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Posts Tagged ‘Spritual’

The Temple of Solomon – Silver

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on December 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »

SILVER
Next comes the silver. This stands for greed of money or money’s worth, for material objects that can be bought, and even for riches themselves. Or it may be that the offender is not interested in riches themselves but in their ability to give him a position of honor in the eyes of the world. He wants to be considered important and to have adulation or applause. Often he wants to be a“leader,” not because he has a message to give but to be important. He is the victim of egotism. Now this is a base and ignoble sin; an insurmountable barrier across the spiritual path.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10).
That which we prioritize, make important and focus upon, is that which we become. If our focus is material wealth, position or power, then we lose the spiritual, true power for joy and peace in our lives. Further, we “pierce ourselves through with many sorrows”. We also create an “insurmountable barrier across our spiritual path”; blocking us from our garden. Today, let us choose the garden, let us choose peace.
Live truth,
Z gardener

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The Lord’s Prayer – Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on March 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13).

Many earnest people feel that God could not lead anyone into temptation in any circumstances, and that Jesus could not have said what he is represented to have said, and so some other phrasing is sought more in accordance with the general tone of his teaching. All this, however, is unnecessary.

The facts are these; the more you pray, the more sensitive you become, and the more powerful are your prayers. But you also become susceptible to forms of temptation that simply do not beset those at an earlier stage. Subtle and powerful temptations await; temptations to work for self-glory, for personal distinction; temptation to personal preferences other than perfect impartiality. Beyond all other temptations the deadly sin of spiritual pride. Many who have surmounted all other testings have lapsed into self-righteousness that has fallen like a curtain of steel between them and God.

Some old writers were so vividly sensible of these dangers that they spoke of the soul as being challenged by various tests as its traversed the upward road. The traveler was halted at various turnpike bars, and tested by some ordeal to determine whether he were ready to advance any further. If he succeeded in passing the test he was allowed to continue upon his way with the blessing of the challenger.

Now, some less experienced souls, eager for rapid advancement, have rashly desired to be subjected immediately to all kinds of tests, and have even looked about, seeking for difficulties to overcome. Forgetting our Lord’s injunction Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God (Matthew 4:7), they have virtually challenged him to give them difficulties. And so Jesus has inserted this clause, in which we pray that we may not have to meet anything that is too much for us at the present level of our understanding.

One other point needs to be considered. The more we attempt to bring our lives into harmony with God, the more the forces of evil align to prevent that communion. So that each step we take toward spiritual living comes with greater resistance form the evil one.

Remember, that when we have accepted God’s call, the battle for our soul then shifts to corrupting our faith as opposed to supporting our lack of faith. It is said in the old saying “if you can’t beat them, join them”. That is exactly what happens when evil attempts to infiltrate our faith.

So we must constantly be vigilant of our growing faith being used against us by the forces of evil.

To paraphrase another saying ” the price of salvation is eternal vigilance”.

On guard,
Z gardener

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Liberation Through The Power Within

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on October 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

But where is this wonderful Power to be contacted? The answer is simple – this Power is to be found within your own consciousness, the last place that most people would look for it. Within your own mentality there lies a source of energy stronger than electricity, more potent than high explosive; unlimited and inexhaustible. You only need to make conscious contact with it to set it working in your affairs. This Indwelling Power, the Inner Light, is spoken of in the Bible as a child. The conscious discovery by you that you have this Power within you, and your determination to make use of it, is the birth of the child.

 
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
 
            This is a marvelous description of what happens when the spiritual idea, the Child, is born to the soul. Walking in darkness, moral or physical, dwelling in the land of the shadow of death – the death of joy, or hope, or even self-respect – describes well the condition of many people before this light shines into their weary, heartbroken lives; and the Prophet rises into a paean of exultant joy as he contemplates the deliverance.
 
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined (Isaiah 9:2).
All of God’s power is available to each one of us every minute of every day. God’s power within us is an ever present help in trouble and in joy. It is more powerful than any force and is capable of overcoming any obstacle. Ton access this power an light, we must believe in it and accept its reality. Then must must put the principles of love to work in our lives.
 
For this power will not be available to those who would abuse it. Unless we eliminate the self and give God control of our thoughts, words and deeds, this power will be kept from us. So, why does bad things happen to those who believe? It is because it must happen in order for us to arrive at our proper place. It is also to show us the power within by forcing us to access it and believe in it.
 
That is when the light truly begins to shine and our spirits soar. That is when the inner child awakens to all the mystery and majesty of God’s power and love. Then we see our gardens, feel God’s power and live in the Eden god gave us.
 
