Category: Love

Gathering Witnesses

If we are gathered together as witnesses for Jesus, and if we pray in God’s will, we are assured that what we pray for will come about.

Meditation Thought: “…if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:19)

Traditionally two witnesses are needed for confirmation. If we have the two (or more) witnesses agreeing, and we are gathered together as witnesses for Jesus, confirming His salvation and released power, we have within us the Holy Spirit which He promised us. If we are led by the Spirit, we are also led to pray in God’s will, and if we pray in God’s will, we are assured that what we pray for will come about.

Blessings Bestowed

He loves us enough to encourage us to seek the blessings He can bestow in response to our request.

Meditation Thought: “And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.” (Mark 6:56)

“As many as touched it.” They touched it. They activated their faith by reaching out. Although Jesus attempted to instill a desire for healing, apparently He never healed anyone except as a response to the expressed desire for healing – either by the one needing it, or someone asking Jesus on their behalf.

Our God is not a tyrant; He seeks to let us be free. But He loves us enough to encourage us to seek the blessings He can bestow in response to our request.

Suggested Prayer:
“Father, I thank you that your love for me prompted You to send Jesus to my rescue from sin and from all evil, and also to give a clear indication of just Who You are in character and in relationship to me.
Jesus, thank you for loving me enough to take on all the limitations of life in human form, and the sufferings involved in that act of obedience, so that I could reap the benefit of your sacrifice.
Holy Spirit, thank you for never intruding by force, but hearing and responding to the slighted whisper that I make when I need You to help me. Usually I think to request Your help after I have botched the job without it! But You never refuse to come, even if I’ve slighted You.

I don’t understand much about any of you – but You know all about me – and You obviously have my interests at heart, so I hereby request each of You to be my close friend – my mentor, teacher, guide, companion, guard, defender, and most of all, the transforming influence in every area of my life. Help me to move back into the pure image of the Father, unadulterated by sin, or willfulness, or selfishness, or pride, or obtuseness, or unbelief, or a sense of inadequacy, or an unforgiving spirit. Help me to so focus on all the characteristics of my inheritance from the good Father that any other factors will be nullified and simply neither desired nor appropriated into my life.

Only by the power of the Holy Spirit is this possible – and I seek this power to be the power above all others in my life. I know now that this was the intent of both Father and Son from the beginning.

As the power of the Holy Spirit moves in every area of my life, each area is transformed, changed so as to be more recognizable as a characteristic of the Father. “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.” (John 14:7)

Through the power of the inheritance of the Spirit, through the power of the example of the Son who was the Father’s pure image, through the child’s desire to imitate their Father and the perfect Son – in fact, their determination to do so – does it become apparent to everyone that this child is the image of His Father. (The world says “spittin’ image” when a child looks as his earthly father loos. What is desired is that our spirit becomes the “spittin’ image” of the Father’s Spirit).”

Strength Building

Is the struggle from caterpillar to butterfly worthwhile?

Meditation Thought: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

You cannot be strengthened unless you are willing to hold on to – and be held by one other than yourself.

You need to admit that you cannot perform miracles, you cannot even function well by yourself. And you need to then be glad that this is so, for it makes you willing to hold to and be held by the Father, the Son and the Spirit – each teaching, ministering, comforting and empowering all in harmony with each other that the will of the Father – the glory of the Father’s love made real – might be accomplished.
Time it takes.
Effort it takes.
Faith it takes.
Belief it takes.
Action it takes.
Perseverance it takes.
Is it worthwhile? Is the struggle from caterpillar to butterfly worthwhile? Is the movement of bodies in the heavens to produce a sunrise worthwhile? Is the joy of a response of love worth the effort which gave birth to it?

Never doubt. Never fear. Never drift.

Stake your life on the promise of the Word: do this by the quality of your choices moment by moment, day by day. A personal touch of love, of understanding, of comfort, may change a life more dramatically than any demonstration of faith which is deliberate and self-conscious – but impersonal.

To be loved – and to know it – gives courage to a fainting heart, hope to a feeling of despair, wisdom to a panicked mind. Moves the immobilized to action.

The warmth of love
melts the coldest,
most resistant life
That it may be
Re-shaped, re-worked, re-newed
To become a source of love,
Multiplying the love poured in,
And pouring out a stream of love –
of warm, purifying,
exhilarating flow
which fathers force
And moves the negative,
the sordid, the ugly,
Into an arrangement of
Positive, lovely, beautiful expression,
the kingdom moved upon the world.

Basis for Action

Trust the knowledge revealed to you enough to base your actions upon that knowledge – not upon any other knowledge.

Meditation Thought: “There you will see him, just as he told you.” (Mark 16:7)

“Go – see – confirm”. The Word has been given to you. You have been told where He is. Will you go to see Him? You go by faith and see by belief. You confirm by acting upon that faith and belief. You go from the world to the realm of the spirit; you believe by the revelation of the Spirit of Truth, you confirm by trusting the knowledge revealed to you enough to base your actions upon that knowledge – not upon any other knowledge.

Infallible GPS

Jesus came to show the way back to the light which is the Father, and the knowledge which can be found within that light.

Meditation Thought: “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

The love of God expressed through Jesus Christ brought light into darkness: mankind had wandered into the darkness of alienation with their Father and His purposes for them were no longer clear. Jesus came to show the way back to the light which is the Father, and the knowledge which can be found within that light.

Finding Help

Fear comes at the thought of separation from that which is dear to you. Belief comes when you have assurance that the Father has both the love and the power to bind together ever more firmly you and all that is dear to you.

