Guest Blog at Tales of An Unlikely Mother

Hi Y'all,

Before I started NaNoWriMo, I was asked to guest blog.  I'd been asked before by others (and declined previously).  I agreed this time since I wouldn't be doing my usual this month.  You can find it at Tales of An Unlikely Mother.  

My Body as God's House is very dear to my heart.  I hope you like it.  I did it with you, my dear readers, in mind.  Go and read it when you get the chance.

God bless,

Rebecca G.

P.S. Yes, I'll also be posting an update to NaNoWriMo later today. :)

Being in Harmony With God: My Contemplation of Verse 46 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I am focusing on verse 46 of the Tao Te Ching:

When the world has the Way,

running horses are retired to till the fields.

When the world lacks the Way,

warhorses are bred in the countryside.

There is no greater loss than losing the Tao,

no greater curse than covetousness,

no greater tragedy than discontentment;

the worst of faults is wanting more--always.

Contentment alone is enough.

Indeed, the bliss of eternity

can be found in your contentment.

What is the Way to peace?

Striving for contentment is difficult.  

Imagine a horse having a carrot dangling in front of it.  If the horse can't reach it, the horse gets frustrated, especially if it's very hungry.  Or consider the fox in one Aesop's fable?  You know the story, in which the fox gives up when he can't reach the grapes.  He walks away and says something like, "Well, the grapes were probably sour anyway."

Should we accept the lack of things and status?

No.  This 46th verse of the Tao Te Ching is not asking us to give up on our endeavors.  Lao-tzu, the writer of the Tao Te Ching, is asking us to be satisfied with what we already have.  We can experience happiness if we let go of the chase-of-things-and-higher-status mentality.  It is when we let go, that those wonderful blessings can truly come our way.

The thing we need to do is plug into the Source of everything (Tao, The Way)--God, the Father.  If we truly believe in God, we will trust in Him to provide for us.  

The greed for power and natural resources of land is the epitome of striving.  Are we little dictators in our community and/or families?  Are we fighting for something that will always escape us?  Is it worth it to strive for that which we should leave alone?  Why bother to see that which we really don't need in our lives?

Let's ask God to guide us.  

If He is the Source of everything, can't we lean on God to understand the priorities in our lives?  Let's stop what we are doing and ask God for wisdom to figure out what He wants for us.  Let's ask Him to remove greed and discontent from our hearts.  Only then, can we experience harmony in our lives.

Thanks for reading today's post about finding harmony with God.  

I appreciate you taking the time to read it.  

I've got some questions for you: Are you striving for possessions and status?  Are you frustrated with life?  Do you want to experience peace?  I pray that we all would seek peace from the Source of everything--Father, God.  I pray that we would ask God for His help to experience a deep, loving, and mutually beneficial relationship with Him.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.

Our Adoption Into Christ's Kingdom

The Bible teaches us about our adoption into God's kingdom.

1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;  2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.  3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:  4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,  5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.  6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.  7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.  --Galatians 4:1-7 King James Version  We recently saw the movie, Thor.  No, I won't spoil the whole story for those who haven't seen it yet.  I will say that the plot centers around a would-be hero.  Because of his ill-conceived zeal, Thor is banished to earth.  Throughout the movie, he comes to realize the error of his lust for war.  Just at the right time, Thor saves the day.    Wisdom does not come easily.  Neither does leadership.  A true leader of a people does not make hasty decisions.  He weighs the pros and cons of any given circumstances.   Leadership does not change hands until the time is right.  This is the same with God, His son, and us.  God sent His Son to us.  Jesus was born of an earthly woman to reconcile us to the Father.  God knew what He was doing.  God desired the right leader--Jesus--for us.  Just like Thor ended up saving his people, Jesus is Our Savior.  Just as Jesus is King of all kings, we ourselves are leaders in our communities and homes.  At the right time, we have the responsibility to lead with wisdom and care.  Thanks to the adoption into the kingdom of God, we have the counsel of the Holy Spirit to guide us in our decision-making.  Because God accepted us as His children, we are more than servants to each other.  We must keep in mind, though, that the highest of us all is servant to the lesser.  We serve a Mighty God and are appointed to love each other.   Thanks for reading today's blog entry about our adoption into Christ's kingdom.  I appreciate you taking the time to read it.

