Putting Down Our Cup Of Poison

Forgiveness is the key, to everything. Until we understand this, carve it into our heart, no real lasting progress can ever be made. When we think about it logically this makes perfect sense. Have you ever prayed and then wondered why you did not demonstrate? In order to fully demonstrate we must be free of self-condemnation and remorse, forgiving ourselves, which happens only after we have fully forgiven others, ridding ourselves of all resentment and condemnation toward them. Though repeated ad nauseum, this truth cannot be repeated enough: “simple but not easy, a price has to be paid. That price is the surrendering of self.” Search your heart, in the secret place of your consciousness is there any “justified” anger or an old resentment lurking you feel is warranted for any reason? If so perform an act of forgiveness and mean it. If for any reason we cannot do this, by holding on to old hurts, real and imagined we are essentially raising a cup of poison to our lips, believing by drinking it we are punishing those we hate or resent. So to be truly free, we must put down the cup and forgive, for our sake.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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My Job No Longer Video

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My Job No Longer

There is a part of me, and I’m pretty sure you have it too, that keeps score, chiming in with its own sense of justice. When someone does something unthinking or illegal while driving the thought pops up “where is a cop when you need one” or something bad happens to someone we think deserves it and “serves them right” or “they deserved that” crosses our mind. In the same vein occasionally we think we know what’s best and actually wish something bad (serves’em right dontcha know) to befall someone are all examples of self centered thinking, thinking which ultimately retards our spiritual growth. It does not matter whether or not the offender rightly deserves to be punished, we can never engage in negative prayer or wishful negative thinking, for to do so invites resentment and morbid reflection to take up residence in our heart.

Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God’s will into all our activities, thy will, not mine be done.

It would be less than honest of me not to acknowledge that when I have been cut off or watched someone do something stupid behind the wheel only to see flashing lights appear, the voice in my mind (sometimes out loud) chimes in with “ALRIGHT”  and when bad things happen to bad people, my first thought is often not of forgiveness. The wild justice of the carnal mind  the Old Testament addresses is alive and well in most of us, certainly in me. So, just for today I will ask for God’s help to pray rightly, to pray the person driving selfishly arrives safely as well as all whose path they cross, to leave justice to God and ask to be shown the way of patience, tolerance, kindliness and love, staying out of the retribution business, remembering all are connected in Spirit, and there is a little bit of bad in the best of us and a little bit of good in the worst and it is no longer my job to measure it.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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The True Face of Forgiveness Video

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The True Face of Forgiveness

One of the keys of freedom in life is when we finally understand most of our troubles are rooted in selfishness, born of thinking we can show the world one face while hiding our true feelings and motives. We have convinced ourselves our thoughts are somehow separate from God, that He does not know what we are thinking, and only when I speak or act will He be aware or even pay attention. In light of the truth about the Presence of God, that He is immanent, permanently pervading and sustaining the universe, this thinking is weak at best and downright delusional at its worst. The natural outcome of this type of thinking is to shut us off from the sunlight of the spirit as surely as burying our head in the sand cuts us off from sunlight and air.

When this truth hit me years ago it sent me into a tail spin. All the secret thoughts I believed I had so neatly hidden from God, in truth had been always open to Him. As the significance of this rolled over me I found myself on my knees, asking God to remove from me my illusions there is anything about me He does not know or is separate from Him.

This marked the point in my life when “forgive us our trespasses” from the Lord’s Prayer became truly known to me, a working part of my life. I began to accept His forgiveness that day and the process of understanding how important it is to truly forgive others began in earnest and though this happened many years ago, the lesson is as fresh today as then.

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Saving Up Spiritual Good Will Video

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Saving Up Spiritual Good Will

Lamentably many hold to the false belief that we can save up spiritual good will that can then be drawn on later when we "mess up" or sin. For the life of me I cannot find a branch of that spiritual bank in my neighborhood. When someone states this I ask what is required to open an account, the usual response is “God and prayer.” When I then point out this runs contrary to the Lord’s Prayer, where we pray for our “daily bread”, most freeze up in much the same way my computer does when I open too many windows. To be clear: Prayer has power, but we negate that power when we pray one way but fail to hold in our heart the essence of the prayer. To pray the Lord’s Prayer but believe that somewhere, somehow we can save up spiritually to address future missteps strips all meaning from the prayer. If we hold to the belief that we have some form of spiritual savings account, then “daily bread” is unnecessary so why ask for it?

The Old Testament first taught this truth when God provided manna for those following Moses out of Egypt. Those wandering in the wilderness were told that heaven would provide for their daily needs but on no account were they to save or horde it for what was dynamic today would turn inedible, even poisonous tomorrow. Having been honest, selfless, loving and forthright yesterday means little if today we are dishonest, selfish, hateful or devious. Living on yesterday’s demonstrations; even though they provide valuable experience, leads to futility and ultimate failure. So everyday is the day to demonstrate God’s presence, His Love, support and guidance truly Our Daily Bread.

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Our Will, God's Will Video

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