Category: Abundant Living

THE Bridge; not just a bridge

Seek Jesus, heed the Holy Spirit and skip joyfully to all that the Father has for you.

Meditation Thought: “But I have not come of my own accord; he who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” (John 7:28-29)

God the Father is so far beyond human concepts of fatherhood that it is difficult to know Him. So He sent Jesus! Jesus is the bridge. He bridges the ‘credibility gap’, the ‘wisdom gap’ – most of all – the ‘love gap’.

Picture your joy in realizing that you do not have to remain marooned in a limited physical, difficult environment – lonely, confused and ignorant. You have come upon a bridge: a sturdy, easily crossed bridge which leads to a new kingdom. A place to dwell in peace, in love, in joy – dreams fulfilled. An exciting, interesting place!

You are on the bridge – and even to be this far brings hope and pleasure, even though some old problems remain from the former environment. Don’t look back – and don’t look down – look ahead. Look ahead to the Kingdom which has been described in such glowing terms throughout scripture.

If you find you’ve turned back; back to old ways and old thinking: stop! pray! Seek the Father’s will and the sturdy bridge beneath you, to turn yourself around, moving once again towards the promised Kingdom.

You will find others on the bridge. Encourage them! Be encouraged! Seek Jesus, heed the Holy Spirit and skip joyfully to all that the Father has for you.

The Desires of your Heart

Be alert, pray, have faith, act, praise God!

Meditation Thought: “Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted.” (Isaiah 49:13)

“If I do everything you pray for instantaneously, you will become as a spoiled child – you would expect to have your every wish granted, and thus you would be a dictator – a dictator to Me, your Lord, your Father, the highest authority. This cannot be. You are my beloved child, and I do delight to please you. Nevertheless, you are far too ignorant of the ways of the world and My Way to be able to decide what is to be done. You must learn, step by step, from Me, how to cope with life – how to think and act. This is what you learn from prayer and praise and trust and hope and faith. What more could a loving Father do for a beloved child?

Do not fret when you must make effort for, and must wait for, the desires of your heart. Your life is so much a part of all life – and vice versa – that it takes time to have proper movement and proper results for health and happiness for all concerned.

There are ways you can facilitate the process: be Alert for the signs of the Kingdom – both within the world and without; Pray; have Faith; Act; Praise God.”

A Noble Vessel Ready for Service

…knowing that the stressful moments are the very times that are the most productive times in terms of changes for the better.

Meditation Thought: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth. ” (Psalm 8:9) “If any one purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house, ready for any good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21)

It is through the majestic power which is the basis of the majestic name that noble uses are made of noble vessels.

Noble vessels become noble by the yielding of self-will to eternal will – by being caught up in a cause greater than self, to the point that commitment to the cause is more crucial than commitment to one’s self. It is not disagreeable to be a vessel instead of the master, it is a joy. It is knowing that one’s function is tailored to one’s abilities, but more than that, it is realizing that the master desires to constantly enhance the vessel and consecrate it to more and more beautiful and crucial function. The master combines form with function as do human artists, giving pleasure to all involved.

This results only when the vessel is yielded to the complete will of the master, not resisting the touch that moves a part here and there, though the movement may be painful for a time. To know the master is all that a master should be, and to be content to belong to this master, trusting him, and being glad to be his, is to conquer all that is distressing, knowing that the stressful moments are the very times that are the most productive times in terms of changes for the better. This is what makes life living, not a static, immovable state, but a dynamic exciting anticipatory state.

The Source for Power, Love & Self-discipline.

Relax your mind, and your emotions. You will not be disappointed. Trust Me.

Meditation Thought: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Do no allow others’ actions to affect your knowledge of who you are, and what is going on in your life – especially your inner life. I am your strength; I am your power; I am your guide; I am your stronghold.

Trust Me. I have brought you to this place for a purpose. Seek Me; seek My will. There is much good to be done for many. Do not anticipate Me. Pray constantly; be a cheerful, faithful servant to all who enter into your life. It is in servanthood that you will find and demonstrate power, self-control and love. Relax your mind, and your emotions. I go to prepare a place for you. When it is ready I shall come for you, to take you that you may have the thrill of a happy surprise. You will not be disappointed. Trust Me – trust Me.

Sing in New Life

Only by giving up the life of the present can we move on to a new life.

Meditation thought: “Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare.” (Isaiah 42:10,9)

If we will allow Him, the Lord will constantly bring us into more knowledge of Himself. This is how the Father enables his child to mature, developing into a person able to do many things the Father does, thus fulfilling the Father’s dream for the child as well as fulfilling the child’s desires.

Only by giving up the life of the present can we move on to a new life. When God is our guide into the new ventures, we can move on in anticipation and hope – not fearing the future, but glad for what our loving Father has prepared for us.

We shall have trials, for all have not yet seen the glory of God and the joy of being His. But we can, if we will, be content in knowing what the sages of the ages have sought to know: the Truth, the Reality, the best way to live one’s life, for both the joy of the present and the joy in the future.

