How To Change Your World

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."

Norman Vincent Peale

How To Be Attractive

"Be interesting, be enthusiastic... and don't talk too much. "


Norman Vincent Peale

10/90 Principle

"I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it."

Charles Swindoll

The Best Of Life

"Do you want to make the best of life? Then live very near to Me, the Master and Giver of all Life."

God Calling

Different Perspectives

"Earth's troubles and difficulties will seem, even now, less overwhelming as you look, not at the things that are seen but at the real, the Eternal Life."

God Calling

Progress

"Tomorrow be stronger, braver, more loving than you have been today."

God Calling

Travel Light

"On Life's journey throw away all that is not important. Cast aside all the hindrances, the past imperfections of others - - the failure-sense.

Travel unladen, with a light heart, and a light heart means a weight of influence."

Two Listeners

Onward Christian Soldiers

"What use the glad wings of a butterfly if it remained Earth bound, weighed down with the thought of its contemptible past? And so now today I say to you both, that you are not to dwell for one moment on your sins, and mistakes, and faults, and bad habits of the past.
You must be as one who runs a race, stumbles and falls, rises and presses on to the goal. What avails it if he stays to examine the spot where he fell, to weep over the delay, over the shortsightedness that prevented his anticipating and avoiding the obstacles?
So with you, and I lay it on you as a command -- no looking back. Give yourself, and all you have ever met a fresh start from today. Remember no more their sins and failures, or your own. The remembrance is a current of disappointment that hinders the swimmer."

Two Listeners

God Our Provider

"Empty your vessel. I will fill it."

God Calling

Fear = Lack Of Trust

"To hold back, to retain, implies a fear of the future, a want of trust in Me."

God Calling

When You Feel You're Doing Too Little

"A simple task fittingly done may be the necessary unit in building a mighty edifice."

God At Eventide

Where I Long To Be

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
within your mighty hand......

A touching song of praise by Reuben Morgan which we sang during morning service today. Under Your wings and within Your mighty hands is where I want to be many, many times in my life.

Like A Little Child

"Seek in every way to become child-like. Seek, seek, seek until you find, until the years have added to your nature that of the trusting child. Not only for its simple trust must you copy the child-spirit, but for its joy in life, it's ready laughter, its lack of criticism, its desire to share all with all men. Ask much that you may become as little children, friendly and loving towards all -- not critical, not fearful."

"Except ye...become as little children ye cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

God Calling

How To Face The Future

"Face the future, but face it only with a brave and happy heart."

God Calling

Just When I Was Feeling Down....

"Do not weigh your spirits down with the sins and sorrows of the world. Only a Christ can do that and live. Look for the loving, the true, the kindly, the brave in the many all around you."

God Calling

Start Caring

When you stop caring for others, you stop living.

Heavenly Joy

"In what then," said they to the angel, "does heavenly joy consist?"
The angel replied briefly, "In the delight of doing something that is useful to ourselves and to others; which delight derives its essence from love and its existence from wisdom. The delight of being useful, originating in love, and operating by wisdom, is the very soul and life of all heavenly joys."


Emmanuel Swedenborg

Doing The Work God Requires

"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval."
Then they asked Him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent."

John 6:27-29

From Death To Life

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."

John 5:24

Not Hearing But Seeing

"The world is surfeited with words about Me.

The world needs to see Me, not to hear of My power, but to see it in action. Not to hear of My peace, but to see that it keeps My followers calm, unruffled and untroubled, no matter what the outward circumstances.

Not to hear of My joy, but to see it, as from hidden depths of security, where true power and peace abide, it ripples to the surface of life and is revealed to those round about."

Two Listeners

Joy

"Joy grows by man's consciousness of Joy."

Two Listeners

Deaf Ears

"The Christ is dead," man says.

Alive and longing, full of a living tenderness I passed his way today. He heeded not.

Two Listeners

The Unlovely Places

"It is love you are to take into the unlovely places of the world."

Two Listeners

More Answers To "What Is Sin?"

"For instance, light is something which has real existence, but darkness has not; it is only a state, the absence of light. Thus sin or evil is not a self-existent thing, but simply the absence or non-existence of good. This dark state of evil is most terrible, for because of it many miss the right course, and making shipwreck on the rocks of Satan fall into the darkness of hell and are lost. For this reason I who am the Light of the world became manifest in the flesh, so that those who put their trust in Me should not perish, for I rescue them from the power of darkness and bring them safe to that desired and heavenly haven, where there is neither name nor sign of darkness."