 How about you, my readers?  Have you read about our adoption into the Father's kingdom?  Do you understand about how the adoption occurred?  Have you shared what the Word of God says about why The Father sent His Son to earth?  Do you truly know what it means to be a child of God?  I encourage you to read different versions of Galatians 4:1-7 to understand about God adopting us into His family.    May the only true God of all gods bless us, my dear friends, with His wisdom and peace.  In Jesus' name.  Amen! 

This has been an entry for the Spiritual Sundays series. 

To compile this mini- bible study, I visited: http://www.biblestudytools.com/

 

Teaching Our Children About God

The Bible teaches us to teach our children about God.

1 A psalm of Asaph. O my people, listen to my teaching. Open your ears to what I am saying,  2 for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past --  3 stories we have heard and know, stories our ancestors handed down to us.  4 We will not hide these truths from our children but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD. We will tell of his power and the mighty miracles he did.  5 For he issued his decree to Jacob; he gave his law to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children,  6 so the next generation might know them -- even the children not yet born -- that they in turn might teach their children.  7 So each generation can set its hope anew on God, remembering his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.

  --Psalm 78: 1-7 New Living Translation  Take time to read the Bible. It amazes me the stories that are recounted in the Bible.  There are grand deeds that God has done for His chosen people.  If it weren't for someone jotting them down, we wouldn't know anything about them.  Yet, some people have Bibles and don't read them.  They don't understand that if they really got into the Word, they would go beyond the milk and into the meat of who God is.   These particular verses of the Bible illustrate what God wanted for His people.  He wanted them to teach their children about Him.  That way, the children, and their children's children, would know about Him and His promise to provide for them.  For His people to know of the past provisions would continue to give them hope.  Without hope of a better fate, life is hard to live. 
Along with receiving countless blessing from God, we must give Him something back--obedience.  It's important that, in any relationship, there be some give and take.  It's no different in this case.  God loves to be our Daddy, providing us all that we need.  All we need to do is obey Him.  
How do we obey God?
We obey God by teaching our children about Him.  We teach our children about the miracles God has done for His people.  We let our children know that we, too, can receive those blessings.  We must also take the time to know what is right from wrong and refrain from doing bad.  
How do we know right from wrong?
In the past, the laws of God were contained in the Ark of the Covenant.  We now have the Bible in our hands.  We have copies of the laws of God.  There is no excuse to disobey God, but the reality is that some don't choose to read the Bible.  These individuals leave it to others to tell them what to do throughout life.
What are we teaching our children?
Are we leaving it to others to teach our children about God?  Are we reading the Bible to them?  Are we discussing with our children about all the provisions God has given us?  The best way to teach children about God is to recount the miracles from the past and back it up with what the Bible says.  In saying this, I must say it is imperative to teach about the consequences of disobedience, too. 

Well, thanks so much for reading today's blog entry about teaching our children about God.  I appreciate you taking the time to read it.

 How about you, my readers?  Are you reading your Bibles?  Have you shared the Word of God with your children?  Do you know about the provisions and instructions of God?  Are you discussing the topics of obedience and disobedience with your children?  I encourage you to read the rest of Psalm 78.  You can know what happens as a result of disobedience.   God bless you all, my dear friends, with His wisdom and peace.  In Jesus' name.  Amen! 

This has been an entry for the Spiritual Sundays series. 

To compile this mini- bible study, I visited: http://www.biblestudytools.com/

Looking Beyond the Obvious: My Contemplation of Verse 41 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I am focusing on verse 41 of the Tao Te Ching, particularly these portions:

...The way of illumination seems dark,

going forward seems like retreat,

the easy way seems hard,

true power seems weak,

true purity seems tarnished,

true clarity seems obscure,

the greatest art seems unsophisticated,

the greatest love seems indifferent,

the greatest wisdom seems childish.

