Good Morning Garden

People sometimes accept the idea that a change of thought, plus turning to God in prayer, will transform their lives into harmony and freedom. The logic of this principle appeals to them, and they set to work upon it in earnest. Then, after a few days, they say, “Nothing has happened after all,” and they drop back into their old negative thinking.

That is extremely foolish. The results of many years of general negative thinking are seldom corrected in a few days. No one who goes upon a new physical diet or medical regimen expects to reap the advantages in so short a time. You must keep up the new way of thinking and refuse to be discouraged by seeming failures at first.

The right motive for adopting right thinking is that it is right, and that wrong thinking is wrong; and we should do right whether it seems to pay dividends or not. Of course, it does pay dividends – fabulous dividends – but it usually takes a little perseverance in the face of preliminary slowness.

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13).

When we apply the same discipline to our spiritual endeavors that we apply to other aspects of our lives we will soon find ourselves living in the Eden God gave us to inhabit. When we seek God with the fervor of love’s first blush, when we rebuke negative thought as we would consistently discipline a child and when we accept the reality of God as we do the existence of gravity, we will find that place where joy and gladness reigns. If we are to live in that Garden, we must create it in our spirit, consciousness and will. Then it will bloom in our lives.

Tending the blossoms,

Z gardener

God intended us to have dominion over our lives, to be the captains of our souls.

Of course, in the ship of life, you cannot make port unless all sails are set. You must pursue the spiritual life wholeheartedly. You cannot expect to reach port if you are faithful in your prayers and meditations for a time, and then for a time you forget God.

You are the captain of your soul when you can say with Jesus,

I and my Father are one (John 10:30).
…the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works (John 14:10).

When we pursue our spiritual life with all the vigor and commitment within us, we will reach the port that God charted for us. When we take our hand off the tiller, or fall off the wind or veer from the course, we lose our way and slow our progress. So, let us keep a steady hand on the tiller mates. Let us keep our sails full and may God carry us all to the home port he has given to us and to our Garden that waits for us there.

Along the Lee Shore,

Z gardener

Read Psalm 24.

He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face…

To many it may seem that the purification of the heart will be a long and wearisome task, but we have to remember that when we pray it is God who works and not we. If you will use the power of the Word, old habits of thinking will fall away and new ones come in; and this is because you will receive your righteousness, or right thinking, from God. You have sought his face, and you must begin to express something of His nature, for we always grow unto that which we contemplate.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

Gates and doors symbolize understanding and it is only by the attainment of a higher degree of understanding that the King of glory – the vivid realization of God which we are seeking – can come to our souls. We are then told to ask ourselves who the King of glory is, and for what He stands. He is nothing less than the Lord; strong and mighty in battle, and the battle he fights, of course, is our battle.

The Lord of hosts, he is the King of Glory.

We are to think about God and live in our awareness of God’s blessings and nature. Then we are to adopt God’s nature and right-thinking. When we fully understand and realize the true nature and will of God, then we will be filled with God’s power and God will go before us in all we do. We will then think and act righteously and will live in the Eden God gave us.

Seeking God’s face,

Z Gardener

How Much Conviction?

What do you really believe? It is as a man thinketh in his heart that matters, says the Bible, and this means the heartfelt conviction as distinct from mere formal assent.

If you want to know what you really believe, simply watch what you do. We always do what we believe, although we frequently talk differently. If you feel that you are not making the most of your life, change your beliefs. Your present beliefs must be wrong if they are not producing harmony and satisfaction.

Start believing in health; start believing in prosperity; start believing in the Christ in those about you; start believing that your own divine Selfhood is rapidly unfolding. Act as though you believed these things and the results will surprise you.

For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul…Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as was told me (Acts 27: 23-25)

Just as our bodies are what we eat, our spirits and our minds are what we think and believe. For those of of us who struggle with getting to the belief part, try this. Apply the biblical rules for one week (or at least the ten commandments). Call on God in prayer each day, submit to God’s will and the principles in the bible and live in a spirit of love, joy and peace. Rebuke all negative thoughts and feeling, forgive those who hurt, refuse to judge or condemn and look for the good in all things (especially the bad ones). Exude love, dispense joy and create peace. When the week has ended, take stock of how much better or worse it was than the week before. The point here to show ourselves that following God’s will works in our “real world”. Once we are convinced of this, we are on the road to belief. Once we believe, then we must do. When we fully adopt this belief system the basis of our lives, will find ourselves in the Eden God created for us. We are the only obstacle to life in the Garden.

In belief,

Z gardener

Mental relaxation is just as important as right mental activity. Wise relaxation and wise activity are the balanced poles of all true actions. Many people are constantly subjecting their minds to totally unnecessary wear and tear.

We speak colloquially of “taking the train” somewhere and actually many people who ride in trains do take the train mentally the whole journey. Many years ago I noticed that when a train arrives in the terminal after a long run, the locomotive men always seem to come off the train looking fresher than most of the passengers; although they have been working and the passengers have not. The explanation is that for the engineer and fireman it was only a routine day’s work. They did not 0take the train” mentally – they let the engine take it.

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…(Deuteronomy 33:27).

When we make time for mental relaxation, our spirits have time to rest and regenerate. How would we feel physically if we never slept or rested? Prayer time is a wonderful time to practice metal relaxation. Its not hard. In preparation for prayer; just take three deep breaths, ask God to relax the body and release all tensions and earthly concerns and then ask that the spirit be lifted and that the heart, spirit, consciousness and will be opened to demonstrate God’s divine will, universal consciousness and Holy Spirit. Then one is mentally and physically relaxed and ready to pray.

