Category: Love

The Secret of Joy and Revitalization

Emerge as one wise in the Word and joyous in the Spirit.

Meditation Thought: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

Note: Marie perceived this message as being for her personally (see About This Blog) – however, there is such wisdom here – a road map even –  that I believe we can all apply the lessons. (The term handmaid refers to a close, personal servant.)

“According to My Word so shall it be to you. How you love My Word! That is because all you have experienced as you have tested it has proved it true. And so you know what is expected of you – you know what is needed to give you peace and joy. You know now what you want to learn, and so shall you learn if you continue in your “school of prayer”, in the deep intention of your heart, in your determination to delve more deeply into the joys of service and the revitalizing effect they have on you.

The Word shall start in your mind, but shall travel into every part of you: spirit, body, emotions – transforming, re-designing; a “new birth” – as if you shed the old ignorant, sin-ridden mind and attitude and body, and emerge “spanking-new” as one wise in the Word and joyous in the Spirit. Always will you need to learn and grow and change: but you will have a speeded-up visibility of results of obeying My Word and My Spirit. Keep your will firm to be my handmaid, for it is in this context that you will find fulfillment of all that pleases you.”

Speed of Light …or Turtle Pace

Love within is dormant: only as it is given, does it become active power.

Meditation Thought: “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”  (Mark 12:32-34)

To love is to give – freely, joyfully, exuberantly. Our Creator is Love: If He who created us is Love, and we are His own children, we, too, have love within us. But love within is dormant: only as it is given, does it become active power. And only as it is received does it change.

We have been created in love, to be loved, and to express love. When we respond to love extended, we expand our capacity to receive love – and that also expands our capacity to give love. The more fully we are filled with love – of God, and of man – the more closely we come to the kingdom of God. The expression of love as we exist in human form is the vehicle we use to move along to the kingdom of God: we can make it the speed of light, or the pace of a turtle by the choosing of both the objects of our love (God or worldly idols, our neighbors or our own selfish whims) and the free expression of love, or the choice to suppress expression of love – for whatever reason, be it selfishness, laziness, fear of rejection or rebellion against the authority of God who has commanded us to love.

Favored Position

Do not be ashamed of yourself, but accept yourself, imperfect, yes – but with value as a person created in love and to be loved and to love.

Meditation Thought: “In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ ” (Hosea 1:10)

“I am here. Turn to Me. You are looking in the wrong direction, taking the wrong paths. Check your compass: My Word. You are checking circumstances – they will mislead you. My Word is a lamp unto your feet. Take up my lamp and you will see the way to go. Fret not. Fear not. Trust me.

I say to your back, ‘you are not mine’ – for I cannot follow you. You must follow Me to be Mine. When you are turned toward Me, then you are demonstrating that you are Mine: you are realizing your position as My child and are able to act upon the favored position, moving in confidence of unburdened conscience, of energy engendered by My loving approval of your following Me, doing the works I long for you to do. I will teach you a new way to accomplish your tasks. I will be your efficiency expert, instructing you and exposing to your mind and spirit new truth, new methods. But you must turn to watch Me, not turn away to circumstances.

Believe on My Name; claim your inheritance as a member of My family in good standing by virtue of your desire to do My will. Your claims to my riches of the Kingdom need not wait until you are rid of the flesh, but ask for a portion of your inheritance as of this day. It is My pleasure to share with My beloved at all times, but you must make your desires known to Me by word and deed, according to our covenant as Father and child. Your requests are your act of turning to Me, recognizing My claim as being your Creator, and Sustainer. Why should you go grumpily and resentfully tramping off into the world to seek your desires when, if you will lay down your pride of childish attitude of ‘doing it myself’ you can then be free to ask Me, knowing I love you and desire to express that love to you in ways pleasing to you, for whatever it is you seek.

I wish to teach you full, clear communication. Misunderstandings and disappointments occur when purposes are not fully revealed, when desires are not clearly stated, when attitudes are assumed. Be honest: be transparent: be true to yourself as you are at the moment. Share yourself – not another self. Then all can know with whom they deal – including you! ‘Know thyself’. Do not be ashamed of thyself, but accept thyself, imperfect, yes – but with value as a person created in love and to be loved and to love.”

Keys to Soar: the Secrets of Life

Set your will and your mind on the Father’s Word, the Son’s Sacrifice, the Spirit’s power. If your mind and will are thus set, so shall your spirit soar in faith.

Meditation Thought: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” (Mark 7:20-23)

Let the sacrifice of Jesus purify your heart so that what flows out is love, mercy, kindness, generosity. Set your will and your mind on the Father’s Word, the Son’s Sacrifice, the Spirit’s power. If your mind and will are thus set, so shall your spirit soar in faith, released from the burden of sin and guilt, doubt and weakness. There is a perfect fit of your spirit into the Father’s plan: seek this place and determine to re-shape yourself as needed that you may complete His work.

