Tag: God’s Will

A Place of Refreshment & Renewal

His pain is the labor by which you are given birth into the Kingdom.

Meditation Thought: “…not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36)

“Expand! Be flexible – allow Me to stretch your abilities and talents – not by a forcing on My part for your good, but at My touch, yield willingly so that I may expand you gently. Do you not understand the message sent by My Son? His pain is the labor by which you are given birth into the Kingdom – as soon as you acknowledge Him as your Savior you are thrust into My Kingdom. My Kingdom is not a hostile environment for you: it is your place of refuge, your home, where you can be refreshed and renewed between bouts into the world.

My will is that you take advantage of all I offer you as the provider and head of your Kingdom-home. You must be willing to reach, to stretch, to give in order to be able to mature as a knowledgeable, effective member of My family. That is the meaning of “not what I will, but what you will.” If My Son, who is an integral part of Me, perfected in obedience, must struggle with choice, can you be excused from choice? No – you must struggle, must decide; but you have His example – follow it as an assurance of the working of my will in your life. The working of My will is the fulfillment of your heart’s desire: not your whim of the moment, but the deep, soul-longing need to be at peace and harmony with Me.”

Positive Purpose

Others are enriched while we ourselves find peace and joy and the purposes of our lives.

Meditation Thought: “ but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. (1 Thessalonians 2:4)

We who acknowledge God the Father as the top authority over us must act to please Him first, others afterward.

As we are faithful and fruitful in a little, so God entrusts us with more. To the extent we are constantly moving toward successful completion of our tasks for Him, to that extent are we pleased and rewarded by “positive feedback” from our Father. This in turn spurs us on to greater efforts, and all benefit – God’s will is done and His love and Word expanded in the world, and others are enriched, while we ourselves find peace and joy and the purposes of our lives.

Listen More

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.”

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.”

Burden Transformed

Our energies can be concentrated on the present not the past, on God’s will for us, and not our will for another, and upon the full, true significance of life, not a superficial misconception.

Meditation Thought: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

This does not refer to physical labor so much as the labor we force upon ourselves due to our misunderstanding of what the Father desires from us. We “load ourselves down” with guilt – Jesus will remove the burden, if we believe He came to do so.

We fret under doubt about our decisions and worthiness. Jesus lifts these from us as we perceive ourselves as He perceives us – as children of a loving Father.

God has provided a world of beauty, of order – yet of unfolding mystery – for us to discover and enjoy.

Through Christ we learn to appreciate all that is good, to forgive what is bad, when forgiveness is sought, and thus relieve much of the strain of living. Our energies can be concentrated on the present not the past, on God’s will for us, and not our will for another, and upon the full, true significance of life, not a superficial misconception.

A Time of Renewal

God created the sabbath as a merciful gesture for people not for the purpose of burdening them.

Meditation Thought: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)

The sabbath was made for man to have a time of renewal – of opportunity to come to know God better, to have a chance to recuperate physically, to be strengthened spiritually, and to be inspired mentally.

To understand the purpose of the sabbath is a necessity before it can become what God intended it to be.

To make the sabbath a time of concentration upon ceremony rather than on celebration of God’s creative love and care is to waste it, making the very intended healing invalid. For ‘healing’ it is to be: the weary body, the confused and frenetic mind, the listless spirit are all brought to health and wholeness through this ‘treatment’ of a change in pace: a time when, with clear conscience, one can – and should – postpone the ordinary daily routine. Some tasks are necessary for making even the sabbath comfortable, and some tasks are chosen because to neglect them would be distressing – but the point is that the sabbath should be a state of mind: an attitude of setting time aside to be aware of God, to become closer to God and man, to be renewed and refreshed.

All of this is the help ourselves: to be a slave to ‘rules’ to the point of not allowing the Spirit to guide us in how to have the sabbath be the rejuvenating force that it is meant to be, is to deny that we are to be open to the Lord’s constant creative teaching and care. This is the message for which Jesus came: the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.

God created the sabbath as a merciful gesture for people not for the purpose of burdening them.

But for us to ignore His message – either by rejecting the necessity of a sabbath by rejecting God as our Source and Sustainer or by distorting the sabbath by misunderstanding God’s purpose of creating it, is to thwart God’s will: His will is for us to be in close fellowship with Himself. This is possible only as we are actively seeking to enhance this fellowship through being willing to learn what He would teach us.

Powerful Generator

I shall, in exchange for your gift of your self-will, give you the unfathomable power of My will as the motivating force in your life.

Meditation Thought: “Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive it, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22)

“Your faith is the power generator. It is My energy flowing to you that is to be your motivation and ability to move. But in order to actually “generate” power to bring change, you must be a freely-moving generator, not wedged motionless by ignorance of My energy which seeks to move you, or by concentration of your own concerns to the exclusion of thoughts of others.

It is your faith in Me as loving, good, powerful, righteous, a promoter of order and harmony, that enables you to be flexible and able to be turned easily by My energy. As you turn, then My Spiritual energy is converted to physical energy through you, and it is this physical energy which is directed to wherever it is needed to be an answer to prayer.

I need you – as I needed Jesus – to do visible work. You need me – as Jesus needed me – to do visible works. If you want to go along in the ordinary, non-miracle producing life, that is your privilege and your choice. Stay stuck in your own concerns, your own desires, your own little world.

But if you want to be vibrant, if you want to direct energy to change the world into the character of the Kingdom – then concentrate on Me: My character, My modus operandi, and direct your faith to perceive My will and to accept it gladly, knowing that it will spin you at a dizzying rate of speed to generate good: “good” being defined as all that is a reflection of Me in character and in behavior. Let this thought capture your imagination and your emotions, for it is by these that your faith can be enlarged and enhanced. The larger your faith, and the more it resembles Jesus’ demonstrated faith, the more effectively it will prepare you to be “loose”, thus responding immediately and powerfully to the touch of My energy upon you.

You can change the world – by being My spinning generator directing energy to transform darkness to light, to do great works impossible without this energy. One thing only is needed: your faith and commitment to follow through when your faith draws My energy to you. Trust Me. Believe in My Word as Truth. Stake your life upon this trust and belief. In this way, the very “losing of your life” (by giving it to Me to direct rather than you directing it) shall be the gaining of life for you: I shall, in exchange for your gift of your self-will, give you the unfathomable power of My will as the motivating force in your life.

If My force is turning you freely, at My chosen speed, will not the power thus generated be of the proper voltage to perform the works that I choose for you to do? This is My “Modus Operandi” in every one who is my obedient, devoted child. How many ways must I propose My wisdom and love until it is accepted by My children?

Do not any more delay in believing My messages and acting upon them.

The world needs you to beat swords into pruning hooks. The world needs you to light the darkness of blindness to the Kingdom.

Allow me to turn you freely: you may spin only slowly now, but you shall, as time goes on, work up to our full speed needed for maximum generating power – if you believe and commit yourself to that belief.”

Guideposts: God’s Will Revealed

We are shown clearly the guidepost we need now, where we are, and trust the other guideposts to stretch on into our future, whether we can see them clearly from this place or not.

A meditation image:

“I saw telephone poles going off into the distance. We see the close ones so clearly, and only as we travel on do the ones in the distance become clear to us – and then we see more in the distance that were not even visible at all initially.

It seems God’s meaning for our life is revealed in this manner – we are shown clearly the guidepost we need now, where we are, and trust the other guideposts to stretch on into our future, whether we can see them clearly from this place or not.”

%d bloggers like this: