Good Morning Garden

It cannot be your duty to do anything that is beyond your reach or your strength at the moment.

It cannot be your duty to do anything that sacrifices your own integrity or your own spiritual development.

It cannot be right to be hurried, or sad, or discouraged, or angry, or resentful, or antagonistic, under any circumstances.

If you have not time for prayer and meditation, you will have lots of time for sickness and trouble.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this the the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

The real question is “what is truly beyond our strength and reach”. There is much beyond our reach and strength when we act as mere humans without being attuned to God. But when we are following God’s will in thought, word and deed, all things become possible. Then the message above fully applies. It simply means that when we follow God’s way, we can accomplish all that is good for us without all the negative circumstances listed above. It reaffirms that if we are too hurried to pray, too weak to maintain our integrity or too negative in our reactions to the world, then we will make time for sickness and trouble. It is with God’s help and guidance that we overcome the pressures of the world and find peace, joy and wellness in our lives. If we respect and obey God, we will know our duty clearly and will be given that which we need to discharge our duties faithfully and fully in a way that is loving and joyful.

Z gardener

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Most people have certain sections of their lives where, for various reasons (mostly unknown to themselves), they do not wish to make any change. These places are set aside and surrounded with an aura of spurious sanctity like the sacred cows of the East, which are considered too holy to be touched. But if you really mean business about regenerating your soul and body, there must positively be no sacred cows in your life.

Nothing is truly sacred but your own Indwelling Christ and the process of His awakening.

…Awake thou that sleeepest, and arise from the dead, and christ shall give thee light (Ephesians 5:14).

Z gardener

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An Understanding faith is the life prayer. It is a great mistake, however, to struggle to produce a lively faith within yourself. That can only end in failure. The thing to do is to act as though you had faith. Act out what you wish to demonstrate, and you will be expressing true faith. This is the right use of the will, scientifically understood.

…Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done (Matthew 21:21).

This statement of Jesus is perhaps the most tremendous spiritual pronouncement ever made. Jesus knew the law of faith and proved it many times. W e shall move mountains when we are willing to believe that we can, and then not only will mountains be moved, but the whole planet will be redeemed and re-formed according to the Pattern in the Mount.

This passage accurately describes a “leap of faith”. That is when you act as if that which you desire is true. It is not called a thought of faith or a wish of faith or even a desire of faith. True faith implies action. That is not to say that one would leap off a cliff with faith that God will reverse gravity. It is to say that we must take the actions dictated by our faith even when the universe doers not appear to allow it or likely to sustain it. It means doing (as in leaping) what is right and following God’s will regardless of the apparent outcome or consequences. When we act according to our faith and God’s will, the universe will yield to that act and produce the result God intended for us that would not have happened without the leap of faith. This was true in Jesus’ acceptance of his sacrifice, and it is true of each decision we make to accept and follow God’s will. There is no path to our true destiny but that one which follows God’s will as revealed through prayer and faith.

Z gardener

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The principal revelation of the Jesus Christ teaching is the omnipresence and availability of god, and the belief that God not only transcends His universe but is everywhere immanent in it—that He indwells in it.

If you really believe in the existence of God you should be happy and cheerful. God has all power, and God is Good; so life must be good too.

Meet the world with a smile. You owe this to God, to your fellows, and above all, to yourself. If you go about with a face like an east wind, what can you possibly expect to attract from the world? We all know people who carry a fixed, frozen, mirthless, almost profession al, smile. Such a smile is just a permanent wave in the face.

Smile, even if it takes a little effort, and keep it up until it becomes spontaneous, as it will. In the graphic language of Hollywood, register joy, and hold it!

For ye shall go out with joy… (Isaiah 55:12).

That which we express (press out) is that which shapes our existence. When we press out our hope, joy, confidence and faith, our world becomes the Garden God created for us. When we press out fear, hate, cynicism and doubt, our world becomes a prison from which we are helpless to escape because we create it around us like the cocoon spun by the caterpillar. Today, let us spin an Eden and press it out so that all around us may experience life in the Garden with us, created by us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Z gardener

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There is an anecdote of the Far West that carries a wonderful lesson. It appears that a party of hunters, being called away from their camp, left the campfire unattended, with a kettle of water boiling on it.

Presently an old bear crept out of the woods, and, seeing the kettle with its lid dancing about on top, promptly seized it. The boiling water scalded him badly; but instead of dropping the kettle instantly, he proceeded to hug it tightly—this being a bear’s idea of defense. Of course, the tighter he hugged it the more it burned him; and the more it burned him the tighter he hugged it; and so on in a vicious circle to the undoing of the bear.

This illustrates perfectly the way in which many people hug their difficulties to their bosoms by constantly rehearsing them to themselves and others.

Whenever you catch yourself thinking about your grievances, say to yourself sternly: “Bear hugs kettle,” and think about God instead. You will be surprised how quickly some long-standing wounds will heal.

Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord… (Psalm 25:15).

This story also illustrates our need to “let go and let God”, handle our grievances. The more we struggle with the wrongs we have endured, the more we think about them, the more we ensure they remain in our lives. It is only when we release them that we are released from them. This is not accomplished by our fixing the problem, but by letting it go and by trusting God to exert dominion over it. The formula is simple yet difficult. Forgive the offense, bless the offender and then turn away from it and toward God. Then we will begin to experien ce the peace that surpasses all understanding and enter the gate to our gardens.

Z gardener

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When you are praying or “treating” about a particular thing, you should handle it, mentally, very carefully indeed. The ideal way is not to think about it at all except when you are actually praying about it. Moreover, to talk to other people about it is exceedingly likely to invite failure.

When a new problem presents itself to you, decline to consider it except in the light of Truth. I call this “putting a subject in quarantine.” Even an old long-standing problem can be “put in quarantine” today, if you mean business and will resolutely break the habit of constantly thinking over that problem.

Whenever you think about any subject, you are treating it with your thought – either for good or evil.

The lip of truth shall be established forever… (Proverbs 12:19)

If one is constantly thinking about a problem, when would one have time to think about, or work on, the solution? Each thought we have about the problem increases the power of that which bothers us. On the other hand, each moment we spend affirming God’s control over our problems and working on the solution brings us out of despair and into peace and gives us dominion over that which concerns us. One can not be thinking. “poor pitiful me” at same time one is thinking “I am a child of God, blessed beyond measure and strengthened by God’s presence and love”. So beloved, give your fears, concerns and troubles to God by giving God your praise, hope, faith and confidence. Remember, hope trumps fear, faith consumes doubt and love conquers evil.

Z gardener

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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).

It is not contradictory that we are captains of our souls with dominion over our lives, while at the same time, following the will of God. You see, we must choose to follow God’s will and let God operate through us. While it is God working through us who accomplishes the works, it is we who must decide to become one with God and pursue a spiritual life. If we are to reach our destined port, we must decide to give control to God. That is how we have dominion and control by choosing to give both to God in our lives.

Z

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