Category: Abundant Living

Unfathomably Superior

The wold has so deluded us as to what will bring us joy that we must seek to know the truth of our own nature.

Meditation Thought:  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

“Love God – neighbor-self – love everyone – how! By sacrificing to do good for another! Whether it be giving of our time, our emotions, our thoughts, or the work of our hands matters not – only that we are giving. For we are ‘programmed’ to have joy in helping, joy in a clear conscience, and joy in the ministries which flow back to us as a result of our giving.

The world has so deluded us as to what will bring us joy that we must seek to know the truth of our own nature. And when we begin to know the truth, what freedom and joy it brings! No longer do we have to grasp, to manipulate, to order others to do our bidding, or to be at the mercy of others for our satisfaction.

We find peace within ourselves – more accurately, peace within our God within ourselves. And it is almost as having frosting on the cake to discover that God who gives us peace within ourselves is also in everything, every place, at every time outside of ourselves too.

And the realization that brings us to a state beyond peace – a kind of ecstasy, a transporting of life being lived on both a higher plane and the human plane – is that our God is totally loving, totally powerful, always working for our good, and at the same time never violates our free choice, respecting us as a person: This Creator, unfathomably superior in every area to all He created, nevertheless chooses to yield to us, to our decisions. He responds to those decisions, but allows us the privilege and the dignity of doing our own thinking and acting.

Repair and Remodel

Each needed replacement is an opportunity to upgrade the individual component and the value of the whole.

Meditation Thought: “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“Take the aggravation of the wearing out of the various components of your house and make it a parable in your life. Each needed replacement is an opportunity to upgrade the individual component and the value of the whole house.

Let Me replace your old creature with all new components more suitable for a daughter of the Kingdom, for old habits and old desires and old methods are no longer suitable for the building which has been converted into a temple for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

You are learning the methods of remodeling: dealing with the “breakdowns” immediately – taking time to repair by prayer and meditation upon My Word, which is the step needed to get My restoring work in operation.”

Choose the Weight of Your Burden

The burden of sin is far heavier than the burden of the cross!

Meditation Thought: “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 4:27)

“To follow Me is to die to the self” – this is the cross to bear: the loss of “playing God” in your own life. At first the cross seems heavy – really unbearable – but as you persevere, the experiences serve as rough places which take off pieces of the cross, making it lighter and lighter.

The longer you follow Me, the more intimate we become, the dearer to each other, the more oblivious you become to the cross. You no longer are conscious of the cross, but you are conscious of Me and our relationship. You become so excited, enthused, fulfilled in our relationship and the activities we do together that you give no thought to the cross; it neither slows your movements nor occupies your thoughts. Your acceptance of the cross has actually resulted in a whole new dynamic, satisfying way of life.

Stand firm against any who would relieve you of the cross! If you relinquish the cross, you revert to your selfish, sin-burdened state, and the burden of sin is far heavier than the burden of the cross!

Gardening from Seed

The kingdom is available for the taking – and its very essence is to work good for many at one time.

Meditation Thought: “The kingdom of heaven… is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” (Luke 13: 18,19)

“A man took” – the man acted to take the seed given by God and place it where it would grow to his advantage and delight – fulfilling the purpose for which God had created the seed, fulfilling a need of the man, and fulfilling a need of the ‘birds’.

The kingdom is available for the taking – and its very essence is to work good for many at one time.

To live your life according to the laws of the kingdom is an assurance of growing good fruits for yourself and for others.

To the extent you know that a seed needs to be sown and cultivated to produce the best fruit, to the extent you make effort to provide what the seed needs, to the extent you thank your Father who provided the seed, your Brother who gave you the perfect instructions for its cultivation, and your Helper who enables you to carry out the instructions – to that extent will the tree thrive and provide the maximum for which it was created.

Seek knowledge, enjoy cultivation, anticipate the results, and the harvest shall be sure,  plentiful and pleasing.

Prepare for Joy

By adhering to your duty of the moment, you unknowingly prepare for yourself a joy in the future.

Meditation Thought: “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Luke 12:40)

“Surprise, surprise.” And in an instant, every thought and plan you had is changed. For someone has, unknown to you, made plans which affect you greatly. Be prepared, even though surprised, for any event which comes to you by seeking the best precepts on which to base your momentary thoughts and actions. By adhering to your duty of the moment, you unknowingly prepare for yourself a joy in the future.

Look to the guidance of the Word, the Spirit, the circumstances, to make proper preparations for whatever may be in store. Trust that when you attend to your duties that you will receive your reward – sometimes in the pleasure of a peaceful conscience, and sometimes in a more glorious exciting event.

Legacy

Think on this: a record of your life with only commendable comments!

Meditation Thought: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50)

“Commit your life to Me – your loyalty is not misplaced: Trust, believe, act upon the guidance of the Word and the Spirit, in loving service and the joy of My Will prevailing in your life.

Move in unstinted confidence, knowing that, right or wrong, you cast away fear, for the pure intention of your heart assures forgiveness for all wrongs which are confessed. And forgiveness erases the wrongs as though they never were – leaving only the rights as a lasting record of your life. Think on this: a record of your life with only commendable comments! Strive to move rapidly in accomplishing My works in righteousness that this record may be full of the expressions of My love through your life.”

