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Posts Tagged ‘Faith’

Agree Quickly

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 18, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing (Matthew 5:25-26).
Jesus is stressing here the instruction contained in his injunction to “watch and pray.” It is ever so much easier to overcome a difficulty if you tackle it at its first appearance than it will be after the trouble has had time to establish itself in your mentality—to dig itself in, as the soldiers say. The moment a difficulty presents itself to your attention, quietly affirm the Truth, giving it no chance to dig itself in.
On the other hand, by thinking about your difficulty, you incorporate it into your mentality, and if you go on doing this long enough, it may be exceedingly difficult to get rid of it.
Jesus, when he wished to drive home a particularly important point, employed a graphic illustration from everyday life. In those times the law governing debtors was extremely severe. When a man found himself in debt, it behooved him to come to terms with his creditors as quickly as possible. Even at the present day it is important for the debtor to keep his case from coming into court, for the longer the case drags on the more lawyers’ fees, court dues, and expenses of various kinds accumulate, all piled on top of the debt proper. So it is with the various difficulties that present themselves to us in our daily lives.
Another point to remember here is that quick conflict resolution also removes unnecessary strife, stress and anxiety form our lives. If disputes can not be avoided, we should make every effort to resolve them quickly and fairly to all sides. Conflict does not nurture peace. In fact, it is the opposite.
So today, let us commit to preventing conflict when possible, and to resolving it quickly and fairly when it does arise. Peace will follow the peacemakers. Let us lead with peace.
Agreeing to peace,
Z gardener

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Danger of Anger

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 17, 2013| 1 Comment »

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee;
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift (Matthew 5:23-24).
Indignation, resentment, the desire to punish other people, the desire to “get even,” the feeling “it serves him right”; all these things form a quite impenetrable barrier to spiritual power. Jesus says that if you are bringing a gift to the altar, and you remember that your brother has anything against you, you must put down your gift and go make peace with your brother; when you have done that, your offering will be acceptable.
Jesus builds up this tremendous lesson in the Oriental tradition. He says first that whoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger; second that to be hostile to another, is to be in grave danger; and finally that to hold so low an opinion about a fellow creature as to consider him outside the pale, is to shut ourselves off from any hope of spiritual fruit while we remain in this state of mind.
Note carefully that the King James version of the Bible here makes a serious error, which has been corrected in the revised version. It interpolates a phrase not in the earliest manuscripts and makes Jesus say, “Whoever is angry without a cause”; which is a manifest absurdity. No sane person gets angry without what he deems to be a cause. What Jesus said was that whoever is angry with his brother under any circumstances is in danger.
The road to the Kingdom of God is blocked by negative emotion and attitude. To clear this blockage, one must simply avoid such emotions, or replace them with good thoughts. Then the path to our gardens is clear.
Clearing the road,
Z gardener

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Necessity for Self Control

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire(Matthew 5:21-22).
The Old Law said “Thou shalt not kill,” but Jesus says that even to want to kill, nay, even to be angry with your brother, is sufficient to keep you out of the Kingdom of Heaven. It was a distinct gain when primitive people could be persuaded not to murder but to develop sufficient self-control to master their anger. Spiritual demonstration demands that anger itself be overcome. It is simply not possible to get any experience of God worth talking about, or to exercise spiritual power until you have gotten rid of resentment and condemnation. You can have either your demonstration or your indignation, but you cannot have both.
Let us today release all the thoughts, words and attitudes that separate us from our gardens. Then we will walk in the Kingdom of God each day with joy and gratefulness.
Walking with joy,
Z gardener

