The Devotionals Thread

[24KT]

Chemical Interactions....nothing more.

That's a cut & dry description of infatuation, ...not love. They're 2 different things although many confuse them

[24KT]

On Wisdom

"Wisdom enlightens us; it allows us to distinguish between good and evil and so take the necessary steps to repel evil. But even our friends will not remain with us for long if we only ever call upon wisdom. Of course, wisdom attracts, because it shines and can be seen from far away, but it is cold, and people don’t much like staying next to a cold light. That is why sages are often solitary beings, whereas those who are less wise but full of warmth are surrounded by friends. So what should we do? Is it better to neglect wisdom in order to avoid being alone? No, of course not, for those who allow themselves to be guided only by love risk being at the beck and call of others and end up being devoured.

Love binds and wisdom unbinds. That is why we must learn to harmonize the two currents within ourselves: to know when it is better to manifest love and when wisdom."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

[Colossus_500]

Foolish Talking
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

"Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks." (Ephesians 5:4)

In the Book of Ephesians are included several guidelines for the Christian's speech--how we should talk and what we should talk about. These are not easy rules to follow, but are necessary if we would please our Savior and be effective in our Christian lives and witness.

As our text indicates, vulgar talk, idle chatter, and coarse jesting should "not be once named among you, as becometh saints" (5:3). "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers" (4:29).

The same applies to bitter, angry, malicious speech. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice" (4:31). And certainly our communications should be true and trustworthy. "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor" (4:25).

Thus, our words should not be crude or obscene, idle or foolish, bitter or angry, false or malicious. Instead, they should be good words, true words, gracious words, intended to edify--that is, build up--our hearers in their own Christian lives.

Further, if we would win others to Christ, we must always be [color=blue]"speaking the truth in love" (4:15)[/color]. What we say to them must be fully in accord with both biblical truth and genuine Christian love. Finally, we should "be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (5:18-20). Gracious, edifying words can only come from a thankful heart.

[24KT]

On Truth

"Even though they have dedicated their life to searching for truth and have given the most evident proofs of their disinterestedness, their magnitude and their goodness, initiates and great masters are often considered to be people of very strange ideas. And yet ordinary people, those who are content to get by as best they can, are considered normal; they’re the ones to take as examples! But what does the book of living nature say on this subject?
 
Here is one example, but there are many others: when the sun rises in the morning, which places on earth are first to receive its rays? The valleys or the mountain peaks? The mountain peaks, of course. So, the purest, noblest and most luminous beings are the first to discover truths. And, who knows how many centuries later, ordinary people will receive something of these truths."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

[Colossus_500]

Delusion from God
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." (2 Thessalonians 2:11)

This is a startling declaration! Why would God want to deceive people and cause them to believe a lie? The "cause" which would activate such an extreme decision on God's part must be very serious. The preceding verse states it plainly. It is "because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Because they "resist the truth" (2 Timothy 3:, they will "believe the lie!"

The specific context refers to those who elect to follow the coming "man of sin," but the principle is timeless. It tells us that God's attitude toward men is determined by their love of the truth, rather than by their knowledge of the truth. When people love God's truth, there is no limit to the amount of truth and blessing they may receive from God. Note the attitude of the writer of Psalm 119: "How sweet are thy words unto my taste!" "Thy testimonies . . . are the rejoicing of my heart." "I love thy commandments above gold." "Thy law is my delight" (Psalm 119:103, 111, 127, 174).

But when people begin to exhibit a disdain for God's truth, there may soon come a time in their lives when they find it impossible even to comprehend the all-important truth of God's saving gospel (creation, salvation, and reconciliation through Christ).

Because they refused the love of His truth when it would have been easy to believe, a blindness gradually engulfs their minds until they love the deceptive philosophies of the world, and they never escape the strong delusion which God has allowed to engulf them. Henceforth, though they are "ever learning," they are "never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7). How important it is, as early in life as possible, to receive from God His proffered gift of the love of His truth!

