“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’  For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

—Mt. 9:13

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

—1 Jn. 1:9

Saint Teresa of Avila (1515–1582), a Roman Catholic Carmelite nun and Spanish mystic wrote, “I had many friends to help me to fall; but as to rising again, I was so much left to myself, that I wonder now I was not always on the ground.  I praise God for His mercy; for it was He only Who stretched out His hand to me.  May He be blessed forever! Amen.”  And Winston Churchill (1874–1965), prime minister of the United Kingdom said, “All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.”  Luke 6:36 reminded us to be merciful, even as your heavenly Father is merciful.

A president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) wrote, “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.”  Joyce Myer (b. 1943), a Christian author and speaker said, “God’s mercy is fresh and new every morning.”  While Pope Francis (b. 1936), of the Catholic Church wrote, “A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.”  People could therefore say like 1 Peter 1:3, blessed the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has surely caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who rose from the dead.

Thanks-living

Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892), an English Baptist preacher said, “I think that is a better thing than thanksgiving: thanks-living.  How is this to be done?  By a general cheerfulness of manner, by an obedience to the command of Him by whose mercy we live, by a perpetual, constant delighting of ourselves in the Lord, and by a submission of our desires to His will.”  Still as people live in this world they should be aware of the role nature plays.  Neil deGrasse Tyson (b. 1958), an astrophysicist and author wrote, “Even with all our technology and the inventions that make modern life so much easier than it once was, it takes just one big disaster to wipe all that away and remind us that, here on Earth, we’re still at the mercy of nature.”  These circumstances in the world are unpredictable, so people have to put their faith in a loving God, who provides for us and keep us safe.

But how could people be recipients of God’s grace and mercy?  Why do we often turn to the things of this world to solve our problems?  Often we’re misguided when we find they aren’t the answer.  Christians though ought to submit their lives to Christ.  This act brings grace, mercy, peace, and love – the foundation of true fulfillment.

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Light is a pure reality.

It has no distractions,

And is the ultimate in fulfillment

It symbolizes the Eternal Essence of the Universe,

And refers to the Oneness of God, Allah, Brahma, and Dao

 

The teachings of faiths show

Believers ascending towards this Supreme Light

The sacred texts, saints, gurus, priests, rabbis, and imams

Teach about love to embrace this reality.

These themes are prominent in the Holy Scriptures, Hebrew Bible,

Talmud, Old and New Testaments, Koran,

Vedas, Upanishads, and other canonical books

 

But these scriptures all refer to the Supreme Light

In uniquely different ways

The monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islamic beliefs

Teach how believers could achieve eternal life in Heaven.

Eastern faith traditions explain the role of karma –

What believers sow they will reap in the afterlife

Their reality comes in the form of various stages of rebirth

In achieving the Oneness of Hinduism’s Brahma,

Or nirvana in Buddhism

 

“Ultimate Reality, help us to be guided by this all-encompassing light.  Let your light enlighten our hearts and minds.”

Amen

@ https://www.bestprimalessence.com (Dfurstane) Website

 

 

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

—Jer. 29:11

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”  “Where O death is your victory?  Where O death is your sting?”  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

—1 Cor. 15: 54-57

Bradley Whitford (b. 1959), an actor and political activist wrote, “Infuse your life with action.  Don’t wait for it to happen.  Make it happen.  Make your own future.  Make your own hope.  Make your own love.  And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen…yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.”  Helen Keller (1880–1968), an author and political activist expressed this hope differently than Withford when she said, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.  Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”

Positive & Happy

Tena Desae (b. 1987), an Indian actress and model said, “Stay positive and happy.  Work hard and don’t give up hope.  Be open to criticism and keep learning.  Surround yourself with happy, warm and genuine people.”  However Robert Fulghum (b. 1937), a Utilitarian Universalist was positive about his views when he wrote, “I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge.  That myth is more potent than history.  That dreams are more powerful than facts.  That hope always triumphs over experience.  That laughter is the only cure for grief.  And I believe that love is stronger than death.”

Michael Morpurgo (b. 1943), an English author was rather upbeat about his life.  He said, “Wherever my story takes me, however dark and difficult the theme, there is always some hope and redemption, not because readers like happy endings, but because I am an optimist at heart.  I know the sun will rise in the morning, and there is light at the end of every tunnel.” Robert Kennedy (1925–1968), a politician and lawyer wrote, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”  Marie Curie (1867–1934), a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist echoed Kennedy’s feelings when she said, “You cannot build a better world without improving the individuals.  To that end, each of us must work for his own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful.”  The lesson is that people ought to pull together for the good of others.

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It’s July 4^th

Let’s celebrate this special day

For it’s the day of America’s Independence

So let us be mindful

To thank God for these blessings

 

Sadly our beloved nation

Is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

There’s civil unrest

As Black Lives Matter takes to the streets

Protests have arisen over Confederate monuments

But with all these problems

Let Americans reach out compassionately

To heal these afflictions in our land

 

America’s Independence was first proposed

By Richard Henry Lee of Virginia

That led to the declaration of Independence from Great Britain

From that time on there were celebrations

But now with social problems in our land

People are wearing masks, practicing social distancing

And there will be limited fireworks, and gun-salutes

To commemorate this special day

But the spirit of the nation lives on

 

“God, continue to guide America.  Let’s glorify her achievements.  And let the nation’s universal goals embrace freedom for all – young, old, male, female, black, white, religious, and non-religious with equanimity for all people including LGBTQ+.  Regardless, let American creed, color, national origin, and beliefs help us to be beacons of hope in the world.”

Amen

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