Category: Obedience

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Put your mind at rest now that you know how to proceed.

Meditation Thought: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22) and “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

If I remain alert to His leading, and am obedient, He will have me be a doer, for I will recognize and acknowledge the true Giver, who is using the attributes which He gave me. I can be happy in what I am doing, but must remember that what I’m doing has no meaning aside from obedience to God, and I must constantly check to see that I am on the path where He wants me to be.

Perceived reply: “Oh, my child, relax – I did not give you qualities which I want to use to cause you distress and doubts. I gave them to you to further my kingdom, to the extent of your willingness to dedicate them to me.

Listen, listen more than you ‘do’; this assures our harmonious working together for a common goal, and should enable you to push aside doubts and fears, as you concentrate your energies with a devotion and dedication that shuts out evil forces. Do not try to proceed to the work without fully understanding the instructions, for that is where danger lies.

Put your mind at rest now that you know how to proceed. Spend adequate time in reading My Word, and communicating in prayer, in serving others as a privilege of serving Me, and be open to my instructions through all channels. This formula will not fail, for your energies will all be dedicated to Me, and not siphoned off in useless contemplation.”

Perceive the Valley from the Mountain

Our role is to share our experiences, to share our knowledge, and to share our love which has been quickened.

Meditation Thought: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

To be baptized is an act of being set apart for special service – the observing of the commandments is the nature of the service – the presence of Jesus is the moving power of the service. The baptizing, or setting apart, is the reason that those who believe cannot behave as the crowd behaves.

It is as if Christ takes us to the top of the mountain, where we can come to new perspective and knowledge of the valley, and then we can go back to the valley to share our new knowledge and wisdom to help others, and to urge them to go for themselves to find the new view of the valley.

Living in the valley after the trip up to the mountain is not the same as before the trip – it is more intense in every way, for awareness is sharpened, and new knowledge changes perception. Some will resent the ‘differences’, others will see it as being desirable and wish to take the trip too; our role is to share our experiences, to share our knowledge, and to share our love which has been quickened. Thus we provide the opportunity for our neighbors to respond to our sharing, and through their response, Jesus moves. And so the process becomes a ‘making disciples of all nations’.

(When we look at the world with our human eyes only, it is as if we look at a map in a book. When we look at it with spiritual eyes, we see it as a globe with topographical markings added – we can perceive so much more of the true qualities when we have a more complete perspective.)

Wholeness

It is imperative, therefore, that any change in us be a change toward God’s will.

Meditation Thought: “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” (1 Corinthians 12:26)

If one part is missing, the “whole” has disappeared – it is now something different. It may even be considered a whole, but the original “whole” has disappeared, it no longer exists. When a part is altered, no matter how slightly, the whole is altered too. It may take a while for parts of the whole to be affected by other parts – but it will happen, for all are interconnected.

Therefore, we must take care that we, as a part of the Body of Christ, are a healthy part, a part that is in good working order, bringing joy not only to ourselves, but to all the many other parts, and to the whole. We must remember that no matter ow slight an event might appear, that creation all is structured so that one tiny cell changing in the slightest manner, can have an effect that becomes magnified – a chain reaction in fact, a geometric multiplication.

It is imperative, therefore, that any change in us be a change toward God’s will, toward the furthering of the health and purpose of the Body, for our own good, and for the good of the whole.

Get on with the Show

“This is My will for you: to be at peace, to love and be loved, to enjoy the world which I have created, and to open eyes to that world: to spread the good news, to set an example of what power and love are available from Me… Proceed: get on with the show. Use your talents with joy and enthusiasm. You will bless yourself as you bless others.”

Meditation Thought: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life.” (1 John 1:1)

“Heard, seen, looked at, touched”, the multiple ways in which You communicate with Your beloved people: the very same ways in which we can communicate Your reality and love to others.”

(This entry was the last one in Marie’s journals before the Alzheimer’s diagnosis.)

Message in Marie’s mind perceived as being from God: “You’re catching on – proceed. We have an interesting itinerary ahead. I created you; I love you, I desire to help you and I have not only the will to help you but the power to help you.

You must do your part. Read My word, heed My word, treasure My word, and use My word to enhance your life and the lives you touch, even in the tiniest ways.

I will help you; I will guide you. Picture Me as being beside you; get a mindset such as you get when your husband holds your hand when you are uneasy. The warmth and steadiness of his touch calms you, helps you and enables you.

This is My will for you: to be at peace, to love and be loved, to enjoy the world which I have created, and to open eyes to that world: to spread the good news, to set an example of what power and love are available from Me. This is My will for all of my people. Do your part to be my helper in spreading the good news. You need not be an evangelist. You only need to be enveloped in My love, in my guidance and, most of all, My presence.

Proceed: get on with the show, use your talents with joy and enthusiasm. You will bless yourself as you bless others.”

In Step with the Guide

In the marriage ceremony, two people become united into one. In the same manner the ‘ceremony’ of confessing Jesus as the Son of God unites the believer with God.

