The Dangers of Our Own Understanding

There is a way

A way that seems right to a man,

But its end is destruction.

Let us then grow

In devotion to Christ,

In the love of God,

In hope in the Holy Spirit.

Let us rely on God

To bring us to pure water,

And not put our trust

In our own understanding.

No matter how holy or sacred

That understanding seems to us.

For God’s understanding

And our understanding

Are like the distance

From heaven to earth.

If we rely on our own wisdom,

How can we expect

To come closer to God?

But when we rely on the understanding

that comes from the Holy Spirit

Our Creator,

Our Father,

The Beloved Son of Righteousness

Our hearts become pure,

Our minds are linked

To the mind of God.

True, a lack of Christ consciousness

Brings deception and pain.

Christ consciousness may sound strange,

But it is simply walking

In the teachings of our Lord

and Savior Jesus Christ.

When we fail or refuse

To walk in His teachings,

We place a stumbling block

Before our brothers and sisters.

We can create a disaster

Where there was none.

Not walking

In the teachings of Jesus

Shows the world

That we are not His followers,

Not His disciples.

And when the world looks at Christianity

And says, “I will not follow Jesus,

for His people do not follow Him,”

A lack of Christ consciousness

In the church

And in its leadership

Creates scandal of every kind.

For how beautiful it is

When the church walks

In Christ consciousness

The teachings of Jesus,

Our Savior,

Our Lord,

Our Healer.

And how unsettling it is

When we refuse to do

What Jesus taught.

Thinking His teachings are optional

is dangerous.

It produces rotten fruit. 

Amen

Spiritual and Physical Strength

Beloved Heavenly Father,

In all we think, say, and do

May Your name be ever glorified.

O Father,

Give us the energy we need

Both physical and spiritual

In order to do Your will.

For when we do Your will

We step closer to heaven.

Yet we need both kinds of strength

To walk that path.

This spiritual energy

is Grace, Mercy, and compassion.

Our physical energy

Is the bread we call daily strength.

But man does not live

On physical energy alone,

But on the spiritual energy

of Grace, Mercy, compassion, wisdom,

and the Word of God.

Amen.

What God Will Look For

Where there is devotion in the heart

True, pure, everlasting,

Full of compassion, kindness,

Generosity, and obedience

A broken and contrite heart,

A heart that wants to do what God wants it to do

And not its own will,

There Christ is.

Where devotion to Christ is pure,

And where there is Christ‑consciousness in the mind,

Full of loving‑kindness,

Full of joy

Let the teachings of Christ be carried out

By all men,

To the best of their abilities

And in the situations they are given.

For this is the oil in the lamp.

Not oil like earthly oil used for cooking,

But the righteous oil of

Devotion in the heart of a person

And Christ‑consciousness in the mind.

This is what God will look for

On the Day of Judgment.

Amen

A Position of the Heart

Blasphemy is not
Just a word alone.

It is a position
Of the heart.

Speaking the Lord’s name in vain

With a mental disorder
Tourette’s or similar

Is not blasphemy.

Blasphemy is taking His name in vain

Not by accident,

Not by illness,

But on purpose.

Doing it to show off,

To offend,

To honor Satan, 

Not God.

Above all,

Blasphemy is willful

A choice of disrespect,

A choice against holiness. 

Amen

The Olives of Obedience

How many Bible verses can you memorize?
But does it really matter if we know thousands?
Without devotion in your heart,
without repentance in your mind
repentance that is sincere
it is useless.

For dishonest, insincere repentance
is worse than no repentance at all.
Repentance should be
as soon and as often as possible.
You are not guaranteed a tomorrow,
so do not wait.

Make your repentance sincere,
your devotion pure and true,
as the Lord gives devotion to my heart.
For devotion, pure and true,
is the oil in the lamp
the righteous oil in the lamp
that Jesus speaks of.

It is metaphorical, symbolic.
It is not made of olives,
but of the olives of obedience,
devotion, compassion,
generosity, sincerity, and honesty.

Amen