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Posts Tagged ‘Faith’

Let God Have Your Burden

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on August 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Once you have contacted the Power within, and have allowed it to take over your responsibilities for you, it will direct and govern all your affairs from the greatest to the least without mistakes. The government shall be upon his shoulder. You are tired, and driven, and worried, and weak, and ill, and depressed, because you have been trying to carry the government upon your own shoulder; the burden is too much for you, and you have broken down under it.
Now, immediately you hand over yourself-government, that is, the burden of making a living, or of healing your body, or erasing your mistakes, to the Child. He, the Tireless One, The All-Powerful, the All Wise, the All Resourceful, assumes it with joy; and your difficulties have seen the beginning of the end.
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee… (Psalm 55:22).
Oh, what wonderful news! Our heavenly Father walks with us, waiting to carry our burdens. Ever present in times of trouble and fear, God is there to help and to lift us. When we have fallen, when we hurt or when we fail, God is there to pick us up and share our load. He is there whispering, “lean on me when your not strong and I’ll be your friend. I’ll help you carry on.”
Leaning on God,
Z gardener

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The Lost Corot

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on August 10, 2012| Leave a Comment »

There is a quaint old legend that is firmly believed in the artists’ colony in Paris. It appears that many years ago a poor struggling artist was so hard up that he did not have even enough money to buy a piece of canvas upon which to paint what he felt sure would be a masterpiece. Going along the quays he saw an old daub selling for a few sous, frame included. It was supposed to represent Napoleon III in full dress uniform, and doubtless had adorned some wall in the days of the Second Empire. That artist decided that he could clean off the picture and use the canvas for his own work.
Arrived home, he proceeded to remove Napoleon III, not a difficult task, and to his astonishment found that there was another picture underneath. The last artist had not even removed the original but simply worked over it. When the last traces of Napoleon III had disappeared, the student was amazed to discover what looked to him like a very fine Corot. Of course, his days of poverty were ended.
Whether this story be truth or fable, it is a perfect allegory of the nature of man as we know him. Outside we find the “marred image” showing limitation, sin, sickness, and inharmony—the unskilled daub; but underneath is the masterwork of the Great Artist, and our prayers act by clearing away the false accretions—the “many inventions” of the carnal mind—that the already existing Truth and harmony may appear.
Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions (Ecclesiastes 7:29).
God did make mankind upright, yet we chose to separate ourselves from God. All of our “many inventions” that we call sin result from that separation. When we reunite with God in thought, prayer and obedience, all the marred images are wiped away and our true nature can again manifest communion with God. Then, in harmony with God once again, we can return to that Eden in which we were created to live with God.
Cleaning the canvas,
Z gardener

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The Law of Growth

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on August 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »

             What you think upon grows. This is an Eastern maxim, and it sums up neatly the greatest and most fundamental of all the laws of mind.
Whatever you allow to occupy your mind you magnify in your own life. Whether the subject of your thought be good or bad, the law works and the condition grows. Any subject that you keep out of your mind tends to diminish in your life, because what you do not use atrophies.
The more you think about your grievances or the injustices that you have suffered, the more such trials will you continue to receive; the more you think of the good fortune you have had, the more good fortune will come to you.
This is the basic, fundamental, all-inclusive law of mind, and actually all psychological and metaphysical teaching is little more than commentary upon this.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things…. (Philippians 4:8).
                What are we growing in our gardens? That which occupies our thoughts and feelings. How many times a day do we think about our blessings, our joys and our successes? Do we stop and think about the life-giving breaths we take, a good night’s sleep or being surrounded by friends and loved ones. How about the world’s beauty, our intellect or the many times we are saved from harm each day.
While we also must think upon certain unpleasant or tragic circumstances, even in the face of worst case scenarios, we can still cultivate a garden that grows hope, peace and joy by thinking on them. So today, let us focus our thoughts on the good things in life. And, take a moment to share those thoughts with those who may be struggling under the weight of pain and loss that are a part of every existence. Then our gardens will bloom with truth, goodness, honesty, purity, love and virtue. It is the law.
Planting love,
Z gardener

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The Dual Law of Thought

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on August 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »

