Category: journey

From Manipulation to Transformation

When this takes place there is the brilliant radiance, comforting warmth, and assurance of power…

Meditation Thought: “So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.” (1 Corinthians 3:20-23)

The circle of Christ’s light, and warmth of His love, and power of His being is within reach. But I must move, by my desire to be there, to that place. Perhaps I see another that has moved into this ‘magic’ circle – and I can observe the change. This makes me desire to change also – enough to take courage and move from my familiar habitat to the new area.

At first I see only the ‘greener grass’; I do not realize fully the requirements of living in this place… and by the time I do, I am willing to forgo my own ego-centered desires for the continuing pleasure of the revealing Light, the comforting Love, the moving Power.

And then the miracle: what I have willingly given up is returned to me, but transformed by this Holy Power we call God, Creator of all. I find that though desires are still a part of my life, they are not of their former character – they seem more unselfish, more flexible, more of a spiritual nature than of a material nature. And they do not seem to be at variance with God’s Word, nor His will as I perceive His Word and His will.

And thus my transformed desires are able to be fulfilled. No longer am I trying to manipulate God into fulfilling my self-conceived desires. I am desiring those things that God seeks to fulfill my life. When this takes place there is the brilliant radiance, comforting warmth, assurance of power that Jesus’ life demonstrated.

To what extent it is possible for me to live this life – or perhaps since the total possibility exists from this moment on – I should state more accurately: though I do not know to what degree I will be able to embrace this concept and this life, I am grateful to have come this far in the perception of such a life. I desire to live it. I will try to live it. I pray to God that I will be given the wisdom, knowledge and strength to live it. So help me, God! Please!

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O my Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer!

Rejoice in Evaluation

He does not intend for us to dwell on how far we have to go to perfectly reflect His character, for that discourages us, but He intends for us to rejoice that we are moving in the direction of maturing into developing a character which reflects our inheritance accurately.

Meditation Thought: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:3-8)

To become partakers of the Divine Nature, these qualities are listed in 2 Peter 1:

  • faith
  • goodness (or virtue)
  • knowledge
  • self-control
  • perseverance
  • godliness
  • mutual affection (or brotherly kindness)
  • love

Though, particularly at times, these qualities may be difficult – they are not impossible. Not impossible because God makes them possible through:

  1. Creating us in His image – therefore it is in our nature to be imbued with these qualities
  2. When, in our eagerness to use our freedom, we misjudge our capacities, He rescues us and teaches us a more balanced, true perspective of both our inherent abilities and our constant dependence upon Him as “the Original” – only when we constantly “check in” to compare ourselves with His character can we have any conception of our progress in maturing.

He does not intend for us to dwell on how far we have to go to perfectly reflect His character, for that discourages us, but He intends for us to rejoice that we are moving in the direction of maturing into developing a character which reflects our inheritance accurately, with less adulteration from habits or mannerisms adopted from our flights into expressions of our rebellious freedom, and of adoption of characteristics found in places other than the Divine Creator’s Perfection: His Ideal, His Perfect Will.

Establish Successful Plans

Your plans move from contemplated to completed… You realize that nothing can stop you if you simply will not stop.

Meditation Thought: “Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3)

If you commit your work to the Lord – then you are doing His works, and they shall be done according to His plans revealed to you, and thus “your” plans are established – your plans move from contemplated to completed.

The knowledge that you cannot fail – because God is the instigator and mover of your plans – gives you a confidence that assures your overcoming every obstacle. You realize that nothing can stop you if you simply will not stop.

You find many ways of overcoming obstacles because the power and wisdom of the Lord are able to deal with each situation in a way that overcomes the obstacle – you may be led around it, over it, under it, through it – or it may be removed from your path.

The key to success in the establishment of your plans is to believe that the obstacle will be overcome, that it is merely a temporary “roadblock”. Thus you persist in learning the secret of getting it out of your way, rather than stopping, giving up and remaining stuck at that point.

