Sunday, October 31, 2010

Inspirational Bible Verses -- Ancient Love Poems

There's a really interesting and inspirational Bible
passage that comes from the book titled The Song of Solomon
in the Old Testament of the Bible. The reason why I find
it so fascinating is because it's basically just an ancient
love poem from a king to a common woman who he wants to
wed. There's a specific section in the book that I find
especially interesting and want to share. I hope you like
it as well. Here it is in the old King James version:

"For love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the
grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a
most vehement flame.

Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods
drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his
house for love, it would utterly be contemned."

The passage comes from the 8th and final chapter of the
book and is something like a conclusion to the poem. I
really find it fascinating and even inspiring because the
subject matter is so different than you would expect from
the Bible, especially in the Old Testament.

I've really enjoyed having the chance to read a lot of
ancient poetry. I've read the ancient Chinese book the Tao
Te Ching many times and really connect with it. I've also
read a lot of the poetry of the ancient Persian poet Rumi.
Ancient poetry differs on so many levels from modern
poetry. It isn't necessarily that the people living then
were different than we are today, but the world and the way
they saw the world was much more mysterious, dangerous, and
unknown than the world that we live in today.

The Bible in actuality, has multiple books of poetry, like
the book of Psalms for example, and when translating these
books of ancient poetry it really seems as though the
translators were concentrated more on being strictly
accurate than they were about capturing the original beauty
and poetic nature of the text. In ancient texts like the
Tao Te Ching, modern English translations have spent much
effort and diligence in trying to capture the poetic value
of the poems, even trying to rhyme in English when it suits
the text.

From my understanding, no one has yet tried to do something
like this with the book of Psalms in the Bible. I really
wish that a concerted effort would be made to do something
like that because, as you saw in the passage I listed
above, the Bible has a very poetic value to it at times,
and that value is most often sacrificed in lieu of
translational accuracy. But if a piece of text was meant
to be read in a poetic fashion and that poetic value gets
lost in the translation, then why does a person even bother
translating the text in the first place?

Poetry is considered a mechanism for eliciting an emotional
response from the reader. The words themselves are
important, but in the strictest sense, if the right
emotional response wasn't elicited while the reader reads
the poetry, then the actual message wasn't conveyed. If
not, then why even bother to try and communicate poetically
in the first place. But most of what I've seen from the
book of Psalms has been from persons who don't seem to
necessarily care about keeping the original poetic value of
the words intact. I hope one day that someone endeavors to
undertake that project.


----------------------------------------------------
Thanks very much for reading my thoughts on poetic verses
in the Bible. I hope you enjoyed!
http://hubpages.com/hub/Inspirational-Bible-Verses


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Five Tips To a More Spiritual Life

The Bible says that God is a spirit. In fact, I have often
heard people say that we are all spiritual beings having a
human or physical experience. If we don't nurture our
spiritual being, then we aren't living through all the
dimensions of who we are. Neglecting our inner or spiritual
nature can often lead to feelings of emptiness and
unfulfillment. The Bibles tells us to walk in the spirit
and we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Living only
to fulfill our physical needs does not lead to a whole and
balanced life. You can grow spiritually and cultivate
your spiritual awareness with these simple steps.

Practice Meditation

The first and the most important step would be to develop a
habit of meditating. Meditation is a powerful tool for
introspection of the soul or spirit. It is a great way to
clean your thoughts and feelings of all the impurities.
Meditation is not that difficult to learn, but you must
practice it on a regular basis for it to be effective. You
can find guided meditations, Christian meditations, and
find many tutorials on the internet on how to meditate.
Don't get hung up on the negative connotations often
associated with meditation. You can find meditation
practices that are safe and will not conflict with your
beliefs of faith.

Spend Time in Nature

Spend some time daily or at least weekly in nature. Most
people feel safe and secure when they are close to their
mother. Similarly when you are close to Mother Nature a
similar comfort overtakes you. A simple walk in the park or
garden can bring you close to it and smell of the flowers
is surely going to relieve all your day's stress.

Fill Your Home with Positive Energy

Your home should have an ambiance that creates positive
energy around you. Such an ambiance can be created in both
natural and artificial ways. You can have flowers that you
think will create a positive atmosphere or you can make use
of artificial scents also. In addition, clear away clutter
and keep your home clean. You will feel the positive
effects immediately and will thus relax your mind, body and
soul. Play uplifting music that bring joy to your heart and
inspires good feelings. Surrounding yourself by things you
love, helps to nurture your inner being and brings out your
creativity.

Live By the Spirit

Jesus let his disciples know that once he ascended to
heaven that he would send the Holy Spirit that would live
in us and guide us in all truth. Reading spiritual or
enlightening books like the Bible will also enhance the
spiritual person living inside of you. By focusing more on
the spiritual aspects of life, when train our minds and
hearts to live a more spiritual life. It is important that
we learn to "be still" so that we can hear the still, small
voice of the spirit that speaks to us. When we are
prompted or feel an urge to do or more in a particular
direction, trust God's spirit in you and follow your heart.


