When you “try=E 2 to do things, you are working from the outside. When you let God do them through you, you are working from the inside and success must come. After all,

Is any thing too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18: 14).

God sent to us the operating manual for a happy and fulfilled life as mortal humans now and forever in God’s presence. If we will let that manual guide our thoughts, words and deeds, then God will manifest his will through us and will make inevitable our success.
Z gardener

 

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Without Rehearsal

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 29, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Someone said that living life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning to play the instrument as we go along. This saying describes the experience very well, but no one should worry about that. We are in this world for exactly that purpose – to learn.
 
While we are learning we do not expect to produce a perfect work. On this plane we are all students, and what matters is that each year we shall find the quality of our workmanship definitely better. People are sometimes depressed because their lives do not present a simple, logical, harmonious unfoldment, because their histories seem to be full of inconsistencies, repetitions, dead-ends. This, however, is only to be expected during the learning period.
 
Your life has not been rehearsed. It is an adventure, and a discovery, and a training, and it is the final goal that matters.
 
And let us not be weary in welldoing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9).

We must indeed learn to play life as we go. However, it is when we turn our hands and hearts over to God that the maestro flows through us and we can become a virtuoso. Even this does not create a perfect performance. Life and learning is a process of trial and error. The only person who is not making mistakes is the one whose name is marked with a gravestone. Be joyous in learning and be glad that God has quickened our spirits and will guide our hands and our hearts to be in tune with the ultimate orchestra.

Tuning up,

Z gardener

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Running Away From Life?

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 28, 2009| Leave a Comment »


           In the spiritual teaching we are told not to dwell upon our troubles, but instead, to realize the Presence of God where the troubles seems to be. Critics have suggested that this policy is “running away from life.” Is it?
 
Suppose you found yourself in a house that was on fire; what would you do? You would leave the burning building as rapidly as possible. Would this be running away from life? Would it not rather be seeking life?
 
Sickness, sin, fear, and limitation – these things are not life – they are partial death; and they are to be overcome by turning toward life, which is divine harmony.
 
To turn away from evil and realize God instead is to liberate yourself, to help the world, and to glorify God.
 
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth … (Isaiah 45:22).

This concept is called substitution. It does not allow us to ignore our troubles but instead requires that we confront them. It does however offer an alternate method for addressing our challenges. Rather than focusing on the problem on our own, by placing God where our problems are, we refocus on the solution and employ the Almighty on our behalf. Two important things happen when do this. First, we receive peace and second we receive God’s help and assurance of resolution in a way that is best for us. Then we can be free to live in the Eden God gave us in harmony, joy and gladness.
Running toward peace,

Z gardener

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The Two Spirations

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 27, 2009| 3 Comments »

 
Have you ever heard the old story of the two spirations? They are essentially for every worthwhile achievement. If either is missing the enterprise is doomed to failure, and if you have not been making your life as successful as you would like, you must go to work and find which of them has been overlooked. I am sure it is hardly necessary to tell you that the two spirations in question are inspiration and perspiration.
 
First you need inspiration. Sheer hard work, blind plodding, or brutal hammering will not bring success. You must also have regular inspiration.
 
Second, perspiration. There is no success without persevering hard work in the direction of your goal. Recently I heard one of the greatest living musicians address a class of musical students. He said, “I know of no road to success except hard work. If there is such a road I have not heard of it.”
 
Contact God daily for inspiration; and then work hard.
 
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain (Psalm 127:1).

When we seek inspiration as the source of all our endeavors, we ensure the success of all our perspiration. Even if our labor be in vain, if it is founded on God’s will in our lives, the outcome will be for our best good. Even if the outcome is other than that we desire, it will benefit us greater than achieving our original purpose. Sound foolproof? It is.

Spirating daily,

Z gardener

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The Secret of Successful Salesmanship

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 26, 2009| Leave a Comment »

 
           True salesmanship means finding out what your customer really needs, and supplying him with it; or if you cannot furnish it yourself, advising him to go elsewhere. Such a policy will not mean loss of business. On the contrary, working in this way you may lose one order but you will get half a dozen in its place – and you will have peace of mind. Any one particular sale does not matter; it is the annual turnover that counts.
 
The policy, the Golden Rule, was taught by Jesus, the wisest and most practical teacher who ever lived. Salesman, treat your customer exactly as you would like him to treat you if the positions were reversed. Tell him exactly what you would like to be told about the merchandise, if you were the purchaser; and if you will do this the whole universe will cooperate to make your business career an outstanding success.
 
Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God: thy spirit is good… (Psalm 143:10)

This instruction can be very difficult to follow. It is hard to admit that we may nor be the best person to do a particular job. It is harder still to say to a potential client, “someone else may be able to help you more, call them”. This is also true in our personal life when we have to turn a challenge over to God for resolution. We ask ourselves, “Why can’t we do this on our own, shouldn’t we be able to handle our own affairs or are we too weak to care for ourselves?”  All of these questions take us away from the real question and the appropriate answer. The dialog we should be having is, ” what is the truth of the circumstances and how does God instruct us to respond?” If we approach each opportunity in this way, we will be successful in our business and personal lives. We will also be spiritually fortified and will know we are resolving all questions according to God’s will.
Seeking truth,

Z gardener

 

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The Kaffir Didn’t Know It

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 23, 2009| Leave a Comment »

            About the middle of the last century, a traveler was journeying along through what was then a remote part of South Africa. One day while smoking his pipe outside the hut in a native village, he noticed a group of little naked children playing what was evidently a native version of the time honored game of marbles. He watched the game idly for a while, and then something about the rough stones caught his attention. They were quite small pebbles, dull, but – here his pulse began to steeplechase. He spoke to the children’s father, with studied carelessness, and the Kaffir said, “Oh yes, the children like these little stones. They have some more in the hut, “and he brought forth a small basket containing several more.
 
Repressing his excitement, t he traveler took out a large plug of tobacco, worth perhaps twenty or thirty cents in our money, and said, “I would like to take the stones home for my children. I will give you this tobacco for them. Are you willing?” The Kaffir laughed and said, “I am robbing you but if you insist, all right,” and the bargain was sealed – which not only enriched the stranger but led in time to the great discovery of the South African diamond fields.
 
The fate of the Kaffir is really the fate of most human beings. Man holds a fabulous treasure in his possession – the power of the Spoken Word – and yet, in most cases, he does not know it.
 
The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure … to bless all the work of thine hand… (Deuteronomy 28:12).

How many diamonds could we give to our world today by speaking words of love, kindness and tolerance to those around us? And the amazing thing is we would be the ones who received the greatest treasure. One can not give away more than one receives in return from the giving.

Wealthy in love,

Z gardener

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