                       Every thought is made up of two factors, knowledge and feeling. A thought consists of a piece of knowledge with a charge of feeling, and it is the feeling alone that gives power to the thought. No matter how important or magnificent the knowledge content may be, if there is no feeling attached to it nothing will happen. On the other hand, no matter how unimportant or insignificant the knowledge content may be, if there is a large charge of feeling something will happen.
It makes no difference whether the knowledge content is correct or not as long as you believe it to be correct. Remember that it is what we really believe that matters. A report about something may be quite untrue, but if you believe it, it has the same effect upon you as if it were true; and that effect again will depend upon the quantity of feeling attached to it.
When we understand this law we see the importance of accepting the truth with joy in every phase of our experience.
Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy…(Psalm 16:11).
What we believe and what we feel shapes the reality we experience. Everyone has had that feeling of falling while dozing off. Of course, we are not falling, but we experience falling as if it were real. Think about that for a moment. Now, think about the parable of the mustard seed. If faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain, surely our beliefs can effect our reality in many ways. That is why it is called the “law” of thought. What we believe always affects what we perceive. That is why so much importance is placed on our faith (that which we believe about God). It is what determines our relationship with God and with the world God created. That’s the law.
We must be discerning about what we allow ourselves to believe. Once we determine the truth (such as the laws we have been discussing), then we must decide whether to believe them or not. To believe is not to accept a fact or truth. To believe is to act upon those facts as if they were true. For instance, if we accept the truth of the “dual law of thought”, we would change our behavior and priorities to reflect that truth. If our behavior does not change, then we must re-examine if we really believe it to be true.
Believing and perceiving,
Z gardener

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Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on August 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The Law of Forgiveness
             It is an unbreakable mental law that you have to forgive others if you want to demonstrate over your difficulties and to make any real spiritual progress.
The vital importance of forgiveness may not be obvious at first sight, but you may be sure that it is not by chance that every great spiritual teacher from Jess Christ downward has insisted so strongly upon it.
You must forgive injuries, not just in words, or as a matter of form, but in your heart—and that is the long and the short of it. You do this, not for the other person’s sake, but for your own sake.
Resentment, condemnation, anger, desire to see someone punished are things that rot your soul. Such things fasten your troubles to you with rivets. They fetter you to many other problems that actually have nothing whatever to do with the original grievances themselves.
Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing; but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing(1 Peter 3: 9).
Now this is a really tough one, but there is no way around this law if we are to live in the Eden God created for us. And, hard as it is, the rewards are exponentially greater than the cost. When we forgive, we free ourselves of the offense, our reaction to it and the negative fallout that results from it.
Today, we can begin a life of forgiveness. We can lay down all the hurts, the injustices and unfairness of life. We can trade in the hurt, anger and resentment for healing, peace and reconciliation.
Brothers and sisters, let us drop our backpacks weighed down with the baggage of unforgiving, so we can run freely in the light; instead of trudging wearily in the dark.
Running freely,
Z gardener

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The Law of Practice

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on August 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Practice makes perfect. This familiar proverb embodies one of the great laws of human nature and—being a law—it is never under any circumstances broken.
There is simply no achievement without practice and the more practice, provided it is done intelligently, the greater will the proficiency be and the sooner will it be attained. It is true in every conceivable branch of human endeavor. Practice is the price of proficiency.
In metaphysics the effects of this law are particularly striking. Thought control is entirely a matter of intelligent practice. And true religion may well be summed up as the Practice of the Presence of God.
…be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only…(James 1:22).
As a popular commercial sez. “Just do it!”
Perfecting through practice,
Z gardener

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The Law of Subconscious Activity

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on August 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

                        As soon as the subconscious mind accepts any idea, it immediately begins trying to put it into effect. It uses all its resources (and these are far greater than is commonly supposed) to that end. It uses every bit of knowledge that you have ever collected, most of which you have totally forgotten, to bring about its purpose. It mobilizes the many mental powers that you possess, most of which you never consciously use. It draws on the unlimited energy of the mind. It lines up all the laws of nature as they operate both inside and outside of you, to get its way.
Sometimes it succeeds in its purpose immediately. Sometimes it takes a little time, sometimes it takes a long time; but if the thing is not utterly impossible, the subconscious will bring it about—once it accepts the idea.
This law is true for both good and bad ideas. This law, when used negatively, brings sickness, trouble, and failure; and when used positively, brings healing, freedom, and success. We give the orders—the subconscious does the work.
…his secret is with the righteous (Proverbs 3:32).
So, we must be very careful of those which we accept and send to the sub-conscious for acceptance. We must be sure of the validity accompanying our observations and experiences that lead us to accept something. To be 100 % sure of this validity, all we need to do is compare these observations and experience to the truths revealed by God.
Some things that feel bad are good for us, while some things that feel good are really bad for us. The way to know the difference is to trust God’s word. When we accept those truths, then we can know with certainty that we are feeding the right things to our subconscious and that it is working out things for our best good.
Accepting good,
Z gardener

