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No Buts

February 23, 2012 by zgardener

  

When the devil has been unmasked a number of times, his final refuge seems to be the harmless-looking word but. Students of the teaching of Jesus Christ who would not be deceived by any of the familiar devices, constantly surrender their principles, and therefore their demonstration, to the little word but.
 
“Of course I know that God in the only power – but—.”
“Of course I know that God in omnipresent – but.”
“Of course I know that God is love – but.”
“Of course I know that there is no hurry because I am in eternity – but.”
“Of course I know that John or Mary must be the living expression of God, just as I am – but.”
If truth is true, there are no buts.
 
And they all with one consent began to make excuse (Luke 14:18).
 
Here is another tough one. While simple to understand, it is very hard to do. It is especially hard when we think we have been wronged or treated unjustly. Yet, there is no exception to the truth or it is not true. No one likes to plumb the depths of their weaknesses and accept responsibility for them. However, unless we do just that, and then turn away from them, they will invariably bring us down. That is the truth. And, the only thing that will save us from it is to face our own faults and, without excuse, ask God to help us rise above them.
 
During this Lenten season we are called to look inside ourselves to identify our shortcomings and then turn away from that which is separating us from God. We are also called to do charitable acts and to give up something important to us. If there is a habit or behavior that has become a barrier to communion with God and friends, now would be a good time to lay it down and try life without it for forty days. And while turning away from that which blocks God and friends from us, we may also want to find ways to give that which we can to those less fortunate.
 
It can’t hurt and it might be the first step on our journey to “get ourselves back to the garden”, as Joni Mitchell would sing.
 
Unrebutted,
Stan

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The Goodness of God – Psalm 18

February 22, 2012 by zgardener

 
Read Psalm 18.
 
In verse 29 the Psalmist, thinking of some of the times in the past when he has been given power to overcome difficulties and to advance on the path, says, For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. Everyone has found himself at some time confronted with a difficulty that seemed like a high and insurmountable wall, but faith in God enables one to clear the obstacle notwithstanding.
 
Next the Psalmist reminds us that the way of God is perfect. God will put you upon your high place. In other words, he will raise you consciousness so that you will automatically demonstrate. Then the author praises God and thanks Him for His goodness. Thanksgiving, as you know, is one of he most powerful forms of prayer.
 
Finally he says that God gives great deliverance to his King; and that He sheweth mercy to His anointed, to David and to his seed forevermore. God intends us all to be kings through the exercise of spiritual power, and our power to go on increasing – like the seed of David – through all eternity.
 
There is no obstacle, weakness or challenge that we can not overcome if we turn control of our lives over to God. When we say, “Lord, take control of my life and I will follow your lead”, then the universe changes and all the power that exists weighs in on our behalf. Regardless of how long we have suffered, how hard it has been or how futile our efforts have seemed, all this will change when we truly turn away from our control and give control to God.
 
Those things, circumstances or people who have have been part of our problem will fade away or become part of the solution. This is true because God loves us unconditionally and wants us to be happy. Even if we don’t love ourselves, or think we don’t deserve God’s love, God disagrees and is always ready to forgive and shed his grace on us regardless of what we have done or not done.
 
If God believes in us and loves us unconditionally, then we should love ourselves and be empowered to give unconditional love. When we do this, all the beauty, joy and peace in the universe becomes available to us. Then we can forgive ourselves and love ourselves as God does. Then we can walk in the garden each day with all of God’s blessings, protection and intercessions. Then, nothing can hold us down or hurt us for long.
 
Gratefully,
Z gardener

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The Kindling of God

February 21, 2012 by zgardener

 

 
Read Psalm 18.
 
In verse 28 the Psalmist moves to another phase of the teaching. Thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
 
Many similes have been offered by religious teachers to illustrate the relationship between God and man. One of the best known and most helpful is to think of man as a spark from a great fire, which is God. The spark is not the whole of the fire but is part of it, and therefore of the same nature, and possesses, potentially, all the characteristics of the parent fire. It can ignite many things upon which it falls, thus producing another fire essentially of the same nature as the original fire.
 
