Category: peace

A Delighted Worker

As the workman takes hold of the Truth, the Truth sends out rays of peace, which are absorbed and then released as joy.

Meditation Thought: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

Search for the word of truth, nurture the word of truth, share the word of truth, and live the word of truth. A workman approved is one who is committed with his whole heart and his whole being to the task at hand; he becomes skilled in his tools, and delights in his work and the results of it. He listens to instructions and carefully follows them.

As the workman takes hold of the Truth, the Truth sends out rays of peace, which are absorbed and then released as joy.

Word Farming

What joy it is when the harvest comes.

Meditation Thought: “As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15)

“Honest”, “good”, “patience” – 3 keys to the knowledge of the spiritual kingdom. The kingdom is true – real, though perceived by the mind and the heart rather than by one of the 5 senses.

If our heart is dishonest, we deal in illusions and will flounder, never being secure and sure and at peace. Our heart must be good to be the nutrient that grows good fruit. If it is hard, hoarding its life-giving blood, it does no nourishing to that which it should feed. If it is soft and flexible, and pumping out pure, clean blood – nutrients – it feeds new life – new ‘fruits’. But it takes time for growth. We do not plant the seed one day, nourish it for a day and harvest the fruit the following day. We must take the seed-word and feed it and care for it, giving of ourselves, sacrificing other interests and activities, before we can harvest that fruit. What joy it is when the harvest comes – wonderful fruit to enjoy ourselves, to share with others. All the toil and sacrifice is more than worthwhile. After we harvest our first crop of fruit (the God-works completed), it is so exciting and fulfilling that we eagerly cultivate more seeds. Oh, there will be problems in the tilling – but we must not give up because of them, or there will be no harvest. In overcoming the problems, we may even learn new, better methods of tilling – resulting in a faster harvest, or a more abundant harvest.

Dear Father, I ask this day to be a starting point to be a better farmer of Your Word – that I learn new, better methods to bring Your seed to abundant harvest. Amen.

Transactions & Transfusions

When our hearts and our minds are in Christ Jesus, they are in the best of care.

Meditation Thought: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

“Hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” – Send up the requests in a container of prayer, supplication and thanksgiving – and God sends back answers in a mantle of peace, which serves to protect us, to warm us, to enfold us together with Jesus within the mantle. The more transactions we have, the more exciting, fulfilling and effective the results become. The partnership under the mantle becomes stronger, the mantle becomes even more effective protection from chaos and evil. We become confident in every circumstance, knowing that we have power and protection for every possible contingency – when our hearts and our minds are in Christ Jesus, they are in the best of care; as long as He is surrounding them, they are protected, loved, and have His superior strength supporting them, reinforcing them. His blood surges through them, revitalizing them, sending them to new heights of accomplishment. It is as if we are receiving a blood transfusion under that mantle of peace which encloses us together. Others can see the results in our thinking as we share ideas, in our actions as we are prompted to unselfish love. They may or may not be aware of the blood transfusion that is the basis of the energy which they see manifested and to which they are drawn – but for those who do become aware, they too, can come to receive a transfusion.

Spirit Banking

The scriptures in your mind are your deposit in the bank, and your prayer is the check that releases them for your use when they are needed.

Meditation Thought: “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 5:39)

“Turn the other cheek in an act of love, compassion, understanding, a sweetness of spirit – of Spirit, a compliance with heavenly laws rather than “human nature”. Thus you are staying in the Spirit and not being of the world. Your Spirit-strength will not go unnoticed; an act which could have come and gone without note, or have exploded into a quarrel, will thus be turned into a victory: for God, for you, for the striker as he/she sees a new way.

Pray first, act later: even in the situations where action is quickly required, a ‘flash prayer’ is possible and required. This releases power from heaven, and power in you, rightly directed and effective. The principles are consistent in every situation, but you must know how to operate them appropriately. The scriptures in your mind are your deposit in the bank, and your prayer is the check that releases them for your use when they are needed. Keep your account well deposited so that you can pray constantly and have ample scriptures to supply every need.

The words of my Kingdom are foreign to you now, but the longer you reside in the Kingdom in your mind and in your spirit, the more competent you will become in understanding and using the language. Only by trying to use it can you become proficient in it. Knowing the language will facilitate communication but the sign language of love can always be used, even before the language is learned. We have come full circle now – turning the other cheek is an act of love and not an act of hate, which the world might expect as a reaction to being struck. Your nature is to become 100% love so that whenever it is touched in any way – whether by a loving expression, or a hateful expression, the only response that is capable of emerging is a loving response: an understanding, compassionate, truth-knowing, God-oriented and God-directed response.”