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The Law of Relaxation

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on August 1, 2012| Leave a Comment »

            Another of the great mental laws is the Law of Relaxation. In all mental working effort defeats itself. This is just the opposite of what we find on the physical plane, but it will not surprise us because we know that in many cases the laws of mind are the reverse of the laws of matter.
On the physical plane, the harder you press a drill the faster will it go through a plank. The harder you hammer a nail the sooner does it go into the wall. But any attempt at mental pressure is foredoomed to failure because the moment tension begins, the mind stops working creatively. When you try to force things mentally, when you try to hurry mentally, you simply stop your creative power.
In all mental working be relaxed, gentle, and unhurried for effort defeats itself.
…In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength…(Isaiah 30:15).
What great news! Not only is relaxation good for us, it also strengthens our ability to accomplish our mental work. Its good and good for us.
Relax and excel,
Z gardener

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The Law of Substitution

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on July 30, 2012| 2 Comments »

                       There are a few great laws that govern all thinking, just as there are a few fundamental laws in chemistry. We know that thought control is the key of destiny, and in order to learn thought control we have to know and understand these laws.
One of the great mental laws is the Law of substitution. This means that the only way to get rid of a certain thought is to substitute another one for it. You cannot dismiss a thought directly. You can do so only by substituting another one for it. If I say to you, “ Do not think of the Statue of Liberty,” of course, you immediately think of it. If you say, “I am not going to think of the Statue of Liberty,” that is thinking about it. But if you become interested in something else, you forget all about the Statue of Liberty—and this is a case of substitution.
When negative thoughts come to you, do not fight them, but think of something positive. Preferably think of God; but if that is difficult at the moment, turn your attention to something quite different.
But I say unto you, That ye resist no evil… (Matthew 5:39).
With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding (Job 12:13).
When we fight or struggle with (resist) anything we give it power and being. We recognize it and feed it by directing effort toward it. Its like the misbehaving child that acts out to get attention. When the child realizes that misbehaving gets them ignored or sent to their room, they lose power and our attention.
If we are to live in the Eden God created for us, then we must develop the discipline of thought control. One of the best uses of that control will be the ability to substitute good thoughts and realities for bad ones. That will mean we are also able to substitute love, peace and joy for fear, conflict and sadness. That’s the way God planned it, and that’s the way God wants it to be.
Embracing good,
Z gardener

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If the Key Sticks

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on July 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

            We have said that the Golden Key is simple, and so it is, but, of course, it is not always easy to turn. If you are very frightened or worried it may be difficult, at first, to get your thoughts away from material things. But by constantly repeating some statement of absolute Truth that appeals to you, such as There is no power but God, or I am the child of God, filled and surrounded by the perfect peace of God, or God is Love, or God is guiding me now, or, perhaps best and simplest of all, just God is with me—you will soon find that your mind is clearing. Do not struggle, be quiet but insistent. Each time that you find your attention wandering, just switch it straight back to God.
Do not try to think out in advance what the solution of your difficulty will probably turn out to be. This is technically called outlining, and will only delay the demonstration. Leave the question of ways and means to God. You want to get out of your difficulty—that is sufficient. You do your half, and God will never fail to do His.
…whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered…(Joel 2:32).
Have you ever been trying so intensely to do something that you can’t do it? For instance, so intense about unlocking your door that you jam the key or push on the door before you turn the key. If so, then you know that the key appears not to work. Another example is gripping your bat or golf club so hard that it restricts your swing. Last one, getting pulled over by police and you can’t seem to get your license out because you are so nervous about getting a ticket. These are different types of examples whereby the working “key” sticks even thought it is the right key.
This can also happen to applying the spiritual golden key. We do not have to force it, jam it or grip it. In fact, when we use the golden key, we are releasing our “death grip” on the problem and opening the door for God’s solution. Notice the words “God’s solution”. It may not be the outcome we envisioned, but it will be for our best good.
So take a deep breath, relax and let your faith turn the key quietly, confidently. Then get out of the way and let God act. Whoever thusly “calls on the name of the Lord shall be delivered”.
Keying confidently,
Z gardener

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