#AOLMsgPart_1_bff03070-5dfe-40c1-940e-37b6aecf11c9 td{color: black;} #AOLMsgPart_1_bff03070-5dfe-40c1-940e-37b6aecf11c9 .AOLWebSuite .AOLPicturesFullSizeLink { height: 1px; width: 1px; overflow: hidden; } #AOLMsgPart_1_bff03070-5dfe-40c1-940e-37b6aecf11c9 .AOLWebSuite a {color:blue; text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer} #AOLMsgPart_1_bff03070-5dfe-40c1-940e-37b6aecf11c9 .AOLWebSuite a.hsSig {cursor: default} Whenever we find ourselves in a dark place, unable to see the way out, or to guide ourselves into the light, we would do well to seek guidance form the wisdom of the Psalms. Those verses represent the culmination of wisdom proven true through the centuries and passed on as loving help in times of sorrow and triumph. They lift the hurt, give comfort to the downtrodden and chasten those who abuse trust and success. In short, they give the light which dispels darkness.
 
When we are wronged, hurt or afraid, if we turn to the wisdom of the ages, we will find the solution to our problems and forgiveness for those who hurt us. When we act wrongly or in an abusive fashion, we can right our own wrongdoing by seeking the truth and turning away from that behavior which hurts us and those we love. Then, above all, we must turn our thoughts, words and deeds towards the light provided by God.
 
If we do these things, the darkness will give way to the light, love will find a path to enter our hearts and harmony will return.
 
Seeking light,
Stan
Z gardener
 
The verse referenced is included below.
18
Thanksgiving for Deliverance
2 Sam. 22.1-51
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said,
1  I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
2  The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

        
my God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3  I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised:

        
so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

 
4  The sorrows of death compassed me,

        
and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5  The sorrows of hell compassed me about:

        
the snares of death prevented me.

 
6  In my distress I called upon the LORD,

        
and cried unto my God:
he heard my voice out of his temple,
and my cry came before him, eveninto his ears.

 
7  Then the earth shook and trembled;

        
the foundations also of the hills moved
and were shaken, because he was wroth.
8  There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,

        
and fire out of his mouth devoured:
coals were kindled by it.
9  He bowed the heavens also, and came down:

        
and darkness was under his feet.
10  And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly:

        
yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11  He made darkness his secret place;

        
his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12  At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed,

        
hail stones and coals of fire.
13  The LORD also thundered in the heavens,

        
and the Highest gave his voice;
hail stones and coals of fire.
14  Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;

        
and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
15  Then the channels of waters were seen,

        
and the foundations of the world were discovered
at thy rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

 
16  He sent from above, he took me,

        
he drew me out of many waters.
17  He delivered me from my strong enemy,

        
and from them which hated me:
for they were too strong for me.
18  They prevented me in the day of my calamity:

        
but the LORD was my stay.
19  He brought me forth also into a large place;

        
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

 
20  The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness;

        
according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
21  For I have kept the ways of the LORD,

        
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22  For all his judgments were before me,

        
and I did not put away his statutes from me.
23  I was also upright before him,

        
and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24  Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness,

        
according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

 
25  With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful;

        
with an upright man thou wilt show thyself upright;
26  with the pure thou wilt show thyself pure;

        
and with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward.
27  For thou wilt save the afflicted people;

        
but wilt bring down high looks.
28  For thou wilt light my candle:

        
the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
29  For by thee I have run through a troop;

        
and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
30  As for God, his way is perfect:

        
the word of the LORD is tried:
he isa buckler to all those that trust in him.

 
31  For who is God save the LORD?

        
Or who is a rock save our God?
32  It is God that girdeth me with strength,

        
and maketh my way perfect.
33  He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, Hab. 3.19

        
and setteth me upon my high places.
34  He teacheth my hands to war,

        
so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
35  Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation:

        
and thy right hand hath holden me up,
and thy gentleness hath made me great.
36  Thou hast enlarged my steps under me,

        
that my feet did not slip.
37  I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them:

        
neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
38  I have wounded them that they were not able to rise:

        
they are fallen under my feet.
39  For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle:

        
thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40  Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies;

        
that I might destroy them that hate me.
41  They cried, but there was none to save them:

        
even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
42  Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind:

        
I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.

 
43  Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people;

        
and thou hast made me the head of the heathen:
a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44  As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me:

        
the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
45  The strangers shall fade away,

        
and be afraid out of their close places.

 
46  The LORD liveth; and blessed be my Rock;

        
and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47  It is God that avengeth me,

        
and subdueth the people under me.
48  He delivereth me from mine enemies:

        
yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me:
thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

 
49  Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen,

        
and sing praises unto thy name. Rom. 15.9
50  Great deliverance giveth he to his king;

        
and showeth mercy to his anointed,
to David, and to his seed for evermore.

