Tag: wisdom

A practical guide for living

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

How often do you read the Sermon on the Mount? The founder of my church recommends reading it once a week and putting it in to practice each day. I have to admit that I rarely read it every week, but I do have to say that I notice a profound difference in my outlook on life when I do read it. The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, has a profound way of spiritualizing thought, the way we live, and our interactions with others. Starting out with the beatitudes highlights attributes such as humbleness, meekness, gentleness, sincerity, peacemaking, and more. Later on it illustrates the importance of not judging others, not criticizing others, and even not worrying because God gives you what you need. It reminds us of God’s great love, and it encourages us to let God’s light shine! And it assures us that following this teaching gives us a house, consciousness, and faith that is built on a rock.

I am amazed by the simplicity and profound nature of this Sermon. It has the power to transform hearts and lives. So, if it’s been a little while, find your favorite translation of the Bible and give it a read today. It will surely re-orient your thinking and life in a positive way.

To my sense the Sermon on the Mount, read each Sunday without comment and obeyed throughout the week, would be enough for Christian practice. The Word of God is a powerful preacher, and it is not too spiritual to be practical, nor too transcendental to be heard and understood.–Mary Baker Eddy

PS — Check out a friend’s article on how living the principles of the Sermon on the Mount can even lead us to a less violent world. Universal Love: Roadmap to a less violent world

Image by thatsphotography from Pixabay

Praying when shopping

Published on by lindseybiggs1 Comment

One way that I utilize prayer is to know what to buy and when to buy it. Pray has helped me make right purchases at the right time and has also saved me from unproductive shopping & useless transactions. Prayer saves time & money.

I’ve learned that nothing in God’s kingdom is wasted. And that something isn’t a waste if there is a right motive behind it.

One definition of economy is:
the management of the resources of a community, country, etc., especially with a view to its productivity (dictionary.com)

Everything in God’s creation, or what I think of as the Kingdom of Heaven, has value. There are no worthless or unproductive ideas. Therefore everything in our experience can be useful and productive. This saves us from the unsatisfying cravings of commercialism (or buying things just because we like to shop & spend money). It also saves us from being too tight with our money and hoarding it. Neither of these tendencies can occur when we have a spiritual perspective.

Here’s an example:
Last year I decided I wanted an eReader. However, intuitively I knew it wasn’t right to buy one. I still explored the possibility and researched all the eReaders that were out there. Nothing fit the requirements that I wanted in a device. I continued to want an eReader but decided to be obedient to my intuition and be patient and see how things worked out (even though I really wanted to know WHY I couldn’t have one). Well a few months later patience paid off. A new eReader was released on the market that had all the features I wanted. And I knew it was the right device for me immediately. It was given to me as a Christmas gift by my family just a few weeks later. I was saved from making a wasteful purchase that wouldn’t have met my needs. And it was a perfect gift for my family to give me, which I have continued to enjoy and use a lot.

I’m sure we’ve all had experiences like these where we follow our intuition and things work out. This intuition, or divine guidance, is speaking to us ALL the time. Listening to it and being obedient is a skill we can cultivate and practice more and more each day.

The US and Syria

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

When I heard about the tragic events in Syria, and the debate over whether or not America should respond by military strike, I was troubled.

Being such a complex issue, one wants to be sure they have all the facts straight. I know how I feel about the issue personally, but I also know that God governs with greater intelligence, wisdom, justice, mercy, and love than I can.

I pray to see that God is in control and that God governs us with reason. The divine is so much higher than mortal wills and emotions.

One can never be afraid when working towards a decision that is the result of wisdom, integrity and grace. Whatever direction is received through divine wisdom — and reflects more of the qualities of the Kingdom of Heaven such as grace, peace, and love — can be followed fearlessly.

As I follow this issue on CSMonitor.com, I continue to pray to know that regardless of the human outcome, God’s love, compassion and health-giving power can be seen and felt by all.

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“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. ” Matthew 6:6 http://bit.ly/1czBefm

“Spirit, God, is heard when the senses are silent. We are all capable of more than we do.” Mary Baker Eddy http://bit.ly/17vkuEY

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For more on Syria:

Uncovering truth in Syria

Syria strike delay: Does it make Obama a ‘weak president’?

In vote on Syria strike, Americans face moment of truth for ‘values that define us’