The Ways of Love

We have a choice as to how to conduct ourselves.

Meditation Thought: “Tend the flock of God that is in your charge. Not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, not as domineering over your charge but being examples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:2)

We can think of Paul’s description in this passage as that of a parent, too, like a shepherd. If we find ourselves in a position of authority and responsibility, we have a choice as to how to conduct ourselves. We can choose to be self-seeking and self-indulgent – or we can be generous and self-sacrificing.

The miracle of the mystery revealed by Jesus is that the ultimate results as judged by eternity are not what we expect as we judge by finite time, by short-term cause and effect.

Just as we cannot make a true evaluation of the results of our training of a child by an action, or several actions, performed in the young stages, so we must have patience in waiting to truly evaluate the pros and cons of our choice of behavior as a leader.

There is evidence, however, that is available for us if we desire to learn what is most likely to bring us ultimate peace and joy – lasting peace and joy. Does it not make sense that God who is Creator, and who is Spirit, would guide by truth, and promote good for those whom He has created? He does not force by truth nor force good, however. He offers truth and offers good.

We must be interested enough in learning who we are and why we exist, however, to be able to find the truth and find good. Thus is our integrity respected by God – and his integrity respected by us.

Teach me the ways of love, O Lord,
And pass them on, will I,
To one – or two – or many more,
Whose lives entwine in mine.
With love the bond,
All are safe in Thee.

Forego the Junk Food

Let not your whim of the moment
Rob you of the glory of the future.

Meditation Thought: “So get rid of your feelings of hatred. Don’t just pretend to be good! Be done with dishonesty and jealousy and talking about others behind their backs. Now that you realize how kind the Lord has been to you, put away all evil, deception, envy, and fraud. Long to grow up into the fullness of your salvation; cry for this as a baby cries for its milk.” (1 Peter 2:1-3)

If you are to have the capacity to hold the nutritious spiritual milk, you must not fill up on the “junk food” of dishonesty, jealousy, gossip, deception, envy and fraud. You can discipline yourself to forego the junk food by concentrating on something better. Focus your mind and your energies on something more grand that your selfish indulgences!

The Way is easy – once you commit yourself totally to it – because then you are not ‘double-minded’. Decisions are easier, the Lord’s strength supplants your strength, the Lord’s wisdom envelops your wisdom – The Lord’s love enhances and expands your love.

Do not focus upon results of either your efforts or circumstances. You are to be true to the immediate task of seeking the Father’s will in every decision and action, performing His will as perfectly as you can, and trusting that the results will therefore conform to His will, no matter how they appear to you. This attitude is the procurer of peace and contentment in all circumstances!

Remember that your Creator is not a boss with a bullwhip, but a loving Father holding you in his arms, ready to help you when you have difficulty in fitting the pieces of the puzzle of life together into a meaningful pattern. It is the joy of accomplishment, the confidence of doing the task together, and the love experienced in the proximity to each other that transforms your nature, that renews your mind, that is evidence of the ingestion of spiritual milk instead of junk food.

Let not your whim of the moment
Rob you of the glory of the future.
Keep the joy of the race well-run
At the forefront of your mind,
Envision the reaching of the goal
Feel in your imagination the emotion of pride –
Yes, pride felt by the Father and by you
When you accomplish the completion of the race
Winning the goal of performing His will.

Great Rewards

When you have prayed, when you exercise your faith by believing that all things work together for good, the evidence follows.

Meditation Thought: “ Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrews 13:15-16)

“I realize that it is not easy for you to praise Me, to do good, to share what you have – that is why these are termed “sacrifices”. Do not chastise yourself that these acts are difficult – but rejoice that they are difficult: when you overcome your reluctance to do them, you are “practicing your scales“, and thus bringing glory to Me, fulfilling Christ’s mission, and becoming a “new creature” by the renewing of your mind.