[Colossus_500]

Reconciliation
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." (Romans 5:10)

It is interesting to note that as important as is the doctrine of the atonement in Christian theology, the word itself occurs only once in the King James New Testament. It is in the very next verse after our text. "And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement" (v. 11).

The Greek word is translated "reconciliation" in 2 Corinthians 5:18. "All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation." Thus the doctrine of atonement is the doctrine of reconciliation. Men are separated from our holy God both by their sin nature and also by their actual guilt of committed sin. But through the substitutionary death of Christ for our sins, "we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son." That is, God has already reconciled sinners to Himself by the sacrificial death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The problem is that sinners are not actually reconciled to God until they personally accept this free gift of God's love to them.

But we who "have now received the atonement |that is, reconciliation| . . . joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:11). A part of that joy should be in the fact that God has now "given unto us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:19). Thus, it has become our great privilege to tell others that they can be completely forgiven and eternally saved. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:20, 21).

[Colossus_500]

WORSHIP
Devotion from Pastor Bob Coy (senior pastor at Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale)
activeword.org

After a night of binge drinking with his friends, William woke up in a place he didn’t recognize.

The Muncie, Indiana man was groggy and still a little inebriated, so it’s understandable that he was confused. His surroundings were dark and smelly. Random plastic bags and boxes seemed to be falling on him. And he was vaguely aware of a metallic screeching noise.

After a few seconds, the realization dawned in William’s alcohol-fogged mind that he was in the belly of a commercial trash-collection vehicle. The startled driver had just emptied a commercial dumpster into his truck and was about to activate its compactor when he heard William screaming.

William later told police that he had been drinking with buddies at a local bar until about 3 a.m., but he said he didn't recall how he ended up inside the trash bin.

The Slip-n-Slide to Garbage-ville

I mention this little news item because in addition to being kind of funny, it illustrates pretty vividly a larger truth about life.

Like a biblical parable, poor William’s experience perfectly captures the way the enemy of our souls offers a deal that looks pretty attractive on Friday night but invariably ends with a rude awakening in one of life’s garbage trucks on Saturday morning.

I speak from experience on this.

If you know my testimony at all, you know that God redeemed me out of a pretty seedy lifestyle in Las Vegas and that abuse of chemical substances was common for me. I never woke up in a trash truck but I did find myself in some strange and scary places.

For example, back in the days I started using cocaine, my “friends” and I all assured one another that this was the one drug that wasn’t addictive.

That’s right, I was one of those geniuses who fell for the pretty lie that you could experience all the upsides of the high without experiencing any of the negative consequences.

Of course, we were wrong. At great personal cost, we eventually found out that cocaine was very, very addictive indeed.

But sin is rarely like grabbing hold of an electrified fence—where you experience instant negative consequences. Satan is much more subtle and subversive than that. (“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.” –Genesis 3:1, KJV)

The devil’s traps always start out fun. Then bit by bit the fun is replaced with dysfunction, decay and bondage.

For me it was. . . well, you have to wash cocaine down with something. So I used large volumes of alcohol to lubricate my downward slip-n-slide into the garbage truck.

Jonah ended up in the belly of a whale because he was running from God. Many of us, my old-self included, end up in one of life’s garbage trucks because we’re running with the devil.

Chasing an Illusion

Here’s the thing about idols. They insist on being served. And once you’ve served it for while, you find that you can’t think clearly anymore.

Back before I surrendered my life to Christ and experienced an amazing transformation, I served a variety of idols. Among them were pleasure, prestige, money, drugs and alcohol.

Everything they promised seemed so wonderful, but was an illusion.

But the truth is, even believers can fall into the trap of idol worship. Even bona fide, born-again Christians can find themselves chasing some tantalizing mirage put forth by the devil. And even the most mature and seasoned of saints can wake up one day and find that in some compartments of their lives, they’ve been serving someone or something other than the One who saved them.

And the results are always the same.