----------------------------------------------------
Learn about Guided Christian Meditation CDs and resources
that will enhance your life and relationship with God at
http://www.thechristianmeditator.com . Are you ready to
transform your life and live with more purpose and passion?
Visit Detox Your Life Now and Awaken Your Inner Spirit at
http://www.detoxyourlifenow.com to learn about this 10-week
Christian faith-based program.


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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

How to Determine Your Spiritual Gifts

Every believer has at least one spiritual gift according to
I Corinthians 12:7, "Now to each one the manifestation of
the Spirit is given for the common good." God has given
every one of us at least one spiritual gift to edify the
Body of Christ. Although we all have a spiritual gift, we
often do not know exactly what that gift is or how it
should be used. Four Biblical passages provide the basis
for teachings concerning spiritual gifts, specifically
Romans 12:1-12; I Corinthians 12:1-31, I Peter 4:7-14and
Ephesians 4:1-15.

Spiritual gifts are meant to serve the Body of Christ in
the pursuit to fulfill the great commission. The three
categories of spiritual gifts include the motivational
gifts, service gifts and the manifestation gifts. The
motivational gifts are often referred to as the speaking
gifts such as evangelism and exhortation. Gifts of service
usually involve ministries that supply a need, like the
food or usher board ministries. The manifestation gifts
include gifts of healing, speaking in tongues or any gift
that produces a result that can be seen or touched.

Learning what gifts God has given you through the Holy
Spirit is a life changing experience. Once you know what
gifts God has placed in you, it is easier to move into the
purpose for which God has created you. If you are not
confident in knowing what gifts you possess, there are
steps to bring you closer to knowing your purpose.

Step One: Listen to Your Heart

What are you happiest doing? What are you good at by
nature? Knowing what brings your heart joy is the first
step to discovering your spiritual gift. Often we operate
unknowingly in our gifts, but on a much smaller scale than
God would desire. Your natural reaction to a situation will
offer insight to what gifts you possess. A person with the
gift of exhortation will immediately begin to encourage
someone facing an obstacle, while a person with the gift of
intercession will immediately turn to prayer. A person with
the gift of service will try to find a task that would lift
some of the burden. Make a true observation of your heart;
it will not lead you in the wrong direction as long as you
are seeking God.

Step Two: Spiritual Gift Assessment

After you observe your heart, the follow up step is an
assessment. A self-analysis of your strengths and interests
will assist you with understanding specific areas of
ministry for your talents. Evaluations vary in number and
complexity of the questions and in their scoring methods,
but often the results are relatively accurate. Assessments
only provide a basis, they are not meant to replace seeking
God to reveal your spiritual gifts. Primarily assessments
spotlight gifts, such as faith, wisdom, discernment, or
other qualities designed to glorify God. Free assessments
are available with immediate results on the web.

Step Three: Pray

If you believe you have discovered your spiritual gift, ask
God to confirm your discovery. The Bible tells us to do all
things with prayer and supplication! Sometimes we learn how
to do things and we learn certain responses, but it is not
our true gift. God is the one who placed the gift inside
you and he will let you know if you are on the right track.
Even after you discover your gift, you must continue to
pray. Prayer will help you remain faithful and humble in
the use of your gift. Prayer will allow you to walk
honestly and whole-heartedly in your gifts.

Step Four: Exercise your Gift

After you have discovered your spiritual gifts, learn to
exercise them. Exercising what you believe to be your gift
is the final determining factor of whether you posses a
certain gift. For example, if you discover that
intercession is your spiritual gift, but you find that you
can never find anything to pray about, this may not
actually be your gift. Likewise, if you believe you have
the gift of exhortation, but feel like encouraging someone
might be intruding, this may not be your gift. If you
believe you have a gift, exercise it. If there is not a
sense of fulfillment or joy just from exercising the gift
(and not from affirmations by people), you may need to
continue to seek God to reveal your gifts to you.

After you determine your spiritual gifts, continue to pray.
The most important thing to remember is that gifts are
given to edify the body of Christ and should never be used
to promote negativity or competition. Ultimately, the gift
still belongs to God and any power associated with the gift
comes from God. Equally, any results from the use of your
gift are up to God and are at his discretion. You do not
bear the weight of "making" your gift work. You simply pray
for opportunities to use your gift and an understanding of
your gift.


----------------------------------------------------
Learn about Guided Christian Meditation CDs and resources
that will enhance your life and relationship with God at
http://www.thechristianmeditator.com . Are you ready to
transform your life and live with more purpose and passion?
Visit Detox Your Life Now and Awaken Your Inner Spirit at
http://www.detoxyourlifenow.com to learn about this 10-week
Christian faith-based program.