A renewed mind, a right spirit, peace of the forgiven: keys to unlock the secrets of life. Use them.

Grace and Peace Freely Given

Love will ooze everywhere – even rush everywhere – if you will draw close to Me, for I am love.

Meditation Thought: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. Unfaithful creatures! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? …He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us… God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble… Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you… Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4: 3-6, 8, 10)

“Grace” will relieve you of awkwardness – grace enables you to behave appropriately at any any time in any situation. No amount of outward adornment will generate the graceful behavior – only the possession of an inward peace coming from the knowledge of who I am as your Creator and Mentor and who you are as Mine will enable you to behave as Jesus would in the same circumstance.

Only through love can grace be expressed. If you will love – love as it is defined in Corinthians 13* – then I will pour My grace and all that implies: wisdom, appropriate behavior, kind and encouraging words into your expression of life.

When you love as Corinthians 13* suggests to love, you need not be concerned as to what situations you find yourself in – you need only to allow My grace to fill the form of your love – to give it substance and meaning. It will ooze everywhere – even rush everywhere if you will draw close to Me, for I am love.

You cannot possibly deplete yourself or deprive yourself by giving to others what they need – for it is this act on your part that releases My Spirit fully into your being. To love – to give – is to turn the tap to ‘on’ that My Spirit may flow freely into you and through you.

*1 Corinthians 13: 4-8, 13
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails… 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

 

Perfection as a Pursuit

My desire for you to do My will is not due to My authority, but due to My great love for you.

Meditation Thought: “…the Lord disciplines the one he loves… he disciplines us for our good.” (Hebrews 12:6, 10)

“You are not perfect – not a perfect expression of my character. Therefore, I must help you in the necessary changes to move you more closely to perfection, since you desire this as your highest priority. Sometimes the necessary discipline – much of which is merely the effect from what you have caused – is unpleasant. Bear it in good grace for it will soon pass as you understand and move ahead in a more perfect obedience.

My desire for you to do My will is not due to My authority, but due to My great love for you. I have vast resources of wisdom, knowledge and power which I desire you to benefit from, but you must do your part to release them in your life – you must use your mind to learn the Word, your faith to believe the promises, your spirit to comprehend the Word and the promises, and your emotions to draw the surge of power. To do all of these you need discipline to forgo other pursuits that you may have time and energy for these.

Light your way with love.
Walk your way in peace.
Enhance your way with kindness.

Thus did Christ go His Way.
There is a secret to it:
Perceiving the will of the Father – and doing it.
This is ‘discipline’.
It is not a matter of punishment,
But a matter of practicality.
Allow this thought to penetrate,
To change your attitude.

Be glad to know,
And willing to do.
Your joy and fulfillment
Come not in leisure,
But in movement:
Dynamic, exciting ever-unfolding revelations
Brought forth through discipline –
The commitment of self
To that which is True and Good
Never wavering,
But steadied by Christ
Living in your heart,
Demonstrating and nurturing.
Discipline’ becomes a friend,
the helper, the accomplisher.
It is precisely the Way
Christ brought salvation.
It is the Way
To the Kingdom.
There is no other Way for you
to find contentment.
Whether you wish it so,
Or wish it not,
This is the Truth.
To know the Truth
Is to be free.”

Experiment by Experiment

Faith does not burst full-blown just because we decide we want to believe the Word and follow the Way.

Meditation Thought: “ For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)

To really understand how anyone else feels in a situation, we must have had a similar experience. Thus Christ – God Himself – put himself deliberately in a situation which would identify himself completely with those He desired to help. But in doing this, He not only was totally assured of knowing completely how His beloved felt, but He also assured that they know He understands, through actual experience, how they feel. It is this knowledge that opens a heart and a mind to receive His advice, and to be willing to do as He suggests.

How do we, who are not with Him as He was in the flesh, come to know what He advises, and how to we actually do what He suggests?

As one who is blind develops the other senses to a higher degree, we must develop our spiritual sense to a greater degree, so that we may perceive Him – and do by His help, as He suggests.

The Word is a vital aid in developing our spiritual sense. Practicing doing what the Word suggests helps. Prayer and meditation help. But all of these hinge on the development of faith. Faith does not burst full-blown just because we decide we want to believe the Word and follow the Way.

We must, experiment by experiment find the paths which lead us to greater faith – greater confidence that God is who He reveals Himself to be in Christ: loving, kind and concerned – and we must believe that He does desire to provide us a more abundant life – a life that focuses our attention so raptly on Him that we start to automatically imitate Him – in loving, in kindness, and in concern.