You wake up with Taco Bell burrito wrappers stuck to your face, on the verge of being compacted and trucked off to the landfill. But here’s the good news.

“Oh, there’s some good news here, Bob?”

Oh, yes! In fact, it’s great news. When you catch yourself slipping into idol-worship mode, there is a powerful and instant cure.

It’s called worship.

When we stop obsessing about ourselves and our circumstances long enough to focus on the majesty, magnificence and mercy of our Father God, it snaps us back into the right orientation.

It puts us into position to hear more clearly, see more clearly, and choose more wisely. That’s the power of worship. But most importantly, it’s the appropriate response to the extraordinary privilege we have to directly access the throne of the mighty Creator-God of the universe.

Until the whole world hears,

Pastor Bob

[Colossus_500]

Repentance and Faith
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

"Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." (Mark 1:14, 15)

There are many passages in the New Testament which indicate that repentance is the key to salvation. For example, Paul said that he had preached everywhere that they "should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" (Acts 26:20). But he also preached that faith in Christ is the way to be saved. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). One could cite many verses stressing repentance and many that stress faith.

There can obviously be no real conflict here, though there is a danger in what has been called "easy believism," if repentance is ignored. Mental assent to certain facts about Christ is not true saving faith. Nor will it produce salvation for a person merely to be sorry for his sins and change his behavior if he did not really trust from his heart in the person and work of Christ.

It is not "either/or" but "both/and." One cannot truly repent (that is "change his mind" about Christ and His work, as well as his own life) without genuinely believing personally that Christ died for his sins and rose again to provide his salvation. Neither can one have genuine faith in Christ as Son of God and as his own personal Savior without having his whole life and attitude changed.

It is like two sides of the same coin--repentance on one side, faith on the other. We can only see one side at a time, but both are real and neither can be there without the other. The real "formula" for salvation is "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). As Christ Himself preached (see our text): "Repent ye, and believe the gospel."

[mahg]

On True Love

"True love is a manifestation of God himself, of his immensity and all-powerfulness. If you wish to attain this love, this force and vibration that commands matter, you must try to exchange only particles of light with the one you love. When two people feel a sublime love for one another, when they love each other for their soul and spirit, it takes only a look to fill them with wonder and ecstasy. Initiatic Science predicts that in the distant future, when a man and woman wish to bring a child into the world, they will simply be in one another’s arms and will look at each other as though they were giving each other heaven.

Their thoughts will be so concentrated, their love so intense, that a spirit will soon afterwards arrive to incarnate with them: its body will be made of the pure luminous particles given by its parents through their emanations alone. Of course, we are speaking of a far distant future. But such evolution is part of the plan of cosmic Intelligence."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

----------------------------------------------------------------

This is rather interesting in what it suggests or implies about the possibility of "virgin birth"

Who is this dumb asshole?

[24KT]

On Understanding Scriptures

"It is absolutely impossible to interpret sacred books correctly without a discipline based on the development of our spiritual organs. When we develop these organs we acquire the ability to project ourselves into the higher worlds to investigate them. From below, we can see only separate parts of reality. And if we are unable to perceive an order and structure, in other words the links that unite all the elements and stages of creation, we cannot correctly interpret texts that were inspired by a vision of divine unity.

The sacred books of humanity are the interpretation of experiences that certain beings have had in the world above, a world different from the one we perceive with our five senses. So, in order to understand these beings, to understand their thoughts, we must go seeking on high, as they did, to see what they saw and feel what they felt."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

[24KT]

On Extracting Human Treasures

"With the technical means now at their disposal, chemists are able to extract a great many elements from metals, minerals and plants which are then used in the manufacture of different products. And they will continue to penetrate more and more of nature’s secret treasures. They will discover that everything in existence is composed of elements endowed with particular properties that can benefit human beings.