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

“‘Do not fear.’ Do not listen to any voice save Mine if you do not desire to fear. Others speak with only partial knowledge, as children – saying what they perceive as the truth, but knowing only limitedly. I have the total knowledge, the mature insight – the wisdom of the Father interpreted to you in terms you are able to understand.

‘Your help comes from the Lord’ (Psalm 121:2). But you must be looking for that help, and not distracted from it by fears shattering your concentration. Discipline yourself to turn in the direction where your help will meet you.

  • The Word will turn you properly
  • Prayer will turn you properly
  • Meditation will turn you properly
  • Service will turn you properly
  • Love will turn you properly
  • Sacrifice will turn you properly
  • Forgiveness will turn you properly
  • Mercy will turn you properly

These are the qualities of My character. These are the qualities of your character within My character, within the Father’s character. It is a continuation of the ‘behavior modification’ theory. (See blog post entitled Faith Over Fear 1/18/23.) Every time you behave in harmony with the character of your Father, you reinforce His character in yourself. As His character becomes more and more your character (by your own desire for it), you move further and further from ‘fear’ and closer and closer to ‘belief’.

Fear comes at the thought of separation from that which is dear to you. Belief comes when you have assurance that the Father has both the love and the power to bind together ever more firmly you and all that is dear to you.

Do not fear. Have I not revealed the reality of the Father to you? Would you fear one who gives His own life for your salvation? Can there be any greater proof of the Father’s love than His willing sacrifice of Himself for His Son’s sake?

How can you fear that such a father will not respond to his child’s call? Out of the depth of such love is faith made sure.”

Faith Over Fear

Nourish the thoughts which reflect the thoughts of the Master Teacher.

Meditation Thought: “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. (See Hebrews 11:1)

“Behavior modification” is possible in the realm of the spirit, as well as in the realm of the physical. Each time you are confronted with a decision, seek to act as if you have the faith of Jesus.

Jesus’ example of complete trust in his Father is the way, the truth, the life. Not for a moment did he waver in his belief that his Father would care for him; and for all, if all would believe.

Be careful which seeds you nourish in your garden. Many seed-thoughts will be cast into the field of your mind. Nourish the thoughts which reflect the thoughts of the Master Teacher, and reject those thoughts which are foreign to His teachings. In this manner, do you, modify your faith behavior, and in modifying your faith behavior, you modify your faith.

No longer does your faith waver, moving, according to the circumstances it encounters, but it is strong, sturdy, worthy of holding up whatever is cast upon it it. It’s strength lies, not in your conception of faith, but in Jesus‘ conception of faith.

Where is your faith? If it is embraced in the faith of Jesus, it is embraced by the love and power of the father. If it is anywhere else, it is non-existent, only word, not substance, not evidence.

Perspective for Unity

You can unite opposing forces, if you will see from the Father’s perspective.

Meditation Thought: “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” (Mark 3:24)

Learn to move yourself into a different perspective when you realize you are opposing anything.

Focus on the Word, the Spirit, and move in accordance with these who work all things together for good

You can unite opposing forces, if you will see from the Father’s perspective. The Father’s kingdom is united by love; deflect any weapon wielded against you by the power of love. Wield no weapon, but carry the soothing ointment of love.

Flooded with Sunlight

If you surround the darkness with your protective shell of rigid ideas, selfish motives, and fear of change or challenge, then the light cannot penetrate to dispel the darkness within.

Meditation Thought: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)

“You are curled up in a tight ball of self – of inward introspection. Let Me enable you to relax, to stretch, to unfold yourself – exposing yourself to all of the wonder and the glory of the Kingdom on earth. Fear not – your protection lies not within yourself, but within the love with which you were created.

It is possible to seek life on a new level – that is the awakening of a ‘sinner’. Those who are smug and sure that the level where they live is the only ‘proper’ one and that everyone should come to their level are welcome to stay there. But it is not the level where I intend for anyone to remain. It is but a stepping-stone to a level of new consciousness: think of it as comparing the landscape as the sky is overcast, and the difference in the same landscape when it is flooded with sunlight. The sunlight gives a clarity, a purifying element, a beauty which was previously lacking.

It is through the light given off by the Son touching earth that the landscape of your life is enhanced. The light was created by the Father, but directed by the Son to wherever light could reach to dispel darkness. Darkness cannot be dispelled unless light is brought where it is.

If you surround the darkness with your protective shell of rigid ideas, selfish motives, and fear of change or challenge, then the light cannot penetrate to dispel the darkness within.”

Love in the Silence

Realize how much more effective a demonstration is if it is not detracted from by too many words describing it.

Meditation Thought: “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” (Mark 1:44, italics added)

Do not dilute the effectiveness of the healing miracle within you by loose talk about it. Be aware: express the reality of it appropriately – in manners which bring the good news to others as an awakening of their perception to the Father’s call to them.

Give an ‘offering’ of yourself in thanksgiving, in prayer, in service to others, in sharing of your worldly goods.

Realize how much more effective a demonstration is if it is not detracted from by too many words describing it. You want to respect those watching by allowing them to discover knowledge concerning it. This will bring the point to them more effectively, and also more palliatively. They are far less likely to reject the demonstration as applicable to themselves if you do not try to force the issue.

And the process of allowing each to discover the meaning for themselves brings an order to the ministry of the Spirit which will be lacking if you press everyone by words to jump immediately into attempting to duplicate your demonstration.

Let your love speak for itself.
Let your joy speak for itself.
Let your faith speak for itself.
Let your peace speak for itself.