retired literature and writing professor; I write spiritual, meditative, and prayerful blogs. My life is devoted to prayer and healing prayer for all I meet.
“I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts,
and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Jer 31:33
The only perfect entity is God; we are merely mirror images of His holy creation. When we accept this Truth, we realize and accept a freedom unimagined in our mortal lives. Our connection with He who created us is eternal and loving. And loving is the key to life; Love and Life are inseparable. When either one is fulfilled, the other returns in kind.
Jesus reminds us that there is only one true commandment and that is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Simple! Direct! Attainable if we let go of our ego. I would also say that this is the one true law we must follow!
I read that those who understand more than I do comment that this commandment is a glowing lamp, shining bright for us, and this commandment, the law of God, is the light we follow on our journey through mortal life. Let us accept and practice the one true principle that Life is Love and Love is Life, and both are God.
Testimony means many things to many people. Speaking in a non-legal way, my testimony is a faith statement of understanding my true relationship with God. This relationship is indestructible; it is inseparable; and it is absolutely inalienable. There is not an entity in God’s Creation that can take this relationship from me. My trust in God is a perfect experience of spiritual calmness, gratitude, and an ability to be altruistic in my sharing with others.
Mankind is indivisible with God, regardless of what the naysayers protest. God is good; therefore, we are good. . . at least our spiritual beings are good. Mortal man has many flaws; we prove that every day in our treatment of others. However, our spiritual man is a perfect reflection of God’s Love. And when we accept this indivisible relationship with eternity, we can realize and be the perfect man that God creates.
I say this not with pride but with the understanding that the true me, the one God created, is Love. There is no absence of my relationship with God in eternity for it is there that I have lived, presently live, and will live forever. . . now and especially when God rids me of this mortal body with its many defects. I trust Immanual, God within, without which I am nothing.
My voice and my very being, spiritual and mortal, accepts and recognizes the Voice of God leading me in my life. This is my testimony!
We all live a life wavering spiritually between times of pleasure and times of remorse, wondering why the kayak we occupy is always scaling the rapids. Happy or sad, we spend our time criticizing other travelers for their heritage or beliefs. We are not happy with ourselves, and therefore are critical of others. We cause others to suffer needlessly; we are drowning in denunciations of others.
We distrust and dislike others because our faith lacks personal commitment. Faith is not a noun! Faith is an active verb not a passive one. We must be faith in God, in ourselves, and in others, practicing goodness and love as God’s invitation asks. True Love is eternal and is pure affection for all when shared.
When one member of our human family suffers, we all suffer. . . together on a violent river of greed, envy, and hatred. We cannot afford to practice any of these negativities. Our experiences are both mutual, that is communal, and provisional, relying on brotherly love and faith. Our actions are experiential, relying on mutual love and respect. Spiritually we do not and cannot choose hate over love, greed over sharing, or envy over goodness. Our spiritual existences are directly tied to God’s Truths; we cannot live outside of this Truth.
What we can do is study and live God’s Love and Truth, bringing these into our daily mortal lives, relieving suffering for others and for self. This is the example that Jesus lived and taught. This is God’s promise of Life without suffering. God’s Life is real. . . forever; suffering is a mortal construct that may seem real but is invalid in God’s Life and Love.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God (Isaiah 40:1).
The most important aspect of life is our relationship with God. We cannot attain true comfort without the understanding that we are not just men and women of flesh and blood; we are more than that. We are spiritual beings, created by God, living by the will and Grace of God, even as we suffer in our humanity-made society of greed and lust. Foremost is our acceptance of the heart and soul of God’s Love and how we are an eternal part of this.
The divine principle of Life is man’s likeness with God and His Truth, Life and Love. God made us in His image; pure, perfect, and eternal, not materially promised to die. To paraphrase Proverbs, to be with and love God is the beginning of Wisdom and understanding (9:10). All goodness is perfection, and all perfection is goodness; this is the creation in which we live.