And don’t be surprised if I say that human beings are also ‘nature’. When you make the decision to enter the immense laboratory of your own being, you will find all the elements you need for your physical, psychic and spiritual development. There is nothing to prevent you from searching for these elements outside yourself, but never forget everything is inside you. You must make every effort to become conscious of and develop your inner wealth and power. Once you truly feel you carry all these elements within yourself, you will possess a treasure trove inside, which you will constantly be able to draw on."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

[24KT]

Who is this dumb asshole?

um, ...by "dumb asshole", ...are you referring to me, or Master Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov? 

[24KT]

On Lessons We Must Learn From The Sun

"We must learn from the sun for it is the image of perfection. You will say, ‘But what can this ball of fire teach us? The sun doesn’t think; it doesn’t speak!’ Ah well, that’s where you’re wrong. Its light, warmth and life are a language, one of the most eloquent. Just think of this: it sends its light and warmth into the universe without bothering to know whether those who benefit from its rays are either deserving or grateful. Isn’t that a language?
It gives them all light, warmth and life, without exception.

The sun always presents you with the image of a radiant, generous being, and when you look at it you feel its influence. Even if we assume it’s not an intelligent, rational creature in the sense we understand it, the contact we have with its warmth and light can only inspire us with more fraternal feelings towards others: more patience, leniency and forgiveness."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

[24KT]

On The Futile Pursuit of Physicality

"What a lot of publicity and fuss there is at the moment concerning the needs of the physical body! All that matters is that you protect it, maintain it, take care of it, make it beautiful, dress it and adorn it. But to be preoccupied with one’s body to this extent is dangerous.

Whatever you do, your body is and will remain vulnerable and perishable, and to found a whole culture on something that is destined to disappear so rapidly has deplorable consequences for all other activities. If people show so little wisdom, understanding and kindness, it’s because they live with this obsession with the physical body. They don’t know how to reason or act correctly, for the starting point is wrong: they are identified with the physical body. But if they concentrated on the needs of their soul and spirit, which escape the laws of time and space, everything they did from that point on would bear the seal of light and immortality, and this would be the coming of the kingdom of God."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

[Colossus_500]

Total Abstinence
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." (1 Peter 2:11)

The command to abstain occurs only a few times in the New Testament, but there are three occurrences which are especially relevant for Christians today: One of these is 1 Thessalonians 4:3: "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication." The Greek word here actually applies to any type of sexual relationship outside of marriage, and the command is not merely for temperance or for "love" in one's non-marital sexual relationships, but for total abstinence. This exhortation is perhaps needed more today than at any time since the days of pagan Rome, even for Christians and, unfortunately, Christian leaders. But that is not all. In the words of our text, we are also urgently exhorted to "abstain from fleshly lusts," since these carnal desires are in mortal combat with our very souls. One must avoid situations which might initiate or encourage fornication or its kindred activities.

But even that is not sufficient for the serious Christian man or woman. "Now we exhort you, brethren, . . . Abstain from all appearance of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:14 and 22). The word here means anything that in outward form might appear to be evil, regardless of whether it is really wrong in itself or not. The Lord desires that we "adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things" (Titus 2:10), and that we "Give none offense" (1 Corinthians 10:32).

A believer cannot afford to be careless in this warfare against his soul. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" {1 Peter 5:8}. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

[Colossus_500]

The Remarkable Psalms
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

"And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." (Acts 13:32-33)

Here is a clear instance in which the gospel ("glad tidings") was preached in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit, through the psalmist David, promised that one day the Son of God would rise from the dead--the "first born from the dead" (Colossians 1:18). The Lord Jesus actually used certain psalms to prove His own deity, quoting Psalm 110:1 (Matthew 22:43-45) and Psalm 82:6 (John 10:34-36) in support of His claims.

This unique passage in the Book of Acts offers another fascinating item of information that is often overlooked. By identifying the second psalm as such, the writer (guided by the Spirit) tells us in effect that the chapter divisions of the Book of Psalms were there by divine ordination right from the first. Furthermore, since each of the psalms is a poem, with clear-cut verse divisions, this longest book in the Word of God was evidently subdivided into chapters and verses by divine inspiration. Similar divisions were later added to the other books by biblical scholars in the Middle Ages, but they were in the psalms from the beginning. It is not surprising, then, that we can find many remarkable examples of design in the very structure of the Book of Psalms (e.g., the 22 stanzas of eight verses each in Psalm 119).