Being the child,
Z gardener

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Foresight and Hindsight

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on August 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »

When you have to make a decision or take a certain action, all that you can do is to do the best you know at that time, and if you do that you will have done your duty. In the light of after events it may turn out that you made a mistake, but that will not be your fault because you could not possibly do better that the best you know at the time.

Claim that the Christ is guiding you; and believe it, and the ultimate outcome will be favorable even if things seem to go wrong for a time.

And the Lord shall guide thee continually (Isaiah 58:11).

The key to this wisdom to “do the best we know at that time”. Doing “the best we know” usually means doing that which is hardest and often times least attractive for us. We do not have to know everything to “do the best we know”. We do have to “do the best’ about that which we know. Then we will be sure the outcome will be blessed even if we make the wrong choice. It is the intent to “do the best we know” that turns the key which opens the door to our gardens. So, let us claim Christ’s guidance, believe in it and have faith that our decisions will enhance and nurture our gardens and all who enter therein.

Seeking guidance,
Z gardener

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GOD’S TRUTH, YOUR LIFE

Posted in Family Faith, tagged , on August 3, 2010| Leave a Comment »

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people…that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

I have found that people who say, “You can’t trust what the Bible says” often have never actually read it for themselves. Instead, they are only using this as an excuse to avoid God.

The real issue for them isn’t the trustworthiness of the Bible but their determination to keep God away. Down inside, they sense that if they took God seriously and gave their life to Christ, they would have to change their way of living–and they don’t want to do that.

So don’t be afraid to challenge your non-believing friends to read the Gospels and learn about Jesus for themselves. God can use it to break down their barriers and bring them to Himself.

Also pray for them. You can’t change their heart and mind–but God can. Ask Him to awaken your friends to their need for Christ.

Finally, be a good witness by the way you live. Let these friends know you really care; let them see Jesus’ love and peace and joy in your life. The way we live is often more convincing than the words we say.

Beloved ones,

The best way for us to share our faith with others is through our actions. If we shine the light of God’s love on others, they will seek that light without our needing to preach to them. When we demonstrate peace, love, joy and hope in our lives, all those we touch will be drawn to seek it in theirs. That is not to say that we should fail to share a serious concerns or misgivings with a loved one regarding dangerous or harmful behavior. It does mean that we are to do so in a loving and caring way and without condemnation and judgement.

And if the one we love refuses to allow God into their lives, then we must continue to love and respect them. We will have a greater impact through love and responsible support than through preaching, screeching and criticizing. Then when the opportunity presents itself, as it usually will, we can share with those we love the secret of our hope, faith, joy and confidence. When those we love see God working miracles in our lives that produce harmony, peace and joy, they will know that our faith works in the real world. That proof can convince even the most hardened skeptic, when our words will not.

Living the truth,
Dad

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Praying With A Feather

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on August 2, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Years ago many devoted preachers and Sunday School teachers were fond of telling people to “pray hard.” Well-meaning as this advice was, it was mistaken. I often tell people to pray “soft,” which of course, means gently.

I do this because I know that the more quietly and gently we pray, the better results we get. In prayer, as in many other activities, effort defeats itself. More than once I have said to my congregation, “Pray with a feather – not with a pickax.”

Always pray gently, and especially if you have a good deal of fear, or if your difficulty seems to be a very important one.

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee (Psalm 86:5).

This not to confuse fervent prayer with “hard” prayer”. We are to pray with feeling lest we simply mouth words that mean nothing. But we are succumbing to vanity and pride when we think that praying longer or more willfully is the way to answered prayers. We must assume the opposite mindset when communicating with God. Our faith is manifested in quiet acceptance of God’s primacy, not in our ability to will certain outcomes. It is when we release the ego, will and desire for self-determination, that God flows through us in majesty and might.

When we act according to God’s will and live according to our faith, then we have the confidence given by God upon which successful prayer is founded. So, pray fervently, regularly and with quiet belief that God’s will brings our best good in all circumstances. Then we can turn over our fears, pains and problems to our loving God with confidence in God’s promises to us. Then, we can awaken each day in our gardens and tend them with joy, hope and certainty that all our prayers are being answered in the best way.

Praying softly,
Z gardener

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What is seeking the Kingdom of God

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on June 29, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).

The principle that Jesus expressed in these words is the basic law that underlies all answer to prayer. Many people know this in theory but are confused about putting it into practice. They think, “I will ignore this problem and think about God instead.” Here there is a subtle mistake, because they are really thinking of their problem as existing in one place, of God as existing in another, and of themselves as going in thought from the first place to the second place. This, of course, is by implication to reaffirm the existence of the problem in its own place, and such a belief will not heal.

What we have to do is to seek the Kingdom in the very place where the trouble seems to be. We have to know that in Truth and reality it is not there, because God is there. When we succeed in doing this, the difficulty disappears.