At The Master's Feet

What Is Sin?

The Disciple : Master, it is clear to almost everyone that to disobey God and to cease to worship Him is sin, and the deadly result is seen in the present state of the world. But what sin really is is not absolutely clear. In the very presence of Almighty God, and in opposition to His will, and in His own world, how did sin come to be?

The Master : Sin is to cast aside the will of God and to live according to one's own will, deserting that which is true and lawful in order to satisfy one's own desires, thinking thus to obtain happiness. Yet in so doing one does not obtain real happiness or enjoy true pleasure. Sin has no individuality, so that no one can say of it that someone created it. It is simply the name of a state or condition. There is only one Creator and He is good, and a good Creator could not have created a bad thing, for to do so would be against His very nature. And apart from the one Creator there is no other who could have created sin. Satan can only spoil that which has already been created, but he has not the power of creating anything. So sin is not a part of creation, nor has it independent existence such that it could be created. It is simply a delusive and destructive state of being.

At The Master's Feet

Heaven And Hell

"In this way the foundation of heaven or hell is built up in a man's heart while still in this world, and after death he enters into that state which, in this life, his desires or passions have prepared him for."

At The Master's Feet - Sadhu Sundar Singh

Foolish To Fear

"Do not fear. To fear is as foolish as if a small child with a small coin, but a rich father, fretted about how rent and rates should be paid, and what he or she would do about it."

Two Listeners

You Are Love, Love Is You

"Live in My Love; surrounded by It, blessed by It, shedding It bountifully on all about you, ever conscious of It being present with you. You are here to reflect It."

Two Listeners

Quietly Abiding

"Be still before Me. How often in a crisis man rushes hither and thither. Rush is a sign of weakness. Quiet abiding is a sign of strength."

Two Listeners

Speak Less

"All down the ages, men have been too eager to say what they thought about My truth, and so doing, they have grievously erred. Hear Me. Talk to Me. Reflect Me. Do not say what you think about me. My words need none of man's explanation. I can explain to each heart."

Two Listeners

Good Vs Evil

"No evil can look good in the face. Teach to all -- that good is stronger than evil."

Two Listeners

Be Gentle

"Be gentle to all."

"Seek to see the good in all you meet -- and in those of whom you hear."

Two Listeners

God Gives Glory To Man

"Do not suppose that God hungers after glory, or that there is anything lacking in His glory that man can supply. By no means! The object of His love is to lift that mean creature man out of the sinful state into which he has fallen and bear him upwards to His heaven of glory. Thus He gives not glory to Himself but to man by cleansing and purifying him, and in this the wonder and majesty of His love is made manifest."

At The Master's Feet

Prayer of A True Worshipper

"Between the prayers of those who worship and praise Me with their lips only and of those who do so from their heart there is a very great difference. For instance, one who was a true worshipper was constantly praying for another that his eyes might be opened and that he might accept the truth, while the other was a worshipper in name only often prayed in his enmity against My true worshipper that he might be struck blind. Finally the prayers of the true worshipper were heard by the loving will of God, and he who was formerly only a hypocrite received spiritual sight. With his heart full of joy this man became a true believer, and a sincere and lasting brother of My true servant."

At The Master's Feet

Real Prayer

"Oftentimes men pray to the Father in My name, but do not abide in Me, that is, they take My name into their mouths and on their lips, but not into their hearts and lives. That is the reason why they do not obtain what they pray for. But when I abide in them and they in Me, then whatever they ask from the Father they receive, because they pray under the direction of the Holy Spirit in that condition. The Holy Spirit shows them what will glorify the Father and be best for themselves and for others. Otherwise they will get such an answer as a bad son got from a governor whom his father had served with great courage and honour. When the son presented a petition in his father's name and asked for some employment and favour, the governor pointed out to him his evil life and habits, and said, "Do not petition me in your father's name, but first go and act according to his example. Let his high worth be not on your lips only, but carry it into your life, and then your petition will be accepted."

At The Master's Feet

Why Does Suffering Exist?

