How to Find Lasting Happiness: My Contemplation of Verse 35 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 35 of the Tao Te Ching, specifically this portion:

All men will come to him

who keeps to the one.

They flock to him and receive no harm,

for in him they find peace, security, and happiness.

Music and dining are passing pleasures,

yet they cause people to stop.

How bland and insipid are the things of this world

when one compares them to the Tao!

Pleasure comes in many forms.  Easting a delicious cake can be wondrous.  Drinking the finest liquor can be enjoyable.  Visiting a favorite vacation spot can recharge the batteries.  Even spending time with a loved one can bring happiness.  

Unfortunately, desire can be a trap.  An addiction or habit takes a hold of someone. He/She keeps seeking to be satisfied.  The satisfaction is fleeting.  It is unattainable.  

One gets a false sense of satisfaction from a constant craving.  

To strive for something will never yield satisfaction.  It's a never-ending cycle.  We must break away from that cycle.  Instead, we should seek the spiritual pleasantries from the God--the Source of everything.  Only what God provides can truly fill us up.

Tap into what God has to offer--peace and joy.

How do we experience the joys of life?  We see, touch, smell, and hear that which we enjoy.  How about that which God provides?  We can't sense God, but we can rejoice when He gives us true peace, joy, and a sense of security.  To fully appreciate those pleasantries with appreciation, what can we do?  

Following are some points to remember about earthly pleasures versus eternal happiness: 

1. Understand that the pleasures of life are fleeting.

2. Understand that what God offers is eternal.

3. Stop striving for that which does not bring lasting happiness.

4. Appreciate what God provides.

5. Seek God and His provision.

We should truly plug into the Tao, The Source of everything.  We could all enjoy peace, joy, and security.  People would flock to us.  They would see the joy in our hearts.  We would then be able to point people to God, who supplies all our needs; they would then see that He even grants us our desires, as He sees fit.

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 only for the next pleasurable event?  Or are you seeking spiritual joy, which no one can take away?  I pray we all look past the pleasures of life.  The physical pleasures of this world do not last forever; whereas, the happiness God gives is eternal.

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.

A Call to Live in Peace

In the book of Ephesians, Paul urges us to be united.

 1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.  2 Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love.  3 Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.  4 We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future.  5 There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  6 and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all.    --Ephesians 4:1-6 New Living Translation  It seems that God is speaking to me about peace.  I have full faith that it is not by accident.  If you follow my blog regularly, you will see that last Wednesday I spoke about a time for everything, including war and peace.  This Wednesday, I will also be writing about putting down weapons.  Of course, weapons come in many forms.    In Ephesians, Paul is urging us to live godly.  He doesn't just say, "Live godly."  No.  He goes into detail.  Even though Paul persecuted Christians, he himself became one.  He was compelled by Jesus Christ.  I like how the New Living Translation makes it simple for us to understand what Paul is saying in Ephesians 4 about peacefully living in unity.  I thank God that we, in this day and age, have the ability to understand the Bible.  How should we act towards one another?  We should:  --be humble towards one another;--be patient through one another's flaws;--be gentle in our conduct towards one another;--thus, practice unity under the Holy Spirit.  Why should we be united in peace?   --God has called us for His purposes; --we have the same spirit (of God); --we are within one body (of Christ); --we have one Lord who rules over us; --we share in the same faith; --we have been born of the same baptism;  --we have the same glorious future; and--we share the same Father, God.   We should live peacefully with one another! Well, this has been informative.  I pray that the Holy Spirit counsels us all about these Bible verses.  I love breaking down the meanings of the words, piecemeal, in order to understand what I am reading.  I hope it helps you all, too.  Thanks for reading what the Lord has revealed to me about living in peace.   How about you, my readers? Are you living in peace with one another?  Are you living in unity within your home?  Or are you divided in your goals as a unit?  Like the saying goes, "United we stand.  Divided, we fall."  I encourage you all, my readers, to examine whether you are acting in harmony or in discord with one another.  It could change your life.  Please discuss this issue at the dinner table.  It is worth the time and effort.  I pray that God gives you all, my beloveds, His wisdom and peace.   

 
This has been an entry for the Spiritual Sundays series. 

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

 

 

Striving for Peace: My Contemplation of Verse 30 of the Tao Te Ching

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

Today, I delve into verse 30 of the Tao Te Ching, specifically these portions:

One who would guide a leader of men in the uses of life

will warn him against the use of arms for conquest.

Weapons often turn upon the wielder...

you must rather regret that you had not been 

able to prevent the war...

You must never think of conquering others by force.

Whatever strains with force

will soon decay.

It is not attuned to the Way.

Not being attuned to the Way,

its end comes all too soon.

It is easy to think that one can force another to do something.  Using violence, either in verbal or physical terms, seems like the best idea against violent people.  Unfortunately, it backfires.  Dr. Dyer explains that the children of those who fought in wars often retaliate.  Their sense of revenge can be quite strong.