To find the Kingdom of God in the midst of our troubles, we need to understand that all things come to us by God’s will. Yes, even our troubles are a part of God’s presence in our lives. When we look for the blessings buried in pain, when we thank God for all that is happening in our lives (good and bad) and when we seek out God’s presence in our troubles, then we are living in God’s kingdom. When we accept God’s sovereignty over all, we are then living in God’s kingdom as God’s children. That is how we live in our gardens, even in the midst of our greatest heartaches, challenges and tragedies.

Seeking the Kingdom,
Z gardener

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A treatment is an operation

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on June 28, 2010| 2 Comments »

The word treatment is usually applied to a prayer that is made for some specific purpose, as distinct from a general prayer, which is really a visit with God. You must remember that a treatment is a definite practical action, having a definite object and a definite beginning and end. It is in fact a surgical operation on the soul.

Let us suppose that you decide to heal a certain difficulty by prayer. You know that your difficulty must be caused by some negative thought charged with fear and located in the subconscious mind. You therefore turn to God, and remind yourself of His goodness, His limitless power, and His care for you. As you work the fear will begin to dissolve, and the awareness of the Truth corrects the erroneous beliefs themselves.

Thank God for the healing that you believe will come – and then keep your thought off the matter until you feel led, after an interval, to treat again.

He sent his word, and healed them … (Psalm 107:20).

When we are seeking to be healed, whether in body or spirit, it is essential that we reset our mentality on God’s power and love. We should remind ourselves that God can and will overcome any pain or disease. Then, if we thank God with faith in the outcome, we will receive peace and hope for an end to that which we fear. Then, whether our specific prayer is answered the way we wish, we will have freedom from fear and confidence that God is working for our best good. Then we can inhabit the garden God gave us in joy.

Turning to God,
Z gardener

Author’s Note: Having done all possible at this time to help with the oil spill polluting our Coastal Garden, the author returns to tend the garden at home. Please pray unceasingly that our leaders will move to protect us and prevent this oil from despoiling God’s creation further.
Z

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God Works With Joy

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on May 26, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Don’t pray or meditate as a duty. Realize that prayer is a visit with God and should be joyous.

Neither must you pursue your secular activities as necessary duties to be gotten over, that you may return to your prayer. In the light of Truth, there are no secular activities.

You must have regular recreation or you will become stale. Recreation, also, is to be enjoyed – as an expression of God – and not as a task to prepare yourself to pray better. An understanding joy in living is the highest prayer of all.

…in thy presence is fullness of joy… (Psalm 16:11).

It is God’s desire that we live in joy, peace and hope each day. It is right, good and a joyful thing to pray in celebration and realization of God’s desires for us and God’s gifts to us. When we manifest God’s desire for our joy, we are giving the strongest witness to our faith. It is the beacon of light which we can not hide. It will enlighten our gardens and those of all we touch. So smile, enjoy and thank God for this day and for our gardens.

Joy to the world,
Stan

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Don’t Hurry the Chicken

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on May 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »

A city child was spending his vacation on a farm. They showed him a hen sitting on a nest of eggs, and told him that some day a little chicken would come out of each egg. Their child was delighted at this dramatic idea, and every morning he went around expecting to see the miracle.

Days passed and nothing happened. The eggs still looked exactly the same. Not the slightest change occurred in the appearance of things, and gradually his faith waned. At last one day he told himself bitterly that he had been deceived.

Next day, however, from habit he went around to the nest as usual, but without any hope; and behold, what was his joy to see a flock of little chickens running about.

Of course wonderful changes had been taking place all the time behind the shells, but there was nothing to show for it until the very last moment. Some of our greatest demonstrations come to us like this. In this story it was the spectator who lost faith, and so it did not matter. If the mother hen had lost her faith – well, there would have been no chickens. Give your demonstration time to hatch.

And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Galatians 6:9).

Many times we make our judgements based only on what we can see in the physical world. Like the child looking at the egg, all we see is the outer shell instead of the inner reality. Unlike the inexperienced child, mature believers have seen many chicks hatch from eggs. We know, because we have seen, but the child must have faith without experience. Yet all of us need to have faith without physical affirmation because much of God’s work takes place hidden form our view. Just as the egg hides the chick, the outer appearance hides the inner truth of God’s hand at work.

When we truly have faith, God will grant us the patience, strength, hope and confidence that God’s will is being accomplished even when we don’t experience it with our senses. So, like the patient Mother hen, we must stay on our nest and keep our eggs warm until that day when our chicks will appear to fill our gardens with new life, new joy and the fulfillment of our prayers and dreams.

Keeping our eggs warm,
Stan

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