Category: Abundant Living

A Twist on Stem Cells

This is the reason that thoughts are critical to life – or death; to peace – or agony; to fulfillment – or discontent; to health – or to sickness; to richness of lifestyle – or poverty of lifestyle.

Meditation Thought: “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)

A thought is the tiny first cell of the growing expression which will take form in many mediums and influence many others. This original cell-thought has within it all the genetic features needed to multiply it into a huge far-reaching form.

This is the reason that thoughts are critical to life – or death; to peace – or agony; to fulfillment – or discontent; to health – or to sickness; to richness of lifestyle – or poverty of lifestyle.

God seeks to illuminate our understanding that we may recognize that thoughts seeking relationship with Him are the key to the fulfillment of our creation both spiritually and humanly.

To come to the realization that God- almighty, all powerful, all loving, all creating, all righteous, all beautiful, all orderly, all reconciling, all accepting, all encouraging, all giving of freedom to choose His offer of companionship, of fellowship, of fatherhood is our Father, is to be completely awed, completely, happy, completely obedient.

We do not expect to do as well as our Hero (Jesus) in expressing our life in our humanity, nevertheless, the determination to do our best to adopt the same thoughts, the same attitudes, the same type of language, the same type of actions, and the sure conviction that our Hero was and is real and is able, by our belief in His realty, to empower us to become more like Him.

Choose Your Storehouse Carefully

And the conscious decisions bring into your life the contents of the storehouse so that the unconscious decisions draw upon the stock within you, thus reinforcing either sickness of Satan’s stock or health of God’s stock.

Meditation Thought: “ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” (Romans 6:13)

All manner of things are in the storehouse – you must choose what you will take from it and bring into your life. It is easy to walk into Satan’s area – for it is downhill, easy to just let the inertia of sin and self-will to almost propel you down the hill to his area.

God’s area is higher – more difficult to reach because you must take effort to remove sin and self-will by energy, time, and commitment before you can make the walk up the path to reach God’s storehouse. But for those who try – what blessings! The fruits and gifts of the Spirit are there: the storehouse is pleasant, commanding a beautiful view. (See Galatians 5:22-23)

Life is a series of trips to the storehouse: each conscious decision takes the path to either the storehouse area of Satan or of God. And the conscious decisions bring into your life the contents of the storehouse so that the unconscious decisions draw upon the stock within you, thus reinforcing either sickness of Satan’s stock or health of God’s stock.

Seek ye first the Kingdom – God’s area – and the joys of the Kingdom’s stores shall accumulate in your life. (See Matthew 6:33)

How to Glorify God

His glory shines through the clouds of despair and gloom and apathy – bringing warmth to those were surrounded by dark and coldness.

Meditation Thought: “Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.” (Romans 15:2)

“Give and it shall be given you, pressed down, running over” (Luke 6:38) – giving of yourself is the most beautiful, the most blessed giving of all: to sacrifice your desires, your preferences, your opinions, your actions to please another is loving, unselfish, caring, helping – and glorifying to God. The stronger your desire for something other than your neighbor’s preference, the more sacrifice is required. But, the deeper the sacrifice is, the more meaningful is the gift. That gift uplifts greatly, touches the recipient to the heart – to the spirit so deeply that God’s love is perceived in the gift. So the two have come together, touching God’s love – one through giving, one through receiving, with both parties being uplifted.

Each time we are confronted with a choice to please our neighbor or please ourselves, we have an opportunity to bring several people closer to God. Our yielding to the Father’s will is what makes the sacrifice possible – and thus the glory possible. As the sacrifices multiply, God’s glory multiplies. His glory shines through the clouds of despair and gloom and apathy – bringing warmth to those were surrounded by dark and coldness, and additional light and warmth to those who had some, but are seeking more.

Purposeful Transformation

You can do nothing with your own will hugged close to your heart compared to the releasing of it for Me to change it as it becomes part of My will.

Meditation Thought: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

“Give me your will – and I will transform it into My will. This turns your will from the world and its ego-selfishness to a new will of goodness and acceptance and perfection. This giving of your will must be an ongoing gift – a constant giving and receiving (of My will) – and then, for the next situation, a new giving and a new receiving. You can do nothing with your own will hugged close to your heart compared to the releasing of it for Me to change it as it becomes part of My will. It is no longer recognizable as the same will you gave Me – for it is transformed into a will of loving power. Instead of your will conformed to the world, it is our will transforming the world. This is my desire for you: our becoming one in will, one in purpose, one in action, one in the task of redeeming the world from sin and turning the world to Love.

My heart longs for My loved ones to come to Me, to rejoice with Me, to be with Me in a full, complete, mutually delightful relationship. When My longing becomes your longing, then your will becomes My will and the transformation begins.”

Choose Your Controller

They are drawn because this God-controlled life exudes Love – and everyone want to receive Love.

Meditation Thought: “For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever!” (Romans 11:36)

Whatever we filter through God becomes pure, clear, sparkling, useable. That is why we must develop the habit of never making a move without first filtering it through God by testing it with His word, with prayer, with circumstances, with His Spirit within us. This filtering process takes anything, any situation, and changes it into what God wants it to be. And that assures us that therefore, in the end, we will recognize that it has also become what we want it to be.