You are closer than you know to the performance of the concert in several areas in your life. The difficulties which appear now are to develop your abilities and thus perfect you. Do not lose heart, but call upon the knowledge of My promises – and the fulfillment of those promises to others and to yourself in the past! “All things work together for good” – repeat this in your mind, in your decisions, in your acts, in your attitude. When you have prayed, when you exercise your faith by believing that all things work together for good, the evidence follows.

My spiritual laws are clear. If you use them rather than ignoring or abusing them, the rewards will be great for you – and your witness shall be great for Me.”

Scales and Concerts

To find your joy in playing the scales as well as in playing the concert is the key to the kingdom.

Meditation Thought: “Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)

“Step back and take a more comprehensive view of your life. You are too involved in the detail of current circumstances. Seek the pattern – the past, the present – and all that you see in the future as Christ-filled. Remember the love of your Creator, the power of your Creator, and the works of your Creator are not apart from you, but part of you. No thought, feeling nor task is unimportant to Me – nor to you, if you have the perspective which is in your best interest (and thus My best interest).

As the seconds make the moments, the moments make the hours – on into a lifetime – so each thought, feeling, act creates the whole of your life. The practice of patience, of gentleness, of humbleness, of sacrifice, of forgiveness, of cheer, may not be pleasant at all times. However, to practice these is it develop a pattern which pleases you, pleases Me, pleases all whose lives you affect. Practicing the scales may not be evidence of the beautiful concert which will develop from them – yet the concert will never be brought forth without the playing of those scales. Like it or not – it is a fact.

To find your joy in playing the scales as well as in playing the concert is the key to the kingdom. This moment is yours – and Mine. The glories of the heaven and the earth are here if only you will observe them. Playing the scales can be a concert for you and for Me if you will realize that it is our practicing anything together that is our fulfillment and our joy. This is the moment you have been waiting for, longing for, anticipating – and are enjoying to the fullest. When every “this” moment is treated in this manner, you have the kingdom within – and though you may hear “scales”, I hear a lovely concert as the joy of your understanding and your obedience is revealed to Me. It is only a brief time, then, until you, too, shall hear even the scales as if they are a concert. Believe – and act on your belief – that My words are your salvation and your fulfillment – your resurrection from a life of plodding scales into a life of inspiring concert. There is abundant evidence to bear Me out. Do not allow your “feelings” to rob you of your concert by distracting you from practicing your scales.”

Focus for Triumph

Why do you spend useless energy in fretting about what is undone, worrying about what might happen, annoyed at what has happened?

Meditation Thought: ” ‘We don’t know what to do, but we are looking to you.’ The Lord says, ‘Don’t be afraid! Don’t be paralyzed by this mighty army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s!  But you will not need to fight! Take your places; stand quietly and see the incredible rescue operation God will perform for you. Don’t be afraid or discouraged! Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!’ ‘ Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.'” (2 Chronicles 20: 12,15,17,21)

“Why do you spend useless energy in fretting about what is undone, worrying about what might happen, annoyed at what has happened?

Take your position, stand still and focus your eyes upon Me. The battle is Mine; the victory is Mine but the results are of benefit to you. It is ever the same, through the ages: those who focus their eyes (and therefore their thoughts, words and actions) upon Me, shall have the power of My help in the battle of life.

Victory is ever assured whenever the free will choice is to yield ego to My will in the trust that My love is greater than all else in life. It matters not that you may misunderstand where I desire you to take your position, how I desire you to stand, and when the battle takes place – if you are looking at Me, and are not busily running off to do your own battle, then I can easily correct any misunderstanding upon your part.

I am your loving parent who prepares the way for your life – trust Me, obey Me, – for your good is My goal. When you know this to the point of focusing your eyes upon Me – despite all distractions – then do you have the victory through My fighting the battle on your behalf.

There are infinite methods of expression, but only one Creator, and when the Creator is allowed to move freely, not being hampered by distrust or rebellion or ignorance of those who are His channels of expression, good triumphs over evil; love triumphs over hate; and order triumphs over disorder: the world is conquered by the Kingdom.