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The Hidden Studio

February 17, 2012 by zgardener

 
We are all engaged in building our consciousness during every waking hour. This work is invisible, silent, and consequently overlooked by the bulk of mankind. Nevertheless, it is the most fundamental and the most far-reaching activity in life. Hour by hour, and moment by moment, we are building good or evil, failure or success, happiness or suffering into our life by the ideas that we harbor, the beliefs that we accept, the scenes and events that we rehearse in the hidden studio of the mind. This fateful edifice, upon the construction of which we are perpetually engaged, is nothing less that our self – our personality, our identity on this earth, our very life story as a human being.
 
That wondrous building, the spiritual consciousness, is called in the Bible the Temple of Solomon, and we are told two wonderful things about that building. It was built without any noise (and we know that thought is soundless), and it was built upon a rock.
 
And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither; so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building (1 Kings 6:7).
 
… be thou my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me (Psalm 31:2).
 
What type of temple are we building each day. Are our thoughts, words and deeds building a life of love, hope, faith, joy and peace? Or are we building a monument to worry, fear, anxiety, anger or disappointment? The choice is ours. Only we choose which kind of house to build.
 
Today, we can choose to build a strong house filled with gladness, gratefulness and love. We can walk in the glory of God’s garden by how we think, feel and act. So, What do you think?
 
Building love,
Z gardener

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Living to His Glory

February 16, 2012 by zgardener

  
 If you seem to yourself to be lacking in certain necessary qualities, seek that aspect of God which will meet your lack. If you seem to lack strength, ask God to give you what you need. Remember you can build any quality into your mentality by meditating upon that quality every day. You have created your limited self by thinking and you can destroy it at any moment by thinking a new pattern.
 
Why do we not change from day to day, and week to week, from glory to glory, until our friends can scarcely recognize us for the same man or woman? Why should we not march around the world looking like gods, and feeling it; healing instantaneously all who come to us; reforming the sinner; setting captives free?
 
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound (Isaiah 61:1).
 
 The simple answer to the question above is that we don’t allow ourselves to live into the full glory of God. We allow ourselves to be defined by our limited sensory perceptions of reality, instead of truly accepting God’s infinite reality created for us. As long as we allow ourselves to be defined and limited by what we can taste, touch, smell, hear and see, we will be imprisoned in the limited human reality.
 
The word of God states that we are God’s children, created in his image as the likeness of God. When we live in that reality, filled with God’s spirit and obeying God’s rules for reality, every human sensory based limitation is overcome and conquered. Then we are capable of doing all things that God has promised we have the capability to do (see above). The only thing that prevents us from being Gods, and living in the Eden God created for us…is us.
 
Let us live in the fullness of God’s glory so that we may heal, build up, liberate and elevate all those we touch. When we do this, we will find ourselves living in the garden lit by the glory of God almighty.
 
Gloriously,
Z gardener

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Successful Concentration

February 16, 2012 by zgardener

            I do not give exercises to develop concentration. Concentrate on what you are doing at any time, that is the best exercise I know.
I remember when I was a boy about twelve years old somebody gave me a perfect peach of a jackknife. It probably weighed a quarter of a pound and there was a little saw in it, a little screwdriver, a corkscrew, a thing for getting stones out of horses’ hoofs, and several blades. I carried it for about a year thinking how handy it would be for certain cases that never came up, but it never lost its interest. I could always find, when I was bored, new interest when I took out the jackknife. If you make your search for God your jackknife in that sense, you will get you concentration and you will get your success.
Thus will I bless thee while I live … and meditate on thee in the night watches
(Psalm 63: 4, 6).
‘Nuff said.
Peace,
Z gardener

 

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After Your Healing

February 13, 2012 by zgardener

 
Healing is only the beginning. When you are completely healed of everything wrong in your life, your body, your business, difficulties in personal relationships, obvious faults in your own character, you will not have finished your work. Your real work will only be commencing. Your real work is to show and experience the glory of God, to build that spiritual consciousness, “ the house Magnifico.” Conscious fears will have gone, and your whole world will be different. The physical world will be different because it will be clothed in a new glory. “The light that never was on sea or land.” People will be different because you will be beginning to know their real self instead of merely the outer shell, and, of course, everyone else will notice that you are different, too.
 
This is not to say that healing is unimportant. It has to precede the building. Let us endeavor to get our own healing completed as soon as possible in order to help the world that is needing it so much.
 
Bless the Lord … who healeth all thy diseases … who crowneth thee with loving kindness… (Psalm 103:2-4)
 
As within, so without. When we are healed within, we are then best able to give healing. When we can accept God’s unconditional love for ourselves, we can truly share it with others. When we walk through our gardens with joy and gladness, then we can share ours and help others walk in their’s.
 
