If You Want God To Work Within You

If you want God to work within you,
the truth must work within you.
If you want the truth to work,
God's qualities must work within you.
For those qualities to work,
compassion must work within you.

If you want compassion to work,
justice must work.
If you want justice to work,
conscience must work.
If you want conscience to work,
love must work.
If you want love to work,
God's qualities, speech, actions
and all that is true must work.
WHen those actions come into being,
God's power will work.

When that Power works,
this is what is called wisdom:
Duty without selfishness.
Prayer without self.
Regarding the lives of others
as one regards one's own life.

Not Every Creation Is Human

The point withing the point within the point that is capable of understanding His creation is what connects man and God; that what is called a human being.
He is human. He is called man.
Not every creation is human.
Only one who has this connection is human.

Not All That Is Learned Is Knowledge

Not all that is learned is knowledge.
Knowing the truth, knowing His grace,
Knowing what is wrong and what is right,
Knowing the happiness and sadness,
Knowing the birth and the death of this life,
Knowing what will die and what will not die is knowledge.
Correctly knowing what is correct and acting accordingly is knowledge.
That is knowledge.

(M.R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen)

Breaking Through A Tyranny of Custom

The man who has no tincture of philosophy goes through life imprisoned in the prejudices derived from common sense, from habitual beliefs of his age or his nation, and from convictions which have grown up in his mind without  the co-operation or consentr of his deliberate reason. To such a man the world tends to become definite, finite, obvious, common object rouse no questions, and unfamiliar possibilities are contemptuously rejected.

As soon as we begin to philosophize, on the contrary, we find, that even the most everyday things lead to problems to which very incomplete answers can be given. Philosophy, though unable to tell us with certainty what is true answer to the doubts which it raises, is able to suggest many possibilities which enlarge our thoughts and free them from the tyranny of custom.

Thus, while diminishing our feeling of certainty as to what things are, it greatly increases our knowledge as to what they may be; it removes the somewhat arrogant dogmatism of those who have never travelled into the region of liberating doubt, and it keeps alive our sense of wonder  by showing familiar things in an unfamiliar aspect.

- Bertrand Russell

Be Aware of the Thoughts

Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking.
Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral, which is always as it is.
There is the situation or the fact, and here are my thoughts about it.
Instead of making up stories, stay with the facts.

For example, Ï am ruined"is a story. It limits you and prevents you from taking effective action.
Ï have fifty cents left in my bank account" is a fact. Facing facts is always empowering.

Be aware that what you think, to a large extent, creates the emotions that you feel.
See the link between your thinking and your emotions.
Rather than being your thoughts and emotions, be awareness behind them.

(Eckhart Tolle, Oneness With All Life)

A Worthy Spouse

A worthy spouse is not of this world, but of the next"
- Abu Sulayman Ad Darani

In other words, the worthy spouse allows you to be free to engage in the work of the next world.
When you keep to your worship, if a boredom should appear such that the heart is wearied and you fall behind in worship, looking at her/him and witnessing her/his intimacy and ease to the heart.
That power of worship will return and your desire to obey God will be renewed.

(Sachiko Murata, Tao of Islam)

Let us be grateful

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” 
― Epicurus

Today many people are no longer satisfied with a simple, family-oriented life. As the commercial world produces more and more products and uses its advertising skills to try to entice the public, millions of fathers and mothers spend long hours at work so that they can buy these products. Other millions face a day-to-day struggle just to put some food on the table. They have to spend far more time at work than used to be the case, perhaps holding down two jobs, simply to pay for necessities. Yet others would be happy to find a job, since unemployment is a widespread problem. Yes, life is not always easy for the modern family, but Bible principles can help families to make the best of the situation.

The apostle Paul experienced economic pressures. In handling them, he learned a valuable lesson, which he explains in his letter to his friend Timothy. Paul writes, "We have brought nothing into the world and neither can we carry anything out. So, having sustenance and covering, we shall be content with these things."(1 Timothy 6:7,8).

True, family needs more than just food and clothing. It also needs somewhere to live. The children need an education. And there are medical bills and other expenses. Still, the principles of Paul's words applies. If we are content to satisfy our needs rather than indulge our wants, life will be easier. []