"Just as after a shock of earthquake springs of sweet water sometimes emerge in desert places, and the arid wastes are irrigated and become fruitful, so in certain cases the shock of suffering opens up within the heart of a man hidden springs of living water, and in place of murmurings and complainings there issue from him streams of gratitude and joy."

At The Master's Feet

Unbelief

".........heaven is closed to unbelief."

At The Master's Feet

The Kingdom Of God

"When man with all his heart, mind, and soul loves God, and his neighbour as himself there will be no room for doubts, but in him will be established that Kingdom of God of which there should be no end, and he, melted and moulded in the fire of love, will be made into the image of his heavenly Father, who at the first made him like Himself."

At The Master's Feet

Conscience

"Conscience is God's presence in man."

Emanuel Swedenborg

Voice Of Comfort

About a year after my mother died I was still missing her. One day while I was doing the most mundane of chores I told my Father - "Lord, I miss Mom." Just as quickly a voice replied softly and quietly in my head...."She is better off with me than she is with you." Was it the Lord speaking to me? Or was it my brain talking back to me? But the voice said "better off with Me" and not "better off with God". It comforted me greatly and for the first time I could look beyond my grief and see that Mom is indeed in a better place. The poem below is entitled "In His Garden".

God looked around His garden and found an empty place.
He then looked down upon the earth and saw your tired face.
He put His arms around you and lifted you to rest.
God's garden must be beautiful. He only takes the best.

He knew that you were suffering. He knew you were in pain.
He knew that you would never get well on earth again.
He saw the road getting rough and the hills were hard to climb.
So He closed your weary eyelids and whispered, "Peace be thine".

It broke our hearts to lose you but you didn't go alone.
Part of us went with you the day God took you home.
If tears could build a stairway and heartaches make a lane,
We'd walk a path to heaven to be with you again.

Unknown

Take The Son

"Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son, shared a passion for art collecting. Together they traveled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection.

Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and many others adorned the walls of their family estate. The widowed elderly man looked on with satisfaction as his only child became an experienced art collector. The son's trained eye and sharp business mind caused his father to beam with pride as they dealt with art collectors around the world.

As winter approached, war engulfed their nation, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, the elderly man received a telegram that his beloved son was missing in action. The art collector anxiously awaited more news, fearing he would never see his son again. Within days his fears were confirmed. The young man had died while rushing a fellow soldier to a medic. Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming Christmas holidays with anguish and sadness.

The joy of the season - a season that he and his son had so looked forward to in the past - would visit his house no longer. On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed old man. As he walked to the door, the masterpieces of art on the walls only reminded him that his son was not coming home. He opened the door and was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hand.

The soldier introduced himself to the old man by saying, "I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you." As the two began to talk, the soldier told of how the man's son had told every one of his - and his father's - love of fine art work. "I'm also an artist," said the soldier, "and I want to give you this." As the old man began to unwrap the package, paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the man's son.

Though the world would never consider it a work of genius, the painting featured the young man's face in striking detail. Overcome with emotion, the old man thanked the soldier, promising to hang the portrait above the fireplace. A few hours later, after the soldier had departed, the old man set about his task. True to his word, the painting went above the fireplace, pushing aside thousands of dollars worth of paintings.

And then the old man sat in his chair and spent Christmas gazing at the gift he had been given. During the days and weeks that followed, the man learned that his son had rescued dozens of wounded soldiers before a bullet stilled his caring heart. As the stories of his son's gallantry continued to reach him, fatherly pride and satisfaction began to ease his grief, as he realized that, although his son was no longer with him, the boy's life would live on because of those he had touched. The painting of his son soon became his most prized possession, far eclipsing any interest in the priceless pieces for which museums around the world clamored.

He told his neighbors it was the greatest gift he had ever received. The following spring, the old man became ill and passed away. The art world was in anticipation, since, with the old man's passing, and his only son dead, those paintings would be sold at an auction. According to the will of the old man, all of the art works would be auctioned on Christmas Day, the day he had received his greatest gift. The day finally arrived and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world's most spectacular paintings.

Dreams could be fulfilled this day; greatness could be achieved as some could say," I have the greatest collection." The auction began with a painting that was not on any museum list... It was the painting of the old man's son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid, but the room was silent.

