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Never Look Back

September 30, 2013 by zgardener

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). 
 
Turn neither to the left nor to the right, but be strong and of a good courage. And you will prosper wherever you go.
 
Forward,
Z gardener

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Why Worry?

September 26, 2013 by zgardener

 

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).

 The problem is not the problem. Worry, anger, fear and all our other negative reactions are the problem. Conquer those and the blessing in the problem will reveal itself. 

Casting,

Z gardener

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The Use of Intelligence

September 20, 2013 by zgardener

 
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) 
 
Our intelligence is God’s consciousness working through us.But we must exercise and direct our intelligence or we become an obstacle to God’s will. By the way, would God give us the intelligence to question our faith if he were not supremely confident that our faith would be affirmed? 
 
Think intelligently, question intelligently and live in peace with the conclusions. It is God’s way for us.to find our way.
 
Finding God’s way,
Z gardener

 

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Let God!

September 16, 2013 by zgardener

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” 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.
 
If you will reread the creation chapter in the Bible you will notice 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.
 
Is any thing too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18: 14).
 
Father, let us all be your creative force here below. Let us reflect your love in every way, so that we can live with you in the garden created for us by you. Ad, it will be very good.
 
Letting God,
Z gardener

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Without Rehearsal

September 10, 2013 by zgardener

 
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).
 
    Being perfect here below is not the goal. Learning to live as a loving, joyous and peaceful child of God is the real goal. As any child, we must learn to crawl, walk, fall and run through trial and error. That is the way physical existence works.
 
Peace, joy and love are ours for the claiming even with all the hurts, fears and falls that life in the physical world entails. Therein lies the Eden that God created for us. May we learn to live in it.
 
Sill learning,
Z gardener
 
 
 

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Running Away From Life?

September 9, 2013 by zgardener

 
In the spiritual teaching we are told not to dwell upon our troubles, but instead, to realize the Presence of God where the trouble 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).
 
That which we focus upon, becomes our reality. Are we focusing on the problems or the solutions? Negativity is the problem. God’s presence is the solution. Focus on God and solve the problem; focus on the problem and…
 
Looking to the presence of God from whom all our help comes,
Z gardener
 
 

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The Two Spirations

September 9, 2013 by zgardener

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).
 
Or, it could be said to “believe and act”. When our faith inspires us, our acts must reflect that faith. Weak faith and shallow acts will not get the job done. If we believe fully and act accordingly, our world will become the garden God created for us.
 
Acting on faith,
Z gardener

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The 13th Hour

September 2, 2013 by zgardener

 
Some wonderful demonstrations come at the eleventh hour. Others come at the twelfth hour. And some of the deepest and most far-reaching demonstrations come at the thirteenth hour – if you maintain the right attitude. What, after all, is the right attitude? It is simply knowing the Truth of Being instead of accepting the error.
 
Many people are aware of this, and they work in the right way – for a while. If, however, the demonstration has not arrived a little before the eleventh hour, they give up in despair, and naturally their prayer is not answered. But, this can only mean that they do not really believe.
 
If your statements of Truth are true, they are true whether the victory comes at eleven or twelve or one o’clock. State the Truth of Being concerning the problem. Hold to it even after twelve o’clock has struck, and you will be surprised at the wonderful good that can come to you at the thirteenth hour.
 
 
The Lord’s hand is not shortened, that is cannot save, neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear (Isaiah 59:1).
 
Many prayers have been answered after those praying had given up. Many of these may have gone unnoticed as a result of our turning away in resignation. To paraphrase Joshua, “turn neither to the left nor to the right, but be strong and of a good courage; and you shall prosper wherever you go”.
 
Let us not turn from our faith and our prayers at any hour, thirteenth or thirtieth; so that we may experience and be witnesses to God’s faithful answers.
 
    Turning not away,
Z gardener

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The Secret of Successful Salesmanship

August 30, 2013 by zgardener

 

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)
 
Treating people fairly in business and personal life is not always easy or profitable in the short term. In the long term, it always yields exponential benefits. Any financial advisor would counsel us to invest in that which assures our long term success. The Bible advises us to invest our personal lives the same way. When we give our heart to God, we ensure the long term success of  our spirit.
 
Fairly yours,
Z gardener

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The Kaffir Didn’t Know It

August 27, 2013 by zgardener

 
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, the 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).
 
The power of the spoken word is among our greatest powers. It springs from our thoughts, is more powerful than bullets and can be just as deadly. Let our thoughts, words and deeds reflect the love of God so that all our power is used for good.
 
Reflecting love,
Stan

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