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Striving for Perfection

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

            What of the person who is conscious of considerable moral imperfection, perhaps of the habit of grave sin, and is at the same time sincerely desirous of spiritual growth? Is that person to relinquish the quest for spiritual knowledge until he has first reformed his conduct? By no means. As a matter of fact any attempt to improve himself morally without spiritual aid is foredoomed to failure. The thing to do is to pray regularly and to throw the responsibility for success upon God.
The person must carry on, no matter how many times they may fail. Let them keep affirming that God is helping them, and that their own real nature is spiritual and perfect. In this way moral regeneration and spiritual unfoldment will go hand in hand. The Christian life does not require that we possess perfection of character, or else, which of us would be able to live it? What it does require is honest, genuine striving for that perfection.
…he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee (Job 36:4).
Perfection is an ideal, not a humanly achievable goal. But, we are to strive for perfection, knowing we will fall short in this world. Perfection is a direction toward which we should point our compass, it is not the path we tread on our journey. We will attain our best good if we keep our course pointed in the direction of perfection.
Direction perfection,
Z gardener

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Coming of Age

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 14, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Coming of Age
            As you grow in spiritual power and understanding you will find that many outer regulations will become unnecessary; but this will be because you have really risen above them. This point in your development, where your understanding of Truth enables you to dispense with certain outer props and regulations, is the spiritual coming of age.
However, this spiritual coming of age cannot be hurried or forced, but must appear when the consciousness is ready, exactly as the flowering of a bulb can only be the result of natural growth. You have to demonstrate where you are. To seek to demonstrate beyond your understanding is not spiritual. Fix your attention upon spiritual things, and without consciously trying to make haste you will be amazed to discover the pace at which your soul has hastened.
To take a simple example: Suppose that in a street accident you find that a man has severed an artery and the blood is spurting out. The normal course is that unless this bleeding is stopped the victim will die. Now, what is the spiritual attitude to take in such a case? Claim the ability of God to heal. If your faith is strong enough the severed artery will immediately be healed. But if your faith fails, you must take the usual steps to save the man’s life by immediately improvising a tourniquet, or whatever the proper procedure may be, still claiming divine aid.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised) …(Hebrews 10:23).
Let us all pray for divine intervention while we work unceasingly with our hearts and our hands to do our part of the job.
Working unceasingly,
Z gardener

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As A Man Thinketh

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Matthew 5:17-18).
A“jot” or yod was the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, like the Greek “iota.” A “tittle” (really “little horn”) is one of those tiny spurs or projections that distinguish certain Hebrew letters.
The scribes and the Pharisees were for the most part worthy men leading strictly moral lives according to appearances. Their faults were the weaknesses of the religious formalist everywhere—spiritual pride and self-righteousness. Of these faults they were unconscious—that is the deadly malice of these diseases of the soul—but they did strive to fulfil the law, as they understood it. Jesus knew this, and he gave them credit for it. Here he warns his followers that unless their practical conduct is better than that of these people, they need not suppose that they are engaged on the spiritual path.
Any religious leader, scholar or believer who follows the law while sacrificing its premises of love, tolerance, forgiveness, grace and mercy has failed to follow God’s will. No matter how pious, devout and upright they appear, their spiritual blindness has led them astray; and they are unaware that they are lost. This fits the old saying of “the blind leading the blind”.
Let nothing lead your astray from love, peace and joy. We must follow in spirit, the intent of God’s law as well as the words. Then we will be on the true course to our gardens.
On course,
Z gardener

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Exceeding Righteousness

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 10, 2013| 1 Comment »

Read Matthew 5:17-20.
If anyone were so insane as to suppose that the knowledge of the Truth of Being could put him“above” the moral law, in the sense of authorizing him to break it, he would speedily discover that he had made a tragic mistake. The more spiritual knowledge that one possesses, the more severe is the punishment which one brings upon oneself by any infraction of the moral law. The Christian has to be very much more careful than other people. Indeed, all real spiritual understanding must necessarily be accompanied by definite moral improvement. A theoretical acceptance of the letter of Truth might go with moral carelessness (greatly to the peril of the delinquent), but it is impossible to make any real spiritual progress unless you are trying your very best to live the life. It is impossible to divorce true spiritual knowledge from right conduct.
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven(Matthew 5:20).
Right conduct is the fruit of spiritual knowledge. If our conduct does not match our spirituality then we are only intellectually accepting the truth of being. We must believe in the truth of being as much as we believe in gravity. When we do, our conduct will unerringly produce true righteousness. Just as we would not think of walking off a skyscraper, we would never consider violating the truth of being.
Those who profess faith, yet act without love, charity, tolerance, forgiveness, etc are held to a higher standard than those ignorant of the truth. So beware, if one chooses spirituality, one best be prepared to live it.
The good news is that the truth of being is ever available to all without regard for status, position or power. It will free us from the prison of sensory and intellectual limitation we have imposed on ourselves. Break free today. Accept the truth and live it. Unlock the garden God gave us as a place to live in truth, peace and joy. The key is in our hands.
Doing right,
Z gardener