"Who will open the bidding with $100?" he asked. Moments passed as no one spoke. From the back of the room came, "Who cares about that painting? It's just a picture of his son. Let's forget it and get on to the good ones." More voices echoed in agreement. "No, we have to sell this one first," replied the auctioneer. "Now who will take the son?"

Finally, a friend of the old man spoke. "Will you take $10 for the painting? That's all I have. "Will anyone go higher?" called the auctioneer. After more silence he said, "Going once, going twice... Gone!" The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone shouted, "Now we can get on with it and bid on these treasures!"

The auctioneer looked at the audience and announced that the auction was over. Stunned disbelief quieted the room. Then someone spoke up and asked, "What do you mean it's over? We didn't come here for a portrait of some old man's son! What about all of the other paintings? There are millions of dollars worth of art work here. We demand an explanation!"

The auctioneer replied, "It's very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son...gets it all." Just as the art collectors discovered on that day...The message is still the same...the love of the Father....a Father whose son gave his life for others...And because of that Father's love...Whoever takes the Son gets it all.


-Author Unknown

The Will Of God

"We cannot alter the will of God, but the man of prayer can discover the will of God with regard to himself. For to men of this kind God makes Himself manifest in the hidden chamber of the heart, and holds communion with them; and when His gracious purposes are shown to be for their good, then the doubts and difficulties of which they complain pass away for ever."

At The Master's Feet

What Is Prayer?

The Disciple : "Sometimes this question is asked, “Since God is fully aware of our needs, and knows how to supply them in the best way, not for the good only but for the evil, how should we pray to Him about them? Whether our necessities be temporal or spiritual, can we by our prayers alter the will of God?”

The Master : "Those who ask such a question show clearly that they do not know what prayer is. They have not lived a prayerful life, or they would know that prayer to God is not a form of begging. Prayer does not consist in an effort to obtain from God the things which are necessary for this life. Prayer is an effort to lay hold of God Himself, the Author of life, and when we have found Him who is the source of life and have entered into communion with Him, then the whole of life is ours and with Him all that will make life is perfect. To evildoers God, out of love for them, gives what is necessary for their life in this world, but their spiritual necessities He does not even show to them, as they have no spiritual life."

At The Master's Feet

Give To Gain

"There must be no hoarding in the Christ-life. Not what you can gain, but what you can give."

Two Listeners

Don't Get Lost In The Bustle

"In bustle so little is accomplished. You must learn to take the calm with you in the most hurried days."

Two Listeners

Where Does The Loving Begin?

"Love begins by taking care of the closest ones - the ones at home."

Mother Teresa

Not What You Say But What You Do

"There should be less talk; a preaching point is not a meeting point. What do you do then? Take a broom and clean someone's house. That says enough."

Mother Teresa (in an email I received)

The Allah Issue

Somebody's trying very hard to sow discord among Muslims and Christians in Malaysia. Making a big fuss because Christians too want to address their God as Allah, burning churches (although careful not to burn down the whole church) and when the Christians did not respond with violence, resorting to throwing pig heads into a mosque (wrapped up and tied with a rope, I read?).

Something good has come out of all these incidences, believe it or not. Ordinary, peace-loving Malaysians, both Christians and Muslims alike, have refused to be baited into violence. Ordinary citizens like me and my Muslim colleagues are still working together amicably and reading the news without getting in the least bit agitated. Anybody can see that a rabble rouser is trying so very vainlessly hard to stir up disharmony. This is a perfect example of love and tolerance overcoming evil. If we have stopped tolerating there might have been another May 13 incident.

I do not understand senseless killings. I do not understand wars. When I see humans slaughtering each other I ask myself - why don't you just go till the land or fish if you have so much energy? Please do that, really, be productive, not destructive. If every country spends 90% of all they have on agriculture, everyone will have enough to eat. I hope that the future will not be a hollywood scenario of 2012 or planet of the apes or some other depressing end to the human species. I hope that in the future everyone will treat the earth with great care so that it will give us bountiful returns. I hope that no one will be without familiy and friends but everyone will be without enemies. Let us work towards that vision. There's nothing to lose and the whole world to gain.

At The End Of Our Lives

"At the end of our lives, we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by "I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in.""

Mother Teresa (in an email I received)

Judging Versus Loving

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

Mother Teresa (in an email I received)