The Tao is hidden and nameless;

the Tao alone nourishes and brings everything to fulfillment.

Sometimes, things are not what they seem.

Little by little, as I've read the verses of the Tao Te Ching, my outlook on life has changed...for the better.  It has been a gradual practice to accept what is around me, and I am not 100% there, yet.  It hasn't been just a matter of looking at life in a positive way or noticing the obvious.  It's been a new way of looking at life.  It has meant accepting people and creatures for what they are--nature that reacts to the world.

For example, I was in extreme pain last week.  I could have looked at it in a negative way.  I decided, however, to pay attention to what my body was saying to me.  I "heard" my body say that it needed to rest so I stayed in bed.  I also realized that I need to eat healthier, which I purposed this week.

Yes, life is looking different to me.  It is like when a woman has childbirth pangs.  The woman doesn't like the pain.  The pain, though, signals contractions.  The contractions then help push the baby out.

Pain is a fact of life.

We need to start looking at the terrible situations in our lives as eventualities.  People pass away.  People leave us, for whatever reason.  Cars and appliances give out on us.  Our health has its ups and downs.  We are not the only ones to experience these terrible things.  We won't be the last ones, either, to go through trials and tribulations.

If we accept that the bad will come with the good, we are halfway to getting through life with our sanity intact.  Living out this truth will take us a long way.  If we stop overreacting to the inevitable situations in our lives, then we can live in peace.  Just because the birds outside chirp too much, it doesn't mean that we need to complain about it.  Why not stop and enjoy the bird's song?

Let's look at life with peace as the ultimate goal.

Even though some persons may not believe it, peace is just around the corner.  The Tao, or Source of peace (God, the Father) is here for us.  His peace is available to us.  We just have to grasp for it.  Although we might feel unloved by others, God's loves encompasses us.  

After all, God is omnipotent and omnipresent.

The next time I'm in pain, I'll remember that I should embrace the pain.  On the other side of the pain is an appreciation for what comes--total healing.  In the future when life seems difficult, I'll remember that God is here to make the way easier for me.  I hope that you, my readers, will hold this truth as your own, too.

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it very much.  

I hope this post blesses you, my dear readers.

I've got some questions for you: Do you sometimes wonder if you are assessing a particular situation correctly?  Are you overreacting about every little "bad" thing that happens in your life?  Why not look at the next unsettling circumstance with a fresh, positive perspective?  You might find yourself in a more peaceable mood.  It's worth seeking God's help about the tendency to panic.  Go to Him now with your petitions.  He is sure to help you.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.
 

Surrendering to God: My Contemplation of Verse 40 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I am focusing on verse 40 of the Tao Te Ching:

Returning is the motion of the Tao.

Yielding is the way of the Tao.

The 10,000 things are born of being.

Being is born of nonbeing.

For being the shortest verse of the Tao Te Ching, this one speaks volumes.  

This verse asks the following questions: Where are we going?  What is our destination?  What do we want to accomplish?  Where does our strength come from?  Where does our knowledge come from?

To know that we have an origin helps us to begin to understand a few things:

1. There is a source for everything.  God is the source of all of creation.  He is the source for our power.  He is the source for our strength when we are weak.  

2. If God created everything, He created us, too.  Our identity is rooted in God.  We are His children.  We should act like it, too.

3. We often get in the way of God's purpose in our lives.  Our ego, or selfish needs and wants to take over.  We need to step aside.  We need to surrender our wills to God.

4. We need to return to our origin.  We need to get back to our spiritual source.  Our movements, or rather our actions, should be propelling us towards God.  Let's go before God's throne and talk to Him.

