Category: Love

Giving Poured Out

You can have the desires of your heart, which are peace and joy, by your own decision to do so.

Meditation Thought: “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:13-14)

Giving is a pouring out, taking pleasure in spreading joy. Thus you can have constant pleasure, for it is possible always to give, whereas you cannot control receiving. If you find pleasure only in receiving, you limit your pleasure greatly – and you limit the pleasure released in the world even more.

You can have the desires of your heart, which are peace and joy, by your own decision to do so: the price is to surrender pride to unselfish love, and sin to righteousness through the thinking of others and acting in their behalf.

The Best Gift Ever!

You need only ask…

Meditation Thought: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)

You delight in giving your children what you can, but your heavenly Father is able to give a gift ranking above all other gifts: the gift of His love and power actually transferred to be implanted within His beloved children. You need only ask and you will receive.

The Paradox of Life & Joy

It is encased in the solid, protected container of love that we find courage to move into places we once feared.

Meditation Thought: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17)

The fullness of time brings the fullness of God: His Word fulfilled, His Will fulfilled, His Purposes fulfilled. The Creator must wait for the maturity of the created to fulfill the purposes of the creation – reflecting the meaning of life to both the creator and that created.

And so came the Word, the law, the grace, the truth all manifested in the flesh, that the meaning of life might be revealed fully to those who by choice and by faith, seek the light, seek the inner core as well as the outer surface, seek the unseen as well as the seen, seek the subtle as well as the obvious, seek to know with the heart as well as the mind, who seek God rather than be limited to being self-seeking.

For the paradox is true and to be understood: He who seeks to be last shall be first, he who gives of his life shall find his LIFE, and he whose purpose is to create happiness in the hearts of his fellow creatures, has happiness thrust into his own heart while his concentration is away from his heart.

JOY shall be his as he realizes the magnificence, the depth, the glory, the sweetness, the extent of the Father’s love for him – the lengths to which the Father will go to express that love with the show of the tiniest response to that love. The realization is awesome, fulfills the longing of the heart, bringing the ecstasy of long-awaited hopes and dreams being brought into reality; a confirmation of knowing what had only been sought.

It is encased in the solid, protected container of love that we find courage to move into places we once feared, where we once had no place, where we can now move effectively because we have the secret knowledge in our heart that whatever befalls us we are protected by love, insulated by it from undue hurt – we are equipped to do our task, and therefore confident as we move to do it: and this is the key to the task being brought to a successful conclusion (pleasing to the Father and the Son and the Spirit and the created).

Faith, hope and love responding to Love are the working of the Father’s will into all eternity; how can we refuse to be a part of that?!

Jackal, Ostrich or Chosen?

Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.

Meditation Thought: “Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.
 The wild beasts will honor me,
    the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,
    rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
     the people whom I formed for myself
that they might declare my praise.”

(Isaiah 43:19-21)

Jackals refers to deceitful people and ostriches to those who refuse to see the truth – but God’s righteousness and omnipotence will bring them to honor Him.

“Chosen people” – He would have all of His creation be His ‘chosen people’ – but some will not choose to be His chosen people and thus will forfeit that prerogative.

Treasure Hunt

Where is your treasure? In the objects that the Father placed on earth for your pleasure – or in the joy of the Father’s love who placed them there?

Meditation Thought: “Power came forth from him and healed them all.” (Luke 6:19)

Power came forth from him because he had yielded his will to the Father, his mind to the Father, his body to the Father, his emotions to the Father, his spirit to the Father and his time and energy to the Father.

Where is your treasure? In the objects that the Father placed on earth for your pleasure – or in the joy of the Father’s love who placed them there?

 

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.

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.