Life, Truth, and Love, the Word of God is eternal. Jesus proved this in reconciling our world with God’s True World. It is only through God that we have true reconciliation. Prayer cannot bring this to bear, only demonstration of God’s Love for one another can accomplish this. Opening our hearts in prayer can, however, lead to acceptance and understanding of God’s Truth. . . Truth for us, Truth for all eternity.
To live in true comfort, we recognize the revelation of God’s True Creation, one of beauty and splendor. When we live in God’s Love, together as God wills us to, then and only then can we enjoy the comfort of the Life and Love of God.
I sometimes worry about finances; do I have enough to last without begging from my children, or at least relying on their kindness? At my age, I also worry about the health of my aging body, my aging mind. This does not have to be, nor is it necessary. Among others, these are false gods mankind raises to unnecessary elevations of importance. God has and always will provide.
The vessel of my life is filled with God’s Love. There is no room for these false gods that try to invade my eternal countenance. My life, as with all lives, is one of the miracles that fulfills God’s law of Love, and I am born and live by and in God’s Grace. Through me God’s creation reappears allowing me to demonstrate its eternal origins, proving once again that there is no power except that of God.
The divine principles of Jesus’s teachings are to this day Life, Truth, and Love. All of these overcame and remain overcoming sin, disease, and death. Our mortal bodies suffer these consequences, but our souls, our spiritual bodies do not, for they are of God; they are eternal. Thus, I need not worry about the material resources in my final years; God provides.
As Jesus brought God back into the consciousness of mankind, so we must do today. God, Thou art my God, but only if I demonstrate this daily by living a life of Truth and Love.
God created the heavens and the Earth and all living things in the universe. I believe, or rather I trust, that His creation is an ongoing affair. With each new living creature, be it human, animal, or flora, a new creation begins. Unfortunately, mankind has assumed that creation is all about him, not Him, He who created.
I am also not ignorant, or self-important, enough to believe that the planet Earth has the only living creatures on it. Looking at the universe, seeing the billions and billions of stars out there, I can believe that each star is another Sun and each third planet from this sun is another Earth inhabited by living, breathing creatures. And I do not mean little green men!!!
I am reminded of the story in II Kings about the pour widow who was told to take her one jar of oil and pour it into three urns, and when they were full to sell them so that she could live with her children out of debt. Demonstrating that God’s blessings are both eternally overflowing and never run out.
Jesus demonstrated this in His daily healing and teaching. Jesus demonstrated the ever-present and everlasting power, glory, and blessing of God’s Love daily in His life. I also believe that God does not limit Jesus to a three-year period two thousand years ago. I believe that special divine power, glory, and blessing are still with us. Just as with the widow and her oil, God’s Love, demonstrated through the life of Jesus, remains alive and walking with us today – healing and teaching.
Romans 13:1: “there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”
The book of Job in the Old Testament contains a very important story of Wisdom. Job speaks directly with God and understands what position God has in his life, “I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee, (42:2).”
Many people believe that it is not possible for o speak directly with God; is not this what prayer is? Is not this what sharing God’s Love is? God promises us many things; our faith provides all that God intends for us. Jesus is the manifestation of the perfection and purity of mankind. When we learn and understand His parables and put them into practice for our own lives, we attain the healing power that God blesses us with. Our goal is to follow in His footsteps and bring the healing power of God to all. We do this in and with the pure Truth that Jesus taught.
The Holy Spirit is our permanent companion through Life (with a capital L). this is our everyday guide to God’s Love and nurturing presence. It is with the Holy Spirit that we live and demonstrate our perfect and eternal spirituality. This is the Truth of our existence. It is the Holy Spirit walking with us that keeps us on our holy appointed path in life. This is our permanent blessing! The Holy Spirit is our protector and guide.
I have been on the precipice of God’s eternal creation three times in my life. What I saw both thrilled and enlightened me; I did not fear. What I saw was welcoming. I longed to step through the portal to God’s perfect realm. But the Holy Spirit took my hand and walked me back to my mortal life.
The first time brought me into the world of youth swimming at a local YMCA; I ended up as a high school swimming coach. This brought me untold pleasure, allowing children to succeed in their gifted talents. The second time, at age fifty-one, God opened many doors for me to become a high school history teacher, which later turned into a final career as a community college literature professor.