We must desire to impact our lives, and the lives of others, in a positive manner.  We need to ask ourselves some pivotal questions: Are we indeed moving in the right direction?  What will it take to get to our destination?  What is our purpose for living on this earth?  What does God want us to do?  Then, we must be willing to accept the answers to those questions.

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it very much.  

I hope this post blesses you, my dear readers.

I've got some questions for you: Have you surrendered to God?  How are you drawing closer to God, the source of everything (Tao)?  Are you relying on God, the source of power and strength?  I pray we all seek God and His provisions. Let's ask God to give us peace and resolve to keep moving forward.  He is sure to help us.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.
 

Idol Worship

The Bible cautions against idol worship.

 1 Hear the word of the LORD, O Israel!  2 This is what the LORD says: "Do not act like other nations who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them.    3 Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree and carve an idol.   4 They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won't fall over.  5 There stands their god like a helpless scarecrow in a garden! It cannot speak, and it needs to be carried because it cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good."  6 LORD, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power.    7 Who would not fear you, O King of nations? That title belongs to you alone! Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like you.  8 The wisest of people who worship idols are stupid and foolish. The things they worship are made of wood!  9 They bring beaten sheets of silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, and they give these materials to skillful craftsmen who make their idols. Then they dress these gods in royal purple robes made by expert tailors.  10 But the LORD is the only true God, the living God. He is the everlasting King! The whole earth trembles at his anger. The nations hide before his wrath.  11 Say this to those who worship other gods: "Your so-called gods, who did not make the heavens and earth, will vanish from the earth."  12 But God made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. He has stretched out the heavens by his understanding.    13 When he speaks, there is thunder in the heavens. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses.  14 Compared to him, all people are foolish and have no knowledge at all! They make idols, but the idols will disgrace their makers, for they are frauds. They have no life or power in them.   --Jeremiah 10: 1-14 New Living Translation 

Who do you look up to?  In other words, who do you idolize?  Who do you turn to when in need of help?  Who do you turn to when you are feeling overwhelmed?  Who gets you out of your troubles?

Who do your loved ones turn to?  Do they turn to you?  Do you allow people to come to you with all their problems?  Do you try to solve their problems?  Do you go to those same people for help?

 How many people turn to fortune tellers?  How about those doomsday predictors who keep threatening that we will remain or start into another recession in our economy?  Who are we depending on to tell us what the future holds?  Who is carving an idol out a person?  Who keeps turning to the statues?  Who relies on statues made in the image of human beings who can't do anything for you?  Don't you know that it's been God, the Father, helping you through all your troubles?   All God had to do was utter words, and things were formed.  That's how powerful our God is.  How can we not turn to Him when we are trouble? Calling on God, in the name of Jesus, is full of power.  Why not do that today?  Let's turn to God when we are troubled.  May God bless us all with His power in our lives.    Thanks so much for reading today's blog entry about idol worship.  I appreciate you taking the time to read it.

 How about you, my readers?  Are you guilty of idol worship?  Have you accepted God, the Father, as the God of all gods?  I encourage you to read the Bible, especially Jeremiah 10.  I think it's worth understanding this concept of idol worship.  Knowing this can help you seek help from the real God who holds the ultimate power to affect your life in a wonderfully abundant way.

 God bless you all, my dear friends, with His wisdom and peace.  In Jesus' name.  Amen! 

This has been an entry for the Spiritual Sundays series. 


To compile this mini- bible study, I visited: http://www.biblestudytools.com/

Understanding Our Interconnectedness: My Contemplation of Verse 39 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I am focusing on verse 39 of the Tao Te Ching, particularly these portions:

When man interferes with the Tao,

the sky becomes filthy, 

the earth becomes depleted,

the equilibrium crumbles,

creatures become extinct...

The pieces of a chariot are useless

unless they work in accordance with the whole.

A man's life brings nothing

unless he lives in accordance with the whole universe.

Playing one's part

in accordance with the universe

is true humility.

We are part of a global society.

A sense of interconnectedness is what we are experiencing.  I've been seeing the morning news.  British people feel unprotected by the police.  Some have banded together to police the streets.  It is sad that people feel unsafe in their own city. 