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Sunday, October 17, 2010

7 Benefits of a Life of Obedience

Genesis 13:2 shows us a result of obedience. God told
Abram to leave his land and go to the land that God gave
him. Abram arrived in Canaan, but he got a little
uncomfortable during a famine and went to Egypt for awhile.
He stayed there for awhile, but told some lies that caused
problems for Pharaoh. Pharaoh sent him away.

So, Abram went back to Canaan with everything he had
collected. He and Lot went their separate ways, and God
shared His promise with Abram. In Genesis 13:14-17, God
showed Abram the land that was given to him and his
offspring. He promised Abram so many offspring that they
would be too numerous to count.

Abram was truly blessed. We, too, can be blessed by
following the examples of obedience given to us in the
Bible. But obedience comes in many fashions, and we cannot
pick and choose what we will obey.

What do we do?

There are several verses that provide our basic instruction
for life. I will only reference one here. Deuteronomy
13:4 tells us, "It is the LORD your God you must follow,
and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him;
serve Him and hold fast to Him." (NIV) As the verse
suggests, we are to obey God and His commands. In serving
Him, we make God our top priority.

When do we obey?

Obedience should not be something that we turn on and off.
We should constantly be thinking about God and His Word.
David wrote in Psalm 119:97, "Oh, how I love your law! I
meditate on it all day long." (NIV)

How do we obey?

There are so many men and women of God that can serve as
great examples. This includes people mentioned in the
Bible, as well as people we know in our own circles.
However, the best example of a perfect walk of obedience
with God is found in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We know how far Jesus' obedience took Him. Philippians 2:8
tells us, "And being found in appearance as a man, He
humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death
on a cross!" (NIV) Like Jesus, our obedience should know
no limits.

Why do we obey?

The Bible is filled with reasons to obey God. Let's
consider just seven of the benefits of a life of obedience:

It's a public verification of your love for God. (John
14:15)

God will honor you. (John 12:26)

God will accept you. (Acts 10:34-35)

You will abide in God's love. (John 15:10)

You will be blessed in what you do. (James 1:25)

You will be prosperous and content for the rest of your
life. (Job 36:11)

Everything will go well with you and your children after
you. (Deuteronomy 12:28)

Where do we obey?

Obeying God is important, but the obedience also trickles
down to the "earthly masters" that we are accountable to.

A typical family structure would look like this: Husbands
should be obedient to God. Wives are to be obedient to
their husbands. Children obey their parents.

Outside of the home, we are also to be obedient to the
general social rules that help our communities to function
effectively. This applies to city, state, and federal
ordinances. These can be general traffic laws. Remember
that these authorities have been established by God.
(Romans 13:2)

Then there is the workplace. We must be obedient to our
bosses. Colossians 3:22 reminds us, "Slaves, obey your
earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when
their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with
sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord." (NIV) Our
obedience is not meant to be only when someone is looking.
It shouldn't be done to get a raise or promotion. We
should be sincere.

What do we do if we are in an unbearable work environment?
The answer can be found in 1 Peter 2:18-19, "Slaves, submit
yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to
those who are good and considerate, but also to those who
are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under
the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of
God." (NIV)

Remember, not everyone knows Jesus. Our lights should be
shining at all times so that we can give hope to those who
are still lost.


----------------------------------------------------
Ozeme J. Bonnette is a financial coach, speaker, and the
author of Get What Belongs to You: A Christian Guide to
Managing Your Finances. After working at Merrill Lynch, she
chose to focus on increasing financial literacy. She
teaches Biblical Economics and speaks to groups and
organizations throughout the U.S. She earned 3 Bachelor's
degrees at Fresno State and an MBA at UCLA's Anderson
School. Find her at http://www.thechristianmoneycoach.com .


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Friday, October 15, 2010

Jesus Christ and his Role: The Voice of God tells us the Truth

It was September 2005, and I was with my wife Jill, who is
a Spiritual Avatara. She has the gift of being able to
receive telepathic messages from the Godhead, as well as
allowing angels to control her body to speak.

You need to understand that I was an athiest and
non-believer in spiritual matters, until this epiphany.

This is what Archangel Metatron, who is the voice of God,
wanted to tell us:

"Archangel Metatron: At last, we are able to commune
together for the betterment of mankind. May the North,
South, West and East bring forth the energies that are able
to assist God in his plan for humanity.

We are pleased with your progress; yet it seems there are
many mental blocks, or should we say negative levels, that
you allow to affect your ethereal layer. Despite our
promises to you both, you still lack faith. Faith is the
one true constant that must be attained to ensure your
connection to spirit. This is why so many people fail to
see or hear the word of God.

We understand Glenn's reluctance to utilise the naming
called God, but it is the only way that we can get people
to begin to listen to the lessons that must be learnt.