This second psalm is the first of the so-called Messianic psalms, but actually, the Lord Jesus Christ and His glorious gospel of salvation are clearly present in every one of the 150 psalms. "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him" (Psalm 2:12).

[Colossus_500]

So Little Faith
July 17, 2008
Key Passage: Matthew 8:23-27
Topic: Jesus; Faith/Trust
www.notreligion.com


And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. (Matthew 8:26, ESV)

"Why are you afraid?" Jesus asks.

Oh come on, wouldn't you be? Out on the lake in a storm in the middle of the night!

Then, not only does He question the disciples, Jesus criticizes them for having "so little faith." Can't say I'd take that very well in a moment like this.

Did Jesus expect the disciples to calm the waves and the wind or turn on some super power and row to safety? Probably not. So, why does He call their faith into question?

Maybe it's because their fear revealed a lack of faith. They evidently had faith to believe He could do something about the situation…but it wasn't enough to overcome the fear.

Does that happen in your life too? The storms roll in and it's fear first, faith later--when you're reminded to put your trust in Jesus.

After all, Jesus is in your rocking boat too. He's there with you when the call comes about your son's accident. When you lose the scholarship you depended on or the job you'd given your life to. When someone tells you they don't love you anymore, and they walk out. When the doctor returns your test results. When you're overwhelmed with stress and anxiety, and the hits keep on coming.

Jesus is there--but do you have the faith to trust first and let Him take care of the storm? Is your faith enough to overcome your fear, your anxiety, your worry?

You see, Jesus didn't prevent the storm or keep the disciples out of trouble, but He did give them what they needed to get through: His presence and His power over all things.

He's the one you can put your faith in and not be afraid.

[Colossus_500]

Power in the Robe?
notreligion.com

Key Passage: Matthew 9:18-26 (NIV)

A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman

 18While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." 19Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

 20Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."

 22Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.

 23When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, 24he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. 25After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26News of this spread through all that region.

Topic: God's Love; Jesus

Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well. (Matthew 9:22, ESV)

Have you ever dealt with something for so long that it's become a part of your life? You've tried and tried but you don't see any hope. You actually believe that this drain on your life is a permanent fixture and you'll just have to get used to it.

What would you do if you met someone with the power to fix all of that? Would you rush up and beg them to help? Would you be intimidated and hang back, trying to get up the nerve?

This woman heard that Jesus was in town and believed He could deliver her from a problem that had afflicted her life for 12 long years. She knew if she was ever to be well, she had to get to Jesus.

So this dirty, scorned woman ventured out to find the One who could make her whole. As she drew near to Jesus, she thought, "If only I can touch His robe, I will be healed." She knew He was the answer but didn't want to waste His time. She figured that she'd just touch His robe and let Him go on about His business.

Was the power to heal in His robe? Of course not. It was in the One who wore the robe.

Over the last several days, you've read Daily Devotions that relate to Jesus healing people. This is one of the ways that Jesus demonstrated that both He and His message were from God. But the common factor is Jesus. The power is His. The need is ours.

The woman in today's story was in for quite a surprise. Not only was she healed (as she believed she would be), but Jesus stopped. He turned, He looked right at her and He spoke to her. Jesus showed her love in a way that she had not felt for a long time.

Today Jesus offers you that same love--a love that reaches down to heal the spiritual wounds in your life. Jesus gave Himself for you because He loves you.