I think the world is reeling right now from the economic waves.  We are one in this global society.  No one is immune from this.  People are watching the stock markets.  Everyone is waiting to see what else will be happening.  

Some would like to bury themselves in ignorance.  Others are panicking.  I say we should ban together.  We should come up with solutions.  We can't leave it to our government to help us.

When representatives from the S & P group downgraded the United States credit rating, they caused chaos.  I believe they interfered with the balance of the economy.  Still, the Source of everything, God, is ultimately in control.  That's why I choose not to worry.  

If people were to offer jobs to those who are unemployed, the economy would improve.  People, including my family, would spend money.  The economy would be boosted.  That can't happen overnight, but the ball can get rolling with more optimism.  I think that's what our president did; after his speech, the stock market regained some of its loses.

Let's remember that we are all interconnected.

I think right now is a perfect opportunity to improve our society.  We stand a chance to make wise choices.  We can contemplate our past mistakes.  We can change our ways.  We can spend our money more wisely and show our children that the economy will rebound just as it always has.

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it.  

I hope this post blesses you, my dear readers.

I've got some questions for you: Do you see us all as interconnected?  What do you think about those making decisions about our economy?  Are you relying on those decision-makers?  Or are you resting your hope on God, the Source of everything?  I pray we all seek God and His provisions. Let's ask God to give us peace and resolve to keep moving forward.  He will surely help us.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.
 

Jesus' Appointment as High Priest

The Bible explains who Melchizedek was.

Background of Melchizedek:

1 This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against many kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him.   2 Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had won in the battle and gave it to Melchizedek. His name means "king of justice." He is also "king of peace" because Salem means "peace."   3 There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors -- no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.   I wonder what it would be like to be visited by such a high priest.  Would I immediately get to making a meal for him?  Would I sit there and ask him questions about my spiritual life?  Or would I listen as he tells me something life-changing?  Would he bless me with a special word from God?   Questions abound:  To understand who Jesus is, we must read what the word says of Jesus.  Jesus' purpose in our lives is to be our high priest.  What does that mean?  What does a high priest do?  What does that mean for my life?

6 But Melchizedek, who was not even related to Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God.   7 And without question, the person who has the power to bless is always greater than the person who is blessed.   8 In the case of Jewish priests, tithes are paid to men who will die. But Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on.   Indeed, when Abraham dealt with Melchizedek, the high priest, Abraham was blessed.  I love God's blessings in my life.  If Jesus is my high priest, and I obey His instructions, He will be bless me immensely.  The same thing can happen to you, too, my readers.  Turn to Jesus when you need God's blessings.   Christ is compared to Melchizedek:

 16 He [Jesus Christ] became a priest, not by meeting the old requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.   17 And the psalmist pointed this out when he said of Christ, "You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek."   18 Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless.   19 For the law made nothing perfect, and now a better hope has taken its place. And that is how we draw near to God.   A source of life (God, the Father), which cannot be destroyed, created Jesus.  Jesus is a forever priest, just like Melchizedek.  In fact, Jesus is the Word that was with God when He created the earth and everything in it.  Because God put aside the weak priesthood (human in their sinful flesh), we now have Jesus.  Through Jesus, our mediator, we have a bridge to God, the Father.  God says Jesus is the forever priest:  20 God took an oath that Christ would always be a priest, but he never did this for any other priest.   Even the psalmist knew of Melchizedek.  The psalmist knew of Jesus' role as high priest in our lives.  Melchizedek was a prototype of Jesus.  That is how the psalmist could draw the comparison between the two.

21 Only to Jesus did he [God] say, "The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: 'You are a priest forever.'"   22 Because of God's oath, it is Jesus who guarantees the effectiveness of this better covenant.   --Hebrews 7: 1-3, 6-8, 16-22 New Living Translation  God, the Father, appointed His Son as High Priest over all.  Jesus, in his infallible, sinless self, is the only effective priest.  This promise (covenant, contract) that God created between us humans and Himself is forever and unbreakable.  Oh, what a wonderful present from God, the Father!  Our sins have kept us apart from our Heavenly Father, but...   God has made a way for us to be able to have a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ--our high priest.