Meditation Thought: “ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” 1 John 4:15

In the marriage ceremony, two people become united into one. In the same manner the ‘ceremony’ of confessing Jesus as the Son of God unites the believer with God. The life – perhaps lives could be used – are changed; for the inter-relationship changes the life of the believer, but God is also doing differently than if that person had not confessed Christ as Savior. Once we accept Christ as Savior, and act as if we have a new relationship, we behave differently. Only people who have a similar relationship can truly understand! That is why believers often act incomprehensibly to non-believers, for they are ‘marching to a different drummer’.

But once we know God and recognize Him as Guide of our lives, we must obey Him, and not the usual order of society. We are out of step with the world, but more importantly, we are in step with God.

Unexpected Transformation

…our loving Father… will never shortchange us! 

Meditation Thought: “Honor the Lord with the thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.” (Proverbs 3:9)

“Honor” – a way of giving respect, of indicating how special someone is to us. It’s easy to say words – they don’t call for sacrifice – but when we give of our substance, we are denying ourselves in order to bless someone else. This takes more thought; do we sacrifice our pleasure for the pleasure of someone else?

When we “sacrifice” we find that our “sacrifice” is transformed into a “blessing” – it may take a number of forms, but nevertheless, there is an exchange. We give a gift, only to learn that the transaction was actually an interchanging of gifts, and when we are having transactions with our loving Father, He will never shortchange us!

 

A Father’s Love and Motives

…apparent defeat is changed into victory…

Meditation Thought: “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:13)

“I am your Father – fathers do not harm their children. If they allow the children to face stressful situations, it is only to strengthen and teach them. But always the father is there to help, to console, when the situation is difficult and the child fails. The father does not send the child to do his assigned task and then forget him. He is interested in it going well for the child – he helps prepare the child for the task before he sends him to accomplish it.

I have created families so that you can know something of a Father’s love and motives – so that you can have some hint of what I am like -what unselfish love can be, what a close relationship can be. Trust me, I created you to love, not to abuse. Relax in my arms, feel my love, then go to your task reassured that the loving arms are always there to return to, for rejoicing together in victory, for consolation in defeat – and apparent defeat is changed into victory as you learn how to understand and obey My instructions more maturely, more completely.”

Jeweled Crown

And so what appears to be death of self is actually the resurrection of self in new glory

Meditation Thought: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

When we place our delight in the Lord, we will have constant delight – for the Lord is always loving, caring, helpful, dependable, powerful – and willing to fulfill the desires of our heart. When we learn to be adept at taking our delight in the Lord, we will rejoice in the fulfillment of our desires as a natural consequence.

The ability to become adept at taking our delight in the Lord, however, is one which must be rigorously developed and practiced. There must be time to learn His Word, to listen to His Counsel. There must be courage to act upon His instructions – and His instructions may well bring the ridicule of the world, and most devastatingly, even our loved ones. We must learn to seek truth and not accept face values, we must “fight city hall”, we must be active and not passive, we must put duty above pleasure, we must sacrifice ego to become God’s weak vessel into which He pours His strength.

When we are able to submerge ourselves into what we thought was a swallowing up of our identity into God’s will, we learn that miraculously the very burying of ourself in Him crystallized us into all we were meant to be: we are fulfilled in an unsuspected joy as we emerge more totally individual than ever before – a new creature in Christ, a jewel set off more brilliantly because of our placement in His crown. And so what appears to be death of self is actually the resurrection of self in new glory, the clay reworked by God into a new and beautiful vessel to be used by Him, to be delighted in by Him, a completion of His creative process.

 

The Blessing of Confession

As we lose ourselves in prayer for another, that is when we come closest to being made in the image of God, for we are serving, unselfish, loving, and giving at that moment.

Meditation Thought: “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” James 5:16

Confess. Confess is a pouring out of a thought – as you pour it out of yourself, it is no longer part of you; that thought is not inside of you, to cause festering, to be interfering with thoughts on which God wants us to concentrate: thoughts full of beauty, holiness, kindness.

As others hear of your sin, they can express the confirmation of God’s forgiveness and of their forgiveness – thereby also reinforcing their own need to confess their sins and be forgiven.

And pray – always pray for one another, for to pray is to express love and concern, and to call for power for the other. As we lose ourselves in prayer for another, that is when we come closest to being made in the image of God, for we are serving, and unselfish, and loving, and giving at that moment – a child imitating our parent. And in the imitating, becoming more like the parent, more God-like – more as He teaches by His example. Varied as His examples are, they are always consistent in their nature: they exemplify love.

The Habit of Prayer

Cultivate the habit of praying before you speak – just a quick, “Lead me, Father” will enable me to guide your thoughts and words to help those who hear you.

Meditation Thought: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29)

“I have already given you the concept that people should be enriched as their lives touch yours, and not degraded. Cultivate the habit of praying before you speak – just a quick, “Lead me, Father” will enable me to guide your thoughts and words to help those who hear you. I love all of you – I want open channels to pour my loving guidance through, that we may have a communion of family – think in terms of “the more the merrier” as we expand acquaintances into our family – the more love is shared, the more it grows.”