When this constant filtering becomes our habit, we find a life of peace, of joy, of purpose, of order. We know how to think, what to do, and are confident. What a contrast to muddling along on our own – or storming ahead on our own, and then being brought up short when we are thwarted with the results. This is the difference between a God-controlled life and a self-controlled life. When our lives become God-controlled inside, they become worth noting and emulating as they are observed from the outside by others. It is this God-controlled life that puzzles others – but also that draws them in fascination, for it is different. The reactions are different, the actions are different than those which are prompted by the people who react and act only dealing with the physical part of the world. They begin to perceive that there is a wisdom, a knowledge, a faith and a power of which they were unaware, and it draws them as a moth is drawn to a flame. They are drawn because this God-controlled life exudes Love – and everyone want to receive Love.

Family Metamorphosis

It is at this point that our lives take on a new fulness of meaning, a focusing of purpose, a completeness and sureness to replace confusion and frustration.

Meditation Thought: “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” (Romans 8:29)

How do we feel about the people who have the same father we do? We have a special relationship, a deeper concern, a more intense interest in them. So it is when we realize that our Father is Christ’s father, and our Father is the Father of many – in fact, of all. We might not be as fond of some of our brothers and sisters as of others – but the realization that we are all family changes our thinking about each person.

And when we truly perceive that Christ is our older brother, created as a model for us to imitate – created, trained and devoted to that very purpose – we feel a kinship , an interest that was lacking before. It is at this point that our lives take on a new fulness of meaning, a focusing of purpose, a completeness and sureness to replace confusion and frustration. And when we not only trust in faith, but come to know in fact that God did send the Counselor to us because of Jesus’ obedience to His will, that is the time that the meaning of the phrase ‘the Kingdom is within’ takes on real meaning. It is at the point that – for the first time – the world starts to recede into the background and the Kingdom comes to the foreground. As we walk with the Spirit, the two forces continue their juxtaposition, until our surroundings have made a total change. At first, we affected a change in our surroundings – now, our surrounding cause further change in us. Both we and our surroundings are interacting in a cooperative task: the completion of our metamorphosis into the image the Son, the Light of the world.

This Moment

The moments are linked together in an unbroken chain. When one is moved it tends to pull the other moments in the same direction.

Meditation Thought: “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1)

“I am the Lord of all and none can escape me. Trust that total care is My will and My way. You do not see anything but what I would have you see: therefore treat what you do see as crucial, as My focusing you upon it for My purposes. This moment is all that exists for you to understand and do; feel confident that it is the most critical moment of your life – and treat it accordingly. The moments – the impact of what the moments contain – are linked together in an unbroken chain. When one is moved – whether toward Me or away from Me – it tends to pull the other moments in the same direction. That is why each moment’s action is more important than you realize. You need to keep the chain building and moving in My direction. I am using that chain in ways you cannot see to fulfill My plans for the world. Do not let Me down, but build Me up – for every loving thought or action, every word of praise, every hope in faith, every prayer expressed, enhances My glory and expands My Kingdom.”

Level Up

Day by day we make exciting discoveries about all of life, and particularly our God and ourselves.

Meditation Thought: “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28)

Without God we would not exist! With God, not only are we existing, but are dynamic, causing change, excited as we learn more about this Father who created us. Day by day we make exciting discoveries about all of life, and particularly our God and ourselves. All of the discoveries may not come pleasantly – but nevertheless, with each day that passes, we are more complete, more whole, moving toward our goal. There are many levels of living – and when we allow God to live as He wants to in us then we move to a higher level. We are never bored, rarely depressed, always curious about what interesting event will next take place. We have love constantly, unconditionally, often gloriously. We have peace for we know that strength is in us when we free Him in us to do His work. We know that whatever happens, we can turn to Him and He will make everything right for us.

Seasonal Harvesting

…only a determination to allow God to work His will in us that His truth may be kept pure in us, His love may pour into and out of us, his power might be released magnificently through us.

Meditation Thought: “And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15)

The condition must be met before the harvest can appear. The heart must be honest: no little deceits such as the world accepts – no half-truths, no glossing over, but the heart must hold only pure truth, God’s truth, uncorrupted. The heart must be good: no evil tainting it, no selfish motives, no rebellion at God’s purposes – only a determination to allow God to work His will in us that His truth may be kept pure in us, His love may pour into and out of us, his power might be released magnificently through us.

We cannot try to force the harvest before it is ready – for if we interfere, we will damage the seed and either delay the harvest or reap very little or nothing. we must be willing to allow God’s timing to become our timing, His seasons must be adopted by us as natural, as comfortable – even desirable.

Stranger or Friend

What joy to know that we do not need to struggle and flounder, but only need to heed His voice and follow Him to find our place, our joy, our needs supplied.

Meditation Thought: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

We do not recognize a stranger’s voice: we must come to know Jesus before we can know His voice, and follow it to all the good pastures where He wants to lead us. He knows us, too, and wants us with Him. ‘Come’ – Jesus says this word so often. If He is our Shepherd, then we will come, for we know He cares for us, seeks out whatever is for our good. What joy to know that we do not need to struggle and flounder, but only need to heed His voice and follow Him to find our place, our joy, our needs supplied.