Thanks so much for reading today's blog entry about Jesus being our high priest.  I appreciate you taking the time to read it.

 How about you, my readers?  Did you know that Jesus was appointed as our high priest?  Have you accepted Jesus as your high priest?  I encourage you to read the Bible, especially Hebrews 7.  I think it's worth understanding this concept of God appointing His Son, Jesus, as our high priest.  Knowing this can help you seek Jesus when you need the help that only God, the Father, can provide.

 God bless you all, my dear friends, with His wisdom and peace.  In Jesus' name.  Amen! 

This has been an entry for the Spiritual Sundays series. 


To compile this mini- bible study, I visited: http://www.biblestudytools.com/

Keeping to My True Nature: My Contemplation of Verse 38 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I am focusing on verse 38 of the Tao Te Ching, particularly this portion:

The great master follows his own nature

and not the trapping of life.

It is said:

"He stays with the fruit and not the fluff."

"He stays with the firm and not the flimsy."

"He stays with the true and not the false."

I have often asked myself questions before doing or saying something.  Should I do this?  Should I say that?  I replay something in my mind after traumatic events in my life.  Then, I keep those things in mind for the "next" time.

I know we all do it.  We second guess ourselves.  We wonder if we are doing the right thing.  Are we hurting someone?  Are we doing something we'll regret later?

A better question to ask is: What do I really want to do or say?  If we are honest with ourselves, we can retain our integrity.  We have to own our true natures.  I'm not giving permission to anyone to be cruel or rude.  I'm just saying we need to own up to what we really want to do or say.

I'll give you some examples.  There have been times boundaries have been crossed.  People have said inappropriate things to me.  Several people have told me I should respond in a rude manner and put the rude persons down; however, that's not how my mother raised me.  My personality is not built to pay back rudeness for rudeness.

My nature is to tear away from negative people like that.  I am not built to be rude.  I can't stand rude people.  I try to be respectful around others, but I have my limits.  That's my true nature--to tear away from people who continually mistreat me.

Let's be true to our natures and surround ourselves with positive people.

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it.  

I hope this post blesses you, my dear readers.

I've got some questions for you: What is your true nature?  How do you deal with negative people?  Are you rude to rude people?  What is your gut reaction to rude people?  I pray we all seek our true nature. Let's ask God to help us live our true natures.  He will surely help us.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.
 

Our Hope Is in God

The Bible shows us how to keep hope in our hearts.

9 ...We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation.   When one comes to Christ, many things happen.  No, you don't hear trumpets signalling your salvation.  The rewards are not tangible.  We just know that there are rewards waiting for us.  Yet, it is hard to keep plowing forward in our lives at times.  That's when we need a gentle reminder from the Bible.   10 For God is not unfair. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other Christians, as you still do.  11 Our great desire is that you will keep right on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true.  12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and patience.   Faith and patience are our tools when the trials beset us.  Keep the faith through the tough times.  Keep the faith that the trials will pass.  Wait for the storms in our lives to pass, for they will.  Look at the mighty Christians, as examples, who have persevered to the end because they remembered their rewards have been stored up in heaven.  13 For example, there was God's promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying:  14 "I will certainly bless you richly, and I will multiply your descendants into countless millions."  15 Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.  16 When people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding.  17 God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.  18 So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence.  19 This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God's inner sanctuary.  20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the line of Melchizedek.   --Hebrews 6: 9-20

God's promises are forever and true.  What sorts of hardships are we going through at the moment?  I am going through my illness, but I am remembering that all this is worth it.  I am being the best wife and mother I can be.  I am being the best friend that I can be to all.  

Even though I doubt that I am doing everything I can, I know that ALL my efforts are worth it.