We will have good experiments and bad ones – but as long as we keep trying to develop our spiritual sense we will also develop more faith in the one promise which is always true – that God is, God is who He expresses as the life of Christ, and we are His beloved offspring – a part of all He created, and thus dear to Him.

Triumph

Habit comes into play as affecting choice; therefore to make one choice is to also affect the next choice.

Meditation Thought: “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)

First the cross, then the resurrection. Life in Christ follows this pattern. First the death on the cross of circumstances of all that is foreign to the Spirit’s nature: pride, selfishness, thoughtlessness, blindness, willfulness; then the resurrection of the personality in Christ unencumbered by negative aspects which mar the image of the Father in the personality.

To err is human – but to allow that error to be used by God as a sacrifice on the cross that which keeps us from total obedience to His will is to not only erase the consequences of the error, but to use it as the beginning of a transformation: a change which moves the believer further along the road to closer fellowship and more perception of the Father’s will, with the power to be obedient and trusting to a greater degree than formerly was possible.

We move constantly – either toward adopting the customs of the Kingdom or the customs of the world.

Our choice of reactions to new knowledge and revelations and circumstances determines which customs we choose: habit comes into play as affecting choice; therefore to make one choice is to also affect the next choice.

Bare my soul, O Lord,
To my seeking heart.
I know not who or what I am,
Save Your reveal to me.
Each moment is another facet
Cut across this hard-stone will.
Oh, please, I ask in Jesus’ name,
Shape me as Thou art shaped.
Though there be much hurt
From many blows,
I trust Thee in my pain.
For only by change in me
Can I be Your reflection true.

The Counter-intuitive Key to Abundance

You carry within you joy, peace and hope, for you carry within you the Holy Spirit of God who is joy, peace and hope.

Meditation Thought: “Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.” (2 Thessalonians 3:13)

Joy! Peace! Hope! These are the gifts you carry and the gifts you will find will give meaning to your life when you distribute them.

Remember, there is such a thing as a “second wind”. If you will force yourself to keep moving even when you are exhausted, you will reach a point when your “second wind” – the movement of the Spirit – will relieve you. Your will to keep moving is your faith and your faith is the mover of the power of the Spirit.

Look not at the road, or at your feet – but at your goal.

Inspire your mind with the vision of the goal before you, renew your strength with trust in the Word, lift up your emotions by receiving the gentle Spirit into your heart and cherishing Him, delighting in His company.

Seek the example of Jesus as to how to most effectively pursue your goal.

You carry within you joy, peace and hope, for you carry within you the Holy Spirit of God who is joy, peace and hope. No one can take this priceless gift from you. Only you can choose to throw it away – by rebellion, by laziness, by ignorance.

You can also generate more of this gift by giving it away to others. This is the key to the kingdom: sharing, caring enough to share all that is pure and good and true; not hoarding the treasure you find, but giving it away in joyful abandon, knowing that the more freely you give, the more abundantly you will receive.

Do you understand that as a pruned tree actually produces more fruit, so your removing all the gifts that are given to you from your own storehouse into the service of others causes an increase in the production of the gifts into your own storehouse?

If you understand this principle, and apply it in every area of your life, then you are not only perceiving the goal – total communion with and commitment to your Father – but you are rightly following the example of Jesus, who promised abundant life to those who would follow Him.

You see, the whole New Testament is but this story in many forms: although to the world it appears the way to a large harvest is to keep all you have, to the Kingdom the knowledge is given that in taking away, the opportunity is then provided for a multiplying of the branches and fruit.

All are given the opportunity to try this method, but only those who have courage to actually allow the trimming are produces of the abundant harvest.

Set your will on trust in the Lord and not trust in yourself only.

I would cultivate an orchard fair,
With blossoms blooming everywhere
Not sparsely scattered from nature wild,
But multiplied by the Spirit’s care:
Welcome, welcome, lonely tree,
The One who Ministers love to thee.

Think Lovely

To think on that which is lovely is to produce that which is lovely.

Meditation Thought: “Whatsoever things are lovely… think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

The seen reflects the unseen. The body reflects the mind. Actions reflect the will. You can control your will: will to reflect the image of God to the best of your ability at any given moment. The most effective way of perceiving God’s images in order that you may reflect them is to observe the evidence of Himself in the world: that which is lovely – ‘love-ly’, pertaining to love; not just beautiful in an aesthetic way, but reflecting the qualities of love: willing to think of others before self, considerate, orderly and not chaotic, effective in adapting to other’s personalities and needs.

To think on that which is lovely is to produce that which is lovely: both in that which is observed and in the observer.

Do not concentrate on a flaw in either another person, an object, or yourself – concentrate on all that is pleasing according to God’s definition of pleasing; this definition is clear as revealed by Christ. Delight in the Lord and all created by Him, and the qualities of His nature revealed in the Word and in the Man! This is to ‘think on lovely things’!