How we reach out to God

I was just thinking about a church service attended a few weeks ago.  I'm not a regular goer by any means,

but this place I'll return to.

Folks talk a lot about true faith and the "real" path to God.  These folks seem to truly be trying to get there.

It's a very small church.  Maybe 30 folks or so in total.

In mid service one younger christian stated that we got to the path to God through work.  It's that sort of congregation that impresses me.  The congregation can and does ask questions, the the preachers/ priests/ whatever you choose to call them.   Answer them.  Pretty much a Q and A session each time. 

I love that!

If you can't ask others questions about God in church or ask God in church then what use it is?  Why bother?  Taking someone else s  view of God and just accepting it is rather silly to my mind.  Need to find out for ourselves.

At any rate.  This fellow had stated that we get to God via work.  He was stopped immediately and advised that God comes to us through Grace and not work.  So very true.

There is not one thing in the world we can do to bribe God with our works or our money or our promises to do this or that.

He gives, we receive and that's all there is to it.  We tend not to like this one wee bit.  We have that desire to give and get.  Even the people in the lowest positions in life believe that all is give and take.

Yet...we are not God.  The rules and different when dealing with God than with man.

We are not God, we are the children of God that are still in training to join him back home.

All that comes to us is a blessing of God.  If we know it or not.

We live in grace and we end this world in grace.  It's all his giving and none of what we do.

What we do have a need to learn is how to accept that grace.  Blessings come and we tend to ignore them or discount them.  Thus we place ourselves in our own mind further from God.  We talk about coincidences, or things that "just happen".  They don't.  We create within God. And by his grace we create all that is in our lives.

It is never our work that brings us blessings.  But God's love that does so constantly.

I don't need to work for God.  He is water to me.  My environment.  My life.  No need to seek him out, just accept that he is here with me always.

A note of wisdom.

This is a note I received from my beloved sister Jen today.  Words of wisdom and strength.  She has much of both.

 

 

Everyday you are born anew!!!!!!

 

While cleaning out my email, I ran across this list of guidelines for 2010 that a friend emailed me. If we take the time to follow them, I think we'll all enjoy life just a little bit more this year. 

Ann

 

HANDBOOK 2010
Health:
1.       Drink plenty of water.
2.       Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a beggar.
3..       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4.       Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5.       Make time to pray.
6.       Play more games.
7.       Read more books than you did in 2009.
8.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9.       Sleep for 7 hours.
10.    Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.
Personality:
11.    Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12.    Don't have negative thoughts on things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13.    Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14.    Don't take yourself so seriously - no one else does.
15.    Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16.    Dream more while you are awake.
17.    Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18.    Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner about his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19.    Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20.    Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21.    No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22.    Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23.    Smile and laugh more.
24.    You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...
Society:
25.    Call your family often.
26.    Each day give something good to others.
27.    Forgive everyone for everything...
28.    Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of  6.
29.    Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30.    What other people think of you is none of your business.
31.    Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:
32.    Do the right thing!
33.    Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34.    GOD heals everything.
35.    However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36.    No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37.    The best is yet to come.
38.    When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39.    Your inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
Last but not the least:
40.    Please forward this to everyone you care about, I just did.    

 

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