It's wonderful to know that we can turn to God's word for encouragement.  It's there for us when we need to recharge ourselves.  The Bible gives us the example of God giving and fulfilling a promise to Abraham.  We can see that indeed there are countless descendants from the line of Abraham.  If God can do that for Abraham, what will He not do for us?!

That's why, when I feel that I have everyone and everything coming at me, I rejoice in the fact that God is here for me.  He's bigger than anything that can come my way.  He can send me the resources and help I need when I call on Him.  Knowing this brings my soul great comfort.  It brings a glad tear to my eye as His adopted child.

My friends, I pray you all have renewed hope in this coming season (homeschooling new year).  Let's turn to God when we need help.  Let's turn to God when our hope seems to be tapped out.  Let's experience a renewing of the mind and the body and the soul, from His love.  Let's continue to be there for one another, meeting each other's needs and prayers. 

God bless us all, in Jesus' name! 

Thanks for reading today's blog entry about casting our hope in God.  I appreciate you taking the time to read it.

 How about you, my readers?  Are you resting your hope in God?  Have you read about His promises?  I encourage you to read the Bible, especially Hebrews 6.  I think it's worth getting your hope renewed.  The renewed hope will improve your outlook on life.

 God bless you all, my dear friends, with His wisdom and peace.  In Jesus' name.  Amen!
This has been an entry for the Spiritual Sundays series. 


To compile this mini- bible study, I visited: http://www.biblestudytools.com/

Standing Outside of the Limelight: My Contemplation of Verse 36 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I am focusing on verse 36 of the Tao Te Ching:

Should you want to contain something,

you must deliberately let it expand.

Should you want to weaken something,

you must deliberately let it grow strong.

Should you want to eliminate something,

you must deliberately allow it to flourish.

Should you want to take something away,

you must deliberately grant it access.

The lesson here is called

the wisdom of obscurity.

The gentle outlasts the strong.

The obscure outlasts the obvious.

Fish cannot leave deep waters,

and a country's weapons should not be displayed.

It is no coincidence that I had to read this verse of the Tao Te Ching.  I have been considering a situation.  I've been wondering whether to stay on or leave.  I don't want to bring attention to myself, but I must announce my departure.  I don't like to be confrontational or rude when I announce my plans.

This verse encourages me to remain in obscurity.  That means I must remain humble, kind, and considerate.  I don't want to hurt feelings.  I don't want to offend anyone, either.  I just want to move on in my journey.

Here are three ways to remain out of the limelight of situations:

1. Recognize the true nature of people.  My mother often used a saying--What a drunk man tells you is the truth.  If you want to know about someone, just let them talk and talk.  Pretty soon, you will know what they are about.  There is no need to devise plans to get at the truth.  God shines a light on the person's true character.

2. Allow a situation to run its course.  This verse teaches that in order for a situation to improve, sometimes it goes worse.  I think that applies to finances and health.  A health problem is sometimes so dire so as to require painful surgery; however, a patient often improves afterwards.

3. Get in touch with God's will in a situation.  What is our true nature?  A fish cannot live outside of water; it is not natural.  What about us?  What does God require of us?  What is our purpose?  Are we to shed light in the darkness?  Are we to teach?  Are we to be doctors?  lawyers?  garbage collectors?  Let's embrace our true nature as God intended.

The Bible is full of stories of horrific people and situations.  In order to experience the goodness, we have to know the badness.  In order to know freedom, we must know what it is to be bound.  In order to know kindness, we must often encounter rudeness.  The converse in all these situations is true, too.

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it.  

I hope this post blesses you, my dear readers.

I've got some questions for you: Are you living in the limelight?  Or are you remaining as an unknown?  What is your true nature?  What situations are troubling you right now?  I pray we all seek our true nature.  Let's also try to see circumstances for what they truly are; most basic life situations have already occurred to others throughout mankind's walk on this earth.  If our predecessors could live through them, we can, too.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.