To avoid unnecessary wear and tear on the mind, one should refuse to worry and indulge doubt, fear and anxiety. These mental activities exhaust the spirit, weaken the will and lower our consciousness. They are the mental and spiritual equivalent of pouring acid on our souls and allow our will and spirit to deteriorate, rust and decay. The antidote to these mental states are hope, faith and love. They build, strengthen and secure our joy, happiness and peace.

Leaning on God,

Z gardener

For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. (Matthew 25:29).

This great text has been a stumbling block to many. It looks like injustice. It sounds like cruelty. Yet Jesus said it, and we know that he was always right.

The explanation is logical when you have the key to life. Your experience is the expression (pressing out) of your state of mind or consciousness, at any time. When your consciousness is high, everything goes well. When your consciousness is low or limited, everything goes wrong.

When trouble comes the usual thing is to meet it with fear, anger, disappointment, self-pity, or brutal will power. This naturally lowers the consciousness a good deal more, and things get still worse. From him that hath not (much) harmony, shall be taken away even that which he hath.

Harmony and joy naturally raise your consciousness and your faith in God still higher, and so things improve further. Unto everyone that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance. This is a simple statement of natural law. Let us thank God that this wonderful law exists.

On any given day, what is the level of our consciousness? Are we joyful, glad and peaceful in all that comes our way? It is only when we express our highest forms of consciousness that God’s full abundance can flow through us. Though we face sadness, loss and disappointment in our lives, our consciousness dictates how we react to these things. Even the miraculous, beautiful and wonderful occurrences in our lives can feel miserable if our consciousness only recognizes fear , doubt and worry. It is when we lift our spirits, count our blessings, help those around us and embrace joy and gladness, that God’s abundance and blessings manifest themselves in our lives. So, smile, believe, give, love, share and hope. God is waiting to shine through in our lives.

With spirit aloft,

Z gardener

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When you go down to the seashore, you find what is practically an unlimited supply of sea water at your disposal. There are billions upon billions of gallons there, but the amount that you can carry away will depend upon the vessel with which you have provided yourself. If you take a ten-gallon can, you can get ten gallons, but if you take only a pint pot you can take away only a pint, and if you have nothing bigger than a thimble, you would not be able to take away more than a thimbleful.

So it is with divine abundance. The only limit is the limit of our capacity to receive.

Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing (Psalm 145:16).

When we are fully receptive to God’s abundance, when we replace our will with God’s will, when we truly believe that God can and will grant all things (even the things we can’t imagine), then God grants us infinite abundance in all things for our best good. However, when we accept limitation, when we insist on following our own will, when we doubt that God will grant us everything and beyond for our lives, then we cut ourselves off from God’s abundance and depend on our small and finite capability for the things we need. Faith gives us a bucket bigger than the ocean in which we can receive God’s blessings, while doubt limits us to receiving only a thimble full of God’s grace, love and power. How large are our buckets?

Growing the bucket,

Z gardener

Never look back. Always go right ahead. Even if you are quaking, go right ahead. Jesus said the man who puts his hand to the plow and then turns back, is not worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. He also said: Remember Lot’s wife (Luke 17:32).

No matter how unattractive or how dangerous the road ahead may be, it is better than the road back. The road ahead may be veiled from sight – but you must teach yourself to regard the unknown as friendly. Remember that God is always on the road ahead.

…cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee (Psalm 143:8).

We all have done things we regret and would change if we could. The best way to address such feelings is to shape and inform our future actions by our past experiences. When we live in the present and look forward to those things we can do today and tomorrow, we take control of our present lives and shape our futures. Further, when our thoughts, words and deeds reflect God’s will in our lives, we ensure today’s joy and tomorrow’s promise. While we may not know where God’s road may lead us, we can know with certainty that it will be the right place when we arrive.

On God’s road,

Z gardener

Nothing is really worth worrying about. Nothing is really worth getting angry or hurt or bitter about. Positively nothing is worth losing your peace of mind over.

These important truths follow logically upon the following fact: you are going to live forever – somewhere. This means that there is plenty of time to get things right again if they have gone wrong. No matter what mistake you may have made, enough prayer will overtake it and cancel it. If those you love seem to be acting foolishly, you can help them with prayer to be wiser, and, meanwhile, if they suffer, it means that kindly nature is teaching them a lesson that they need to learn.

But suppose something awful should happen? Well, what then? Suppose you lost everything and landed in the poorhouse. What then? Think what a wonderful demonstration you could make there, and you would probably learn several valuable lessons there, and, anyway, it would be quite interesting. Suppose the whole universe blew up. What then? When the dust settles, God will still be in business and you will be alive somewhere, ready to carry on.

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22).

Worry is emotional rust. It eats away at our spiritual structure and weakens our faith with doubt and fear. Especially, we should not worry about things that haven’t happened, and if bad things do happen, worry is not the response that will rise to the challenge. While it is co mforting to know that we will exist for eternity, living happily in the here and now is our daily duty to ourselves, our God and those around us. By turning our attention to God and seeking the divine will in our lives, we ensure that the here and now is filled with joy and gladness. We can also rest assured that tomorrow and all the tomorrow’s will be reflections of God’s power in our lives. Then our spiritual structure will be sound and our faith secured.

Faithfully,

Z gardener