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Being Lifted Up

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:32).
Never try to force other people to accept spiritual truth. Instead, see to it that they are so favorably impressed by your own life and conduct, and by the peace and joy that radiate from you, that they will come running to you of their own accord, begging you to give them the wonderful thing that you have. To do this is to make your soul truly the city upon a hill that cannot be hidden because it is the City of God. This is to let your light shine to the glorifying of your Father which is in Heaven.
Each of us have been around someone whose life and conduct radiate peace and joy. In the author’s case, his Mother was such a light. Although she went to her reward yesterday, her light still shines like the city on the hill. Let us each day arise and shine so that peace and joy will light the lives of all those we touch.
“Arise, shine: for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you… Lift up your eyes and look around: they all gather together, they come to you;  your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their  nurses arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and  rejoice.” Isaiah 60: 1-6.
Rising to shine,
Z gardener

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THE SHINING LIGHT

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 4, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
The state of your soul is always expressed in your outer conditions and in the intangible influence that you radiate at large. There is a cosmic law that nothing can permanently deny its own nature. Emerson said: “what you are shouts so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” The soul that is built upon prayer cannot be hidden, it shines out brightly through the life that it lives. It speaks for itself, but in utter silence, and does much of its best work unconsciously. Its mere presence heals and blesses all around it.
We are told in the Bible to “keep our wicks trimmed and our lamps full of oil”. This means should keep our inner lamp bright and full of  fuel. We do this by following God’s will within, so that our light shines without. Nothing can hide this light when it shines, and nothing can replace it, when it does not.
So today, let us think, speak and act in ways so that our inner light is bright, strong and permanent. Then we will light, not only our own Eden, but also everyone’s garden whom we touch.
Shine one,
Z gardener
Author’s Note: A new family joins us in the Garden today. They live their faith each day and spread true light to all they touch. We are blessed to have them in the Garden.
Best,
Z

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SALT AND LIGHT

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

            Read Matthew 5:13-16.
In the fifth chapter of Matthew are recorded some of the most powerful pronouncements of Jesus.
Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14).
It is possible, and, in fact, only too easy, to accept these vital principles as being true; to love the beauty in them; and yet not to put them consistently into practice in one’s own life; but this is a perilous attitude, for in that case the salt has lost its savor, and is good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden underfoot.
If you make every effort to practice the teachings of Jesus in every department of your own daily life; if you seek systematically to destroy in yourself selfishness, pride, vanity, sensuality, self-righteousness, jealousy, self-pity, resentment, condemnation, and so forth—not feeding or nourishing them by giving in to them; if you extend the right thought loyally to every person within your ken, then you are worthy to be called the salt of the earth.
If you truly live this life, then not only will you make your own demonstration, in the quickest possible time, but you will be, in a very positive sense, a healing and illumining influence on all around you. You will be a blessing to men and women in remote places and times, men and women of whom you have never heard, and who will never hear of you—a light of the world.
Often, we don’t feel like being a light and don’t care if we have lost our salt. These are the times that challenge us to remember who we are. We are not created to be selfish, vain, resentful, etc. We are children of God created to bring illumination and experience peace. When we remember who we really are, then we will want to be a light and to be the salt that flavors our existence.
May we each raise our light and be the children of God.
Lighting up,
Z gardener

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