Finally, after dying on an operating table, the Holy Spirit guided me back to life bringing me into the world of prayer and caring; I am now the chaplain of a local Marine Corps League. At the age of seventy-nine, the Holy Spirit is guiding me and walking with me as I address the spiritual needs of my troubled brother and sister Marines. When I am with one of these brothers or sisters, there is a spiritual glow that encompasses us. This is the promise that Jesus made when He said that whenever two or more of you meet in my name, I will be with you.
“There is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” I find it a blessing that at my age I am now walking on a new path of spiritual healing.
I think back on what Revelation says about death: Hades (the grave) is simply the place of the dead. I intend for my body to be cremated and my ashes spread on fertile dirt. Will this be will my grave, my Hades? No! and No! when my body dies, I will not; life never ends; it merely changes to another form, another existence, just like being birthed from your mother’s womb – new life begins.
I think of my life facing a ton of problems; some merely went away; others still confront me. Excuse me Paul Simon, but if there are fifty ways to leave a lover, how many ways are there to leave your troubles behind? Can we sneak out the back, Jack?
The answer is Yes! When and where there is life, there is hope, and when there is hope there is life. Furthermore, where there is life, there is Life. When we turn to Life, we cast off all darkness by entering God’s realm. I turn to God and am filled with a fresh supply of courage and determination; God returns my strength to me. I am his artwork. . . but only when I accept and embrace this do I get the full benefit.
Mortal life is filled with storms. But after the storms pass, a beautiful sunrise follows, refreshing all life in nature, refreshing the beauty of God’s Creation. How many times, Lord, must I suffer the hurricane to see the sunlight; how many times? But this is speaking as a mortal; when I speak as the spiritual man God created, I no longer fear the storms for I know what lies beneath; I know God is there as my protector. So when I face life changes, I turn to God knowing that I am on the correct path – His path.
Like you, I am God’s spiritual offspring. We share a common bond; we are all perfect works of God. I say this with an open mind of understanding and faith; but I am temporarily disappointed with my reaction to a choice made by a relative, who is also a spiritual offspring of God.
I quote from 1 Peter5: “We all need a friend to share our troubles with. Someone to listen to our fears, cares, and worries (7).” We are all perfect works of God, and this relative, I will call him Eric, is as perfect as they come. It is just that he recently made a life choice which disturbs me. He is not as spiritual as I am, so I should be prepared for differences. I am a realist and understand that there are realities, very harsh realities, that we face as mortals. We cannot avoid these!!! Mortal life is sometimes dangerous and fearful.
I overcome my disappointment and greet Eric with all the love that God gives. The Holy Spirit blesses us with an invitation to recognize God in others. This is how God’s providence and Love unfolds in our spiritual lives and aids us to navigate the misfortunes before us.
Sometimes, I am guilty of looking outside of my body for comfort. Furthermore, I am forever beginning my meditations and spiritual searching by reading the intelligence offered by modern day pseudo prophets in our man-made societies for the answers I know are not there. This may sound foolish, but I am a former professor who encouraged my students to always look for many views before reaching a conclusion. In other words, I trained them as I was trained to look for the words of other men and women for answers – wrong answers if I may say now. The only true answer we attain are through our spirituality and relationship with and for God.
I am not foolish enough to completely exclude what society says because we do live in a material world and all of its oppressive pressures. We have to face these harsh realities, not as mortal men, but as spiritual children of God. Otherwise, we will be crushed under by the depressing realities of mortal life. But when we look inside, where the presence of the Holy Spirit is, wonders open for us that we cannot truly understand by using the words of our mortal fathers and grandfathers.
When I turn to my spiritual being and accept my immortality in God’s creation, I leave my vulnerability to man’s world behind. God is Love; there is no other. I have a pure heart and trust in the words from Ezekiel, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an (sic) heart of flesh; 36:26.”
Looking inward allows me to approach our Father with honesty, promise and Love. What other way is there?
Meditating to Heal 
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