There are many terrible consequences to war.  One is the famine.  Just think of how the surface of the ground turns out after a war occurs.  The earth is not useable.  The people in that area suffer in poverty.

This verse of the Tao Te Ching asks us to choose peace over exerting force, or power, on an enemy.  War doesn't bring about anything positive.  Only abhorrence and narrow-mindedness result from war.  People end up with emotional problems, too.

Instead we should strive for peace.  We should be peacemakers as God prefers.  Collaboration is to be sought.  We should prefer it to rivalry.  The Tao, or the Way, provides for us so we should share resources and show love to one another.  We must strive to be kind and loving to each other because we share the same Source, God.

Also, if anyone profits through war, one should not brag about it.  One should instead make amends for that.  After all, love covers a multitude of sins.  Instead of automatically using force, we should concentrate on not lashing out on anyone.  The reality is that our weapons can be used against us.

I pray that we all strive for peace in our lives.  Just imagine how much our lives will the better for it.

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it.

How about it, my friends?  Are you striving for peace?  Or are you abusing those around you?  Aren't you afraid that your weapons can be used against you?  I pray we all seek peace.  War always brings about negative consequences, which are contrary to God's wishes.

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.

How To Abide in Peace: My Contemplation of Verse 26 of the Tao Te Ching

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

Today, I delve into verse 26 of the Tao Te Ching, specifically this portion:

Why should the lord of the country

flit about like a fool?

If you let yourself be blown to and fro,

you lose touch with your root.

To be restless is to lose one's self-mastery.

We encounter all kinds of challenges and trials in our lives.  The question becomes one of whether we will let those situations toss to and fro.  To abide in peace is what we should all seek.  The reality is that many people simply cave to frustration.  Following are some suggestions to attain peace in our lives:

1. Stop blaming other people.

Peace will escape us if we keep insisting on blaming others for our circumstances.  Once we realize that we can control how we react to others, we can move forward.  We must ask God to help us forgive others for their trespasses against us.  Further, no one in this world can make us happy.  That myth only exists in movies and songs. 

2. Stop allowing your tough circumstances to influence your emotions.

Everyone goes through their ups and downs.  Just look around, and you will see that there are others struggling.  Some people are having economic hardships.  Some have suffered loss of loved ones.  That will not change so we must endure as best we can and lift each other up, in the meantime.

3. Start getting in touch with the Source of peace.

One of the most important facts is that the author of peace is to whom we should turn.  Only God can get us through the toughest of circumstances.  Believe me, I know heartache and suffering.  I also know that I am not the only one who's gone through hard times.  The strongest people I know have turned to God, the Source of peace.

 

 

Well, I hope you will turn to God when peace seems to escape you.  Turn to Him now.  You will sense the calmness if you pray to Him.  Root yourself in God's Word, the Bible, and you will abide in His peace.  Then, people will ask you how you are at peace in the midst of your trials.

 

How about it, my friends?  Do you allow circumstances move you to and fro?  Do you blame others for your unhappiness?  Do you turn to God during challenging times?  God is the source of all peace.  I encourage you to turn to God in the midst of your trials.  Peace is available to us all.

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.

Embracing Your Nature: My Contemplation of Verse 23 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 embracing verse 23 of the Tao Te Ching, specifically these portions:

If you conform to the Way,

its power flows through you.

Your actions become those of nature,

your ways those of heaven.

Open yourself to the Tao

and trust your natural responses...

then everything will fall into place.

I think it's important to understand that we are part of nature.  We, who are part of nature, were created by a magnificent creator.  We have our ups and downs.  Nature around us has its ups and downs.  Weather is part of nature.

The wind is part of nature.  It blows, and it subsides.  In our lives, we have happy times.  We also have sad times.  Stuff happens!

I can tell you about all the negative events in my life.  I could sing you a song like the Blues.  My daddy, he died, duh, duh, duh, duh.  I lived in a rat-infested house, duh, duh, duh, duh.  My roof did leak, duh, duh, duh, duh.

The reality is that I have also had positive life points.  I had a loving mother.  She didn't give up my four siblings and me to foster care.  I finished high school and even got a Bachelor's degree.  I'm  married with four wonderful children.

Listen, we all have chaotic times.  We all have peaceful times.  There is an important question we must ask ourselves.  Are we going to let the bad experiences strike us so strongly?  Yes or no.

Will we keep depending on our abilities?  Will we keep pushing and pulling our way to what we think is success?  Will we keep trying to control all of the conditions in our lives?  When are we going to realize that we are limited beings?  Why fight the natural aspects of our lives?

How about depending on God?  He is the Tao--the Way and the Source of everything.  He is our Creator.  He loves us.  He wants what is best for us, and that includes trusting in Him.

God's ways are not our ways.

He is the One we should turn to when we are troubled.

Let's turn to Him.

Let's thank Him when the good things happen.

How about it, my readers?  Are you depending on your abilities to get you through the tough times?  Or are you turning to God?  I recommend going with the flow of your given situation.  For example, if someone is bad-mouthing you, keep quiet and let that person's nature run its course.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace.

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.