[Deicide]

"For I did see my unworthiness in Her sight, for I was a sinner, destined forever to spend existence in the presence of the unholy Purple Oyster, waxing his shell and massaging his most wretched and slimy feet. For lo, the Purple Oyster doth truly have feet, and the legs thereof, and the toes thereof, giving him dominion over all the clams of the seas, and allowing him to go unto the children of men, and tempt them unto destruction." — The Revelation of St. Bryce the Long-Winded (Partial), Chapter One, Verses 9 to 11
 

[24KT]

Resistence is An Essential Component to Advancement

How is it that we’re able to move around easily on the earth?
It’s because the earth is hard and resistant. Try moving forward on quicksand, and you’ll be swallowed up. And how is it that boats are able to move over water? Because water, too, is resistant, not as resistant as the earth, of course, but all the same it’s thanks to the resistance of the liquid medium that boats go from one point to another. And it’s also thanks to the resistance of air that planes are able to rise and fly in the sky.

So, you see, whether on the earth, on water or in the air, movement and the possibility of going forward are due to a certain form of resistance. And it’s the same in the psychic domain. So, the day you understand that difficulties and obstacles represent a useful resistance, not only will you no longer complain, but you’ll see in them only magnificent opportunities to advance. You may say, ‘But I can refuse to go forward!’ Yes, you can, but then you will be crushed, trampled underfoot. Because the law of life is to advance.

[Colossus_500]

The Seventh Day
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

"For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Exodus 20:11)

God's word is omnipotent, and He could just as well have created an entire universe, fully populated and functioning, in an instant of time. Instead, He chose to do it in six days, with a seventh day to be set aside as a day of rest and remembrance of His completed, "very good," creation. Since that time, it has been the universal practice among monotheists--those who believe in one Creator God--to measure time in seven-day weeks, with one of those days observed as a day of rest and worship of the Creator.

This divine assertion was inscribed with "the finger of God" on a table of stone (Exodus 31:18), clearly settling, once and for all, the ancient question of the age of the cosmos, at least for those who really believe in the inerrant perspicuity and authority of the Holy Scriptures. Not only did the Lord precisely equate the six days of man's work week with the six days of His own work week, He then pronounced it all "very good" and "sanctified" the seventh day (Genesis 1:31, 2:3). This would have been an unthinkable thing for Him to say if there were, at that time, a great mile-deep graveyard, consisting of the fossil remains of dead animals from the so-called geological ages, extending all around the globe. These fossils must all be dated as post-Eden, after human sin and God's curse brought death into the world (Romans 5:12).

Today, those who believe in God and creation should certainly continue to remember Him by observing every seventh day as a day of rest and worship, in honor of their Creator, who has now also become their Redeemer and who will soon come again to reign as eternal King.

[w8m8]

Lao-tsu's Peace Prayer

If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.

If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.

[24KT]

"To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order;
to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order;
to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life;
and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right." -- Confucius

[24KT]

On The Path To Enlightenment

"You take it for granted that others should show wisdom, kindness and honesty and are indignant if they don’t. But how do you yourself behave? You never ask yourself this, which is why there is so much chaos in the world. Everyone sees things the same way: they all expect others to be irreproachable, while they themselves can behave just as they wish. Radio, television and newspapers are full of people criticizing and accusing others – it’s all you’ll ever hear, see or read.

They make a career out of it, endlessly justifying their own mistakes. It’s just the same in daily life: people always have something to blame others for, while they see themselves as faultless. But, in an initiatic school, you will see that the opposite is taught, that true work involves dealing with oneself, with one’s shortcomings, deficiencies and mistakes – and in leaving other people alone!"

[24KT]

On Sensitivity and Satisfaction

"Little by little, pleasure that is purely physical blunts sensitivity: you need more and more pleasure and stronger and stronger sensations in order to feel anything or find it at all satisfying. So it becomes increasingly difficult to be satisfied, because you become increasingly insensitive. This is borne out in all areas of life. If you consume too much food and drink, you eventually lose your sense of taste; if you accumulate sexual experience, you become blasé and contemptuous of your partners.

So try to reduce your physical pleasures a little, and seek more subtle experiences. You will become more and more sensitive, and the least sensation will provide the greatest joy."