Today, let each of us accept God’s unconditional love, healing,  joy and gladness. We need it and all those around us, indeed the whole world, needs it. To give it we must start by receiving it. Saving the world starts with saving ourselves. So, let us go in peace with strength and courage to love and serve the world with gladness singleness of heart.
 
Accepting love,
Z gardener

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Key Words In The Bible – Repentance

February 10, 2012 by zgardener

 
To repent means, really, to change one’s mind concerning something. When a person realizes that a particular action, or a certain line of conduct, or perhaps the whole direction of his life, has been wrong, and honestly resolves to change his conduct, he has repented. The Bible makes true repentance an essential condition for any spiritual progress, and for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus said, Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:3).
 
Repentance does not mean grieving for past mistakes, because this is dwelling in the past, and our duty is to dwell in the present and make this moment right. Worrying over past mistakes is remorse, and remorse is a sin, for it is a refusal to accept God’s forgiveness.
 
John the Baptist said, Repent ye: for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2). This means that you should change your thought and know that the Presence of God is where you are.
 
There are few experiences as liberating to the soul as repentance. At once we are freed from that which harms and imprisons us while being freed from the guilt, remorse and anger that accompanies unrepentant behavior. Once we accept the right course, change ours path and commit to right living, all the baggage that has weighed us down and hurt us is lifted from us. Then, we must turn away from our wrong ways and refuse to be remorsful or guilty.
 
This allows us to live in our present moment forgiven, freed and sure of our path. We no longer need to hide from God, but are empowered to walk openly with God in the garden he created for us.
 
Turning to God,
Z gardener

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Key Words In the Bible – Fear

February 9, 2012 by zgardener

 
The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the beginning of knowledge. This has misled many people, because the truth is that fear is entirely evil and is indeed the only enemy we have. You can heal any condition if you can get rid of the fear attaching to it. It is true at all times that “we have nothing to fear but fear.”
                                                                                                                       
How then do we account for the texts quoted? The answer is that in the Bible the fear of God means reverence for God, not fear in the usual sense of the word. Reverence for God is the beginning of wisdom. How do we show reverence for God? By seeing God everywhere, refusing to recognize anything unlike Him, and by living the Christ life.
 
Confidence is worship. You worship whatever you trust. Are you trusting more in fear or in God? What are you worshipping? That is the test.
 
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace. (Job 22:21).
 
The antidote to fear is trust and faith in God. All of us will experience fear. However, we do not have to embrace it, endure it or be shaped by it. If we trust in God, put him first and follow God’s, will we can overcome fear and virtually eliminate it from our lives. We can not do it alone, but with God’s help we can live fearlessly.
 
The frist step is to admit fear and face it directly. Then we must ask God for courage and remind ourselves that God does not want us to be afraid. It also helps greatly to know that fear itself is evil, that it eats at our faith and shackles our mind so we can not think or act in our own interest. Whatever we face, fear is a harmful response that will rob us of our joy and of the blessings hidden in our challenges.
 
Lastly, fear blocks us from joy and gladness and blinds us to our blessings. A grateful spirit is much harder to nurture in an atmosphere of  fear. So today, let us rejoice and be glad, and ask God to strengthen us so that we walk fearlessly in our gardens.
 
With courage through faith,
 
Z gardener

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No Grave Robbing

February 8, 2012 by zgardener

 
Don’t be a grave robber. Let corpses alone. In due course nature disposes of such remains, if they are left undisturbed. Every time you dig up an old grievance or an old mistake by rehearsing it in your mind or, still worse, by telling someone else about it, you are simply ripping open a grave – and you know what you may expect to find.
 
Live the present. Prepare intelligently for the future – and let the past alone. This is what Jesus meant when he said,… “ let the dead bury the dead. (Matthew 8:22).
 
Make a law for yourself today that you are not going to touch mentally any negative thing that has happened up to the present moment – and keep that law. Life is too precious for grave robbing. The past is past – liquidate it. If a negative memory comes into your mind, cremate it with the right thought (the fire of Love) and forget it.
 
How much happier and productive would we be if we could let sleeping dogs lie? Even so, we all have unpleasant past experiences that just seem to keep coming back no matter how hard we try to keep them in the past. The key is to replace those thoughts with another positive thought and move on. Even if we have to do this every day for the rest of our lives. It is better than dwelling on past wrongs.
 
One thing we should remember is that old hurts that keep coming back have never been resolved. We need to dig into such recurring negatives and critically analyze why it keeps coming back. Then we must forgive ourselves or others who caused the hurt. If we truly let go of this problem and give it to God, we should see it intruding on our present less and less.
 
Moving on,
Z gardener

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