Do not Yield to Panic

If you, in panic, look to what you see instead of to Me, you will be kept to the natural consequences of the circumstances instead of moving on into supernatural consequences.

Meditation Thought: “Do not fear, only believe.” (Mark 5:36)

“Through Me, change from human fear to divine faith. I dwell in your heart by your gracious welcome, and My blood enriches your blood, giving you wisdom, vitality, and assurance that whatever the circumstances, they shall be overcome by Word and Spirit: circumstances shall yield to the Good Power, to the Creative Power, to the Power of Grace and Love. But only if you yield the circumstances from human fear to Me to work on them, in faith that I will change them for your good, can I do the necessary manipulations. If you, in panic, look to what you see instead of to Me, you will be kept to the natural consequences of the circumstances instead of moving on into supernatural consequences through My power to change. Believe, and act upon your belief, that the situations in your life will yield to My pressure to make them for your growth into a purer form of Christian.

Think of My molding them as a cast to straighten crooked limbs that the limbs might be stronger and truer than ever. Do not yield to panic as to what has happened, but work to aid Me in getting the proper treatment to heal and strengthen: the more closely we work in harmony, the more rapidly is the healing, strengthening process accomplished.

Think of every day being an opportunity to further the reality of your growing into a ‘new creature in Christ’.

May your spirit glow with love
And your eyes shine in joy
As we go together,
Entwined as one,
Completing the missing part of each other.”

Surprising Delight

Let My love light up your eyes, lift up your heart, renew your mind, bring ecstasy to your spirit.

Meditation Thought: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?”  (Mark 3:4)

“Be open to the prompting of the Spirit. You live in an age where you know the Spirit has come in power to do good, to save life. Obey My commandments but do not make your own ‘commandments’. Keeping the Sabbath holy is keeping within My will and you shall do this if you will saturate yourself in the Word and obey My Spirit as you perceive the prompting of what is best for you to do. If you act with a pure heart, you will not go astray, but will bring healing and life and renewal. Keep every day holy. The Sabbath is a rest from routine, but never is there to be a rest from holiness, from love, from doing good.

Immerse yourself in My beauty: spiritual, physical, in thought, in art forms, in loving kindness. I desire good and not harm for you. I love you, I love you, I love you. Sense the passion of My love, sense the depths of My love – I inflicted pain upon Myself that you might have joy. Do not throw away this precious gift! Rather, seek to learn of its great value, seek to know of all of its manifestations. Do you trust human love? How much more should you trust My love! Open your understanding to the enormity of it to the forgiving nature of it, to the power of it. Let My love light up your eyes, lift up your heart, renew your mind, bring ecstasy to your spirit.

Glow in the sure knowledge that each day brings a new expression of My love: trust that each event is for the purpose of expanding your knowledge of My love. The very trust is an aid to My purposes of the formation of each incident: if you trust Me, you seek the purpose of the movement, rather than idly or resentfully allowing it to wash over you, leaving My expression of love ragged and incomplete and confusing to you.

Seek for the treasure you know is there because I promise you all you desire as you trust Me and desire Me above all. As your will is conformed to mine as your expression of love in response to love, so this very sacrificial act is the key of releasing of My power of dynamic love in your life.

If you can trust your family to be motivated by love to work good for you, cannot you trust Me even more? Recall your annoyance that Karen was away from home night after night and you felt rather rejected – only to learn of her spending those nights writing out invitations for your surprise anniversary party.

What you perceived as a rejection of your love was in reality a beautiful expression of response to your love. Only when you have come to the place where it is time for Truth to be revealed can you judge rightly. But until that time arrives, be happy, be content, be peaceful in the knowledge of the character of your Beloved, trusting that what you perceive as neglect or rejection is in reality the future joy I have planned for you. The very fact that you do not know the details is desirable, for the surprising aspect of the deed done is part of the delight.”