Actions of those living in sync with the Spirit make no sense to others. It’s the difference between living a new life compared to living a life stuck and mired in the past, ignoring or rejecting God’s revelation of “new things” through the life of Jesus.

To move on the “new things” is to experience the power, the grandeur, the joy and the anticipation of a life based on loving God with all our soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Crushing Evil: The Role of Peace and Wisdom in Our Lives

Evil can mask itself as good to an unsuspecting mind, and especially to unguarded emotions.

Meditation Thought: ” I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans 16:19-20)

Only by the power of the indwelling Spirit can we know what is good – and what is evil. Evil can mask itself as good to an unsuspecting mind, and especially to unguarded emotions.

To be filled with the Spirit is to allow eternal wisdom to flow into the mind, peace and joy flow into the heart (the emotions), and energy to do good works course throughout the body. Given these conditions, evil is simply not known – it is ‘crushed under the feet’, never being allowed to affect the Spirit-protected body. It is the way Christ lived, and the way the Father would have all of His children live.

When the children realize it is the way we want to live as well, then the Spirit is able to rush into our being – cleansing, renewing, transforming, reforming – doing a complete remodeling job according to the specifications set down at the beginning of creation.

Visions of Delight

Meditation Thought: “Trust in the Lord and do good; so you will dwell in the land and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:3,4)

Lord, sometimes I’m tired, confused
and ready to give up.
Then, as sunshine after a dark night,
Or rest after weariness,
The whole scene changes.
I glimpse You,
And what You would do –
In me, through me, for me.
Excitement mounts,
Energy flows,
I glow within
And sing with joy.
You are my delight.
I have the desires of my heart.
Not the desires I had,
But the desires You give
Once I come to know you.
I am a new creature in Christ.
Being so, I am your delight.
To know this
Brings gladness beyond measure.
I have pleasure – without guilt.
I have creativity – without strain.
I have love – without fear.
I am in harmony with you,
And peace and joy
Reign in my heart.
Hallelujah!

Embracing Challenges: Faith as Your Strength

Do not fret over what is past.

Meditation Thought: “I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:9-10)

“When you are too weak to stand and to walk alone, I stretch out my arm to support you. Lean on Me! Do not fret over what is past. Challenges will strengthen you and bring you into closer companionship with Me if you seek me in them and rely on my supporting strength.

Our working closely together will enable you to understand Me more clearly and emulate Me more perfectly. You very need of Me focuses your mind and spirit more fully – always this works good! Therefore, rejoice in your need.”

GPS to God’s Kingdom

There is no coercion, for love must be given freely to qualify as love.

Meditation Thought: “nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:21)

The kingdom of God exists wherever it is recognized as existing. When we, who have the capacity to do so, respond to God’s Presence within us, we are transformed by the knowledge of the magnificence of the Whole of which we are a part.

When we recognize that we are a part of a Whole and that the Whole is good – good for us and for others – and that goodness is that Whole’s innate Character and Nature, we perceive ourselves in an entirely new way. We perceive that the kingdom which Jesus referred to is actually within us! – to be discovered there and to be explored there.

We are so accustomed to having outside forces be the influence of our perception and decisions that it is difficult for us to realize that the Force within our own being is available and more powerful than any other.

We look inward in the wrong place: we look to the way we feel, and to the selfish desires of our own heart. We need to look inward to the right place: to the Father, the One who can guide us surely through the maze of life, that the Whole is healthy, as the parts are healthy.

We can find the Father and His kingdom within. Jesus is the key. God constantly urges us, and gives clues to us as to His whereabouts – but He desires for us to seek Him that both He and we are aware that the choice is ours. There is no coercion, for love must be given freely to qualify as love.

Lost & Found: Joy, Peace, Fulfillment

…we gain joy, peace and fulfillment.

Meditation Thought: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 16:25)

In any system, when the lower is subject willingly and enthusiastically, cooperatively, and harmoniously to the higher, the whole functions more perfectly. So it is when we yield our lives to Christ – in one sense we lose them because we no longer have control – even partial control, which was really all we had to begin with.

But when we lose that control, we gain everything else that is good for us, everything that will bring joy and peace and fulfillment. These are the very things for which we searched by our own control. We could not find them, for that was not the nature for which we were created.

Only when we realize that we are a part of the whole can we make decisions which are in harmony with the whole, and thus accomplish our goals of finding peace, joy and fulfillment. If we fight the whole, we cannot win! We are weaker, less informed, and incomplete.

Once we recognize that Jesus is our head, – and what a head that is! – we are content, grateful, even, to delegate the functions of the head to Him, and to function as the body ourselves. We become a great body when we have a great Head to instruct us properly!

This understanding can only be achieved by faith – believing in the possibility of the truth that we are not merely what we observe, think and feel, but that we are part of a fantastic whole – and can become far more important, effective, and content as a part of such a glorious whole that we can be alone.