Contrasts in Chemistry

Thoughts and actions harmonized with the Father’s will are the transforming miracles of life…

Meditation Thought: “And blessed is he who takes no offense at me.” (Luke 7:23)

“Blessed is he who sees Me with an open mind and open emotions! For I will flow into his mind and his emotions, releasing the chemistry of the living water of the Holy Spirit to re-arrange the thoughts and the actions to harmonize with the Father’s will. Thoughts and actions harmonized with the Father’s will are the transforming miracles of life defeating death, health defeating disease, joy replacing pain, peace soothing over distress, despair turned to hope, and the world displaced by the Kingdom.

When I am accepted, and not rejected, there is the Father accepted: there is His purpose fulfilled and the Word is confirmed in the deed. Know the Word and you shall have the wisdom to move in the flow of the Spirit, rather than being stopped abruptly in your tracks that you will be forced to turn in a new direction.

Let Me support you in My loving arms as we go together doing good. Our love shall be all the more precious as it is shared with all whom we meet. The glow of our love for each other will bring the desire to others to share in our love. This is the Good News proclaimed, and the Father glorified as the glow of love spreads throughout the land.”

Follow Where? How? Why?

Come let us go together to pastures green and soft – to water fresh and pure, and the safety of the Spirit – protected haven prepared for you in the midst of a treacherous world…”

Meditation Thought: “‘Follow me’ and he left everything and rose and followed him.” (Luke 5:27-28)

“Yes-yes-yes- ‘follow me’. I take you not away from your family and your duties, but deeper into them. Do not fear that I will divide your loyalty: I come to integrate one part of your being with another. You are the one who has fragmented yourself, fretting over choices, talking yourself into doing what you ‘ought’ to do when your desire was in another direction. Follow me into the sweet places of love, of delight of a child at the provision of his father for him. He does not question his right to the delights that his father provides him. He just enjoys them.

Walk uprightly, and do good – but with happy abandon, not with solemn stiffness.

Relax – I will give you what you need when you need it. Do not anticipate where you will be struggling with what may be completely alien to what will come – but deal with this moment according to My Word and Spirit. Pray for guidance. Listen fr guidance. Believe that you act according to My Will if you have done the first two steps, and then forget the action when it is over, so that you have cleared your emotions for the present moment.

Come let us go together to pastures green and soft – to water fresh and pure, and the safety of the Spirit – protected haven prepared for you in the midst of a treacherous world…”

Happy Birthday!

…transforming you from selfish to considerate, gloomy to optimistic, fretful to relaxed, and haughty to humble, rejoicing that it is so.

Meditation Thought: “But now we are delivered from the law… that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.” (Romans 7:6)

Compare the birth of Jesus (within you) with the birth of a new baby: a complete change takes place in the lives of all of the members of the family. The new member, small as he is at the beginning, makes a big impact, and that influence grows more with the passing of time.

Jesus born into your will, your mind, your spirit! This babe who grows into manhood within your spirit, as you nurture His Presence! As His Personality exerts more influence, generates more love, raises the level of your performance as you seek to please your beloved who has come into your life, so this little one grows into the most influential aspect of your being, transforming you from selfish to considerate, gloomy to optimistic, fretful to relaxed, and haughty to humble, rejoicing that it is so.

You are no longer living according to the law only, having difficulty in controlling yourself to conform to it, but have the Presence of this beloved new member of your family to inspire you to control in a new and desirable ability to exercise more adherence to the law. You can act more firmly due to your new love and desire to provide the best of yourself for your beloved.

You act no longer from obligation, but from burning desire, total commitment to the welfare of your beloved, and with newly awakened thoughts and emotions prompting your actions.

The birth of Jesus into your consciousness (the baptism of the Holy Spirit) is the beginning of a transformed, redeemed, righteous life, set in a new direction, leading to a different destination: to the Kingdom, and to the power and the glory that are the evidence of that Kingdom, the standards and the proclamation of it. Your citizenship embraces it more fully, and manifests itself more surely as you study your obligations and privileges of having made your allegiance to this place, and committing yourself to its good.

A Place of Refreshment & Renewal

His pain is the labor by which you are given birth into the Kingdom.

Meditation Thought: “…not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36)

“Expand! Be flexible – allow Me to stretch your abilities and talents – not by a forcing on My part for your good, but at My touch, yield willingly so that I may expand you gently. Do you not understand the message sent by My Son? His pain is the labor by which you are given birth into the Kingdom – as soon as you acknowledge Him as your Savior you are thrust into My Kingdom. My Kingdom is not a hostile environment for you: it is your place of refuge, your home, where you can be refreshed and renewed between bouts into the world.

My will is that you take advantage of all I offer you as the provider and head of your Kingdom-home. You must be willing to reach, to stretch, to give in order to be able to mature as a knowledgeable, effective member of My family. That is the meaning of “not what I will, but what you will.” If My Son, who is an integral part of Me, perfected in obedience, must struggle with choice, can you be excused from choice? No – you must struggle, must decide; but you have His example – follow it as an assurance of the working of my will in your life. The working of My will is the fulfillment of your heart’s desire: not your whim of the moment, but the deep, soul-longing need to be at peace and harmony with Me.”