You ask of Jesus and his role, Jesus was a mere mortal, who
was and is, the one constant link that connects humans to
God. He was a channeller far beyond his time. His healing
ministries were not magic or supernatural as portrayed by
the writers of that time. He was a special soul chosen by
God, to bring forth the lessons that needed to be learnt.

Alas with time, these lessons have been eradicated for
man's own use and power.

We are aware that people who follow the Christian faith
will challenge what we say. But let it be known, that we
are from God. We bring forth his new teachings. As people
must evolve, so God learns too, that changes need to be
made. What worked then, perhaps does not work now.

Jesus was chosen specifically by God, to bring forth God's
hopes and desires for mankind. That they learn to have
compassion and tolerance for all living things.

Unfortunately, the religions of this world have become so
chipped in stone, that humans neglect to connect with their
hearts and feel what God wishes them to know.

Humans, as God's creatures, must realise that the way they
have worshiped him is no longer the way. Mankind must learn
to look within. For only when they know themselves, for
they are of God, will they find God. So many souls are
searching for God, yet like the blind, they do not see."


----------------------------------------------------
Glenn Harrison is an ANGEL MESSENGER. He was contacted by
The ANGEL OF DEATH: Archangel Azrael, in 2005; and later,
recorded messages from over 50 Archangels, Ascended Masters
and Light-Beings.
If you want more messages like these, get our first book
'Conversations with Archangels' -
FREE at :==> http://www.ANewBelief.com


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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Your Life Has A Purpose

Copyright (c) 2010 Scott F Paradis

Life has meaning; your life has meaning. You are reading
this, considering options before you for a reason. You are
living in this time, in this place, and facing the
circumstances you now confront to realize a purpose. That
purpose may to you seem ill-defined, but is in reality a
truly divine mission for being.

The meaning of life is beautiful in its simplicity, rich in
its diversity, magnificent in its harmony. Yet you often
miss the beauty, the richness, the magnificence. The
meaning of life is lost when events sweep you up and
consume your consciousness. It is then that the lifeline,
the link, between flesh and spirit is severed. You lose
perspective, you lose confidence, you lose power when you,
the observer, become attached to, one with, dependent on,
the observed.

The purpose of life is to be — to journey, to
experience. The journey is a dream; separation from God an
illusion. Each life gives the whole an opportunity to
explore and experience part. You are in the Garden of
Eden. You are in the ultimate playground, immersed in a
landscape, part and parcel of a splendid collage. All that
is has meaning in being — a cosmic purpose concealed
in the apparent complexity of this earthly environment.
The culmination of the grand design is achieved, made
possible, by small, obscure but nonetheless important
contributions.

The world has a purpose and you have a place in the majesty
- a place wholly and solely reserved for you. You are a
critical component of the symphony of life. Without you to
play your note, make an instrument sing, the masterpiece is
incomplete - less rich, less textured, less full and less
fulfilling for everyone.

Your reason for being — to play your note —
conforms to a greater purpose. This complex of seemingly
disconnected, and what may appear to be, conflicting or
contradictory purposes together weaves an extraordinary
tapestry. Your life, individually, holds meaning for the
whole. Your life is a gift of possibility to express.
Your contribution is your gift for the opportunity.

Purpose unfolds in both simple and wondrous ways. Realize
your life is meant for more than the drama of mundane,
everyday existence. For when you awaken from the slumber
revelation gives you a glimpse of a glorious vista, a
celestial landscape - a divine plan.

As obscure and insignificant as meaning seems at times, the
distance from fragile form, inept intellect, and pliable
will to pure joy, divine love, and ultimate fulfillment is
the width and breadth of a mistaken perception. You have a
purpose to fulfill. Accept your purpose. Embrace your
mission. Meet your destiny joyfully.

You exist in a dualistic nature making life appear to be a
paradox, wrapped in an enigma, flirting with an oxymoron.
At times you, like everyone, get caught up as puppets on a
string, lost amongst shadows vainly interpreting
reflections on a wall. When you succumb to fear you hide
from the light of revelation, you forget you are so much
more than you seem.

In this world of form, as creation, you sometimes lack
understanding. Don't grovel over the indulgences of
self-interest. You need not compete to succeed, nor to
survive. The truth is, you need only guide your life by
the gift of grace.

Forces beyond your awareness are guiding you to fulfill
your purpose. Continue your journey with a faith that
knows in the end, it will be all right. Fulfill your
reason for being - achieve your life's purpose. For we are
all counting on you.


----------------------------------------------------
Scott F. Paradis, author of "Promise and Potential: A Life
of Wisdom, Courage, Strength and Will"
http://www.promiseandpotential.com publishes "Insights" and
a free weekly ezine, "Money, Power and the True Path to
Prosperity". Subscribe now at http://www.c-achieve.com


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