Paths of Discovery

When you find yourself chopping at obstacles in your path, frustrated, tired and discouraged – stop!

Meditation Thought: “See, I am doing a new thing!… I am making a way in the wilderness.” (Isaiah 43:19)

“Give me your attention… we are starting on an adventure together. Enjoy the thrill, the excitement, the anticipation of discovery. The way will be cleared before you, for I prepare it before asking you to go that way. You must look for the path I have cleared for you – otherwise you will have to fight the wilderness by yourself – finding it very difficult to penetrate. When you find yourself chopping at obstacles in your path, frustrated, tired and discouraged – stop! Look at where you are, and look at where I am – are you following me? Are you taking the path which I have cleared for you? The jungle of circumstances holds no peril for you, no difficulty, if you put your efforts into finding my path instead of into hacking a path for yourself. Direct your efforts where the results will be fruitful and satisfying, not frustrating.”

Woodworking

Our lives are like that wood: It’s the “flaws” that give them character, and once the whole is polished by God’s light, the lives are beautiful flaws and all.

It is the contrast in wood that makes it interesting – the knot holes and variations are what make it intriguing, and the polishing, or sheen over all adds to its beauty. Our lives are like that wood: It’s the “flaws” that give them character, and once the whole is polished by God’s light shining over all, the lives are beautiful, flaws and all. As long as we are active, we will have some flaws in our lives, but as we trust God, they will blend in to become beautiful instead of ruining our lives. (see Romans 8:28)

Spiraling

But if we keep moving, we will come to the center – to the Beginning and the End, and the Meaning.

Our lives are like a spiral leading to God in the center. We go along the path, moving constantly, sometimes wondering if the path really does lead anywhere. But if we keep moving, we will come to the center – to the Beginning and the End, and the Meaning. If we stop in the path because of the difficulties we encounter, then we do not find the Treasure which is at the end of the path.

Jesus Cares for Me

I have been transported from a world to a Kingdom, never moving, but the scene changes because the knowledge comes:
Jesus cares.

Do I feel lonely – deserted?
Jesus cares.
Do I need help?
Jesus cares.
Do I need love?
Jesus cares.
Do I need strength?
Jesus cares.
Do I need guidance?
Jesus cares.
I wander lost and lonely in a void –
Jesus cares…
And the void blossoms into a garden of beauty, pleasing all my sensed, taking me from delight to delight – I have been transported from a world to a Kingdom, never moving, but the scene changes because the knowledge comes:
Jesus cares.

P.E.A.C.E.

We can rest assured that we no longer need to fear the dark.

Meditation Thought: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

“You light up my life” – a few words from an old song, but what meaning! In the dark, we are afraid, uncertain of what surrounds us, where to go; we are apprehensive, nervous. A sudden illumination of light – and instant change: our fears vanish, we are assured, we are at peace.

With the Light inside of us illuminating everything with which we come in contact, we can rest assured that we no longer need to fear the dark – for there will be no dark for us. There will be all kinds of circumstances, situations, places – but always clearly seen, as our Guide is with us to deal with them.

P – Pray
E – Everything
A – Anytime
C – Circumstances
E – Everywhere

Psalm 23: A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

Two Gears

Only when we can say “I’m yours. Take me as I am, imperfect, inadequate, but completely yielded does the gear slip smoothly into place.

Meditation Thought: “Anything is possible if you have faith.” (Mark 9:23)

Anything is possible if you have faith, because God is taking the action, not human beings. Faith is the lever that changes our gear from ‘our action’ to ‘God’s action’.

Maybe the gears are marked:
– ‘doubt’ and ‘trust’ or
-‘my will’ and ‘God’s will’ or
-‘my strength’ and ‘God’s strength’ or even
-‘my good works’ and ‘God’s grace’.

Whatever the labels, there is no doubt that the pace and the results are different in the two gears. We can be helped by suggestions on how to change gears, but only by our own act can we actually change them. We may have to pull and tug and experiment, but we must keep trying until we succeed in getting the gears changed.

The changing actually takes place when we relax and gently slip our heart and our will into God’s hands, but we may be unable to do this without some pulling and tugging – then giving up our struggle as inadequate, surrendering ourselves as having tried every way we knew and failing. Only when we can say “I’m yours. Take me as I am, imperfect, inadequate, but completely yielded does the gear slip smoothly into place.

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