Taking Offence

 In the scriptures, the term "Offence" often refers to doing actual harm to someone, but in our culture today, people often take offence when no actual harm was done.  Offence is often taken just because a person has an emotional response to an outside stimuli, and can even be taken from their own imaginations of whatever they assume is happening.  This obviously places the person who takes offence when no harm was actually done, into the category of a controller, manipulator, etc.  Remember, this is when no damage was done.  Yet, a person who does damage to others, is an offender.  Even though it is up to the person who was harmed to forgive, the person who did the harm is also required to repent.  This reveals an interesting thought; To even take offence when the damage was intentionally caused, seems a poor choice, since we are trying to follow the example of the Saviour and forgive, which is not always an easy task.  Yet for our Lord's sake, we must try!  

My advice is simple; Do not take offence when the offence was not intentional.  Do not take offence when the offence was intentional.  Instead, try to solve the situation, so everyone can move forward.  

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Hoe Your Own Row

"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."  

~ Matthew 7:3-5

I see this scripture as great advice, to be in a better position to help others!  

I grew up on a tobacco farm.  And one of the biggest jobs in the summer was to hoe the weeds out of the rows of tobacco.  This job had a strange aspect to it though.  As a person walked down the rows all day long looking at sand and tobacco plants with the odd weed, the mind started to play tricks.  The mind started to self-correct what it saw, into what it wanted to see.  In other words, the mind started to miss seeing the weeds from time to time.  Then upon looking back, the weeds were visible.  But, if a person never looked back at their own row, then they would never be able to see their own mistakes.  

I remember watching others hoe their rows, and pointing out when they missed a weed.  My uncle would have great patience with me, but from time to time, he would point out all the weeds I missed.  “Hoe your own row,” he would say.  The more I watched other people’s rows, the more weeds I missed in my own row.  The more I watched for mistakes in others, the more I could not see my own mistakes, the more my own row suffered, the slower I worked, and the slower my own skills improved.  

My uncle was very good at his job, and would take several rows to the end of the field, then work his way back down our rows, helping the work get done much more effectively, while still placing us in the situation to improve our skills.  He could see that the most effective way to help someone, was to watch his own rows first, then he was in a unique position to help others, without hindering their own development.  

This principle applies to many areas of life, and by looking at our own hearts and not trying to catch others in their mistakes, we can increase our own skill, and be in a much better position to effectively help others where we can.  

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Father's Desire For Us

I was trying to think of how to explain the Gospel in a different way, so that it would be easier to see what Father is actually trying to develop us into. But I do think there is a false doctrine that keeps getting in the way, that of God's magic wand. Even though the Gospel is about progression, about becoming, about overcoming, about developing, creating yourself into the person you would like to be, I often hear the belief that, even though I am not perfect, God will just reward me. In other words, the false doctrine of the magic wand is still prevalent.

Father is trying to teach us how to develop ourselves into gods. And to do this, we need to have the skills of a god. This means we need to learn, to practice, to become good at those skills. There is no magic wand! The instructions (commonly known as the commandments) are given to us so we have our choice to develop ourselves as much as we want. As we follow the instructions, we become more and more pure, in heart, in mind, in body, and we pierce the veil. So, it is entirely up to us, how much we develop.

For example: It is terribly difficult to pierce the veil with impure thoughts. If a person has filled their thoughts with contemplations of bad images, then when praying: what do they see? The instructions of God are instructions to make us pure. The instructions of our Heavenly Father are there to help us become pure, so we can stand before God, and do what He does.

So, instead of worrying about punishment and reward, or the magic wand, we need to understand that it is up to us to become what it is we want to become. Instead of thinking, God will reward me, by waving His magic wand over me, and letting me go to the Celestial Kingdom, make yourself into a Celestial being. Become celestial! That way, anywhere you go, you will be Celestial. Anywhere you go will be Celestial! When Father comes to the earth, the area immediately surrounding Him is Celestial. Just as it was with Moses, and Joseph, the Glory of God shone round about them, as if the groves were on fire, yet nothing consumed. It can be the same with you! It is not about getting a reward of going to the Celestial Kingdom, it is about becoming a Celestial person. Father cannot shake pixie dust on us and make us Celestial, that would violate agency, but He can show us how to be a Celestial person ourselves, and we can then be just like Him.

We really need to get this doctrine into us, so that we can progress, and fill the measure of our creation. After all, we were created to become Gods!

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Transference

I feel a great deal of compassion on those who have come out of churches that are led by popes and presidents which hold absolute authority over the eternal welfare of their constituents.  Often these folk, who come out of such churches, go through a grieving process(shock, denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression, acceptance, etc.), and are suspicious of anything that may or may not resemble the society from which they fled, and thereby spend all their time looking for fault, instead of looking for the good in all things.  This transference is a very common phenomena, requiring specific treatment options.  These unfortunate people spend their time pulling down all those who may have something to offer for their healing, and in so doing become twice the child of hell than those who once ruled over them.  The victims have become the persecutors!  God cannot justify those who do evil to others, just because evil was done to them.  He most certainly does not justify the degradation of the innocent, just because an evil person took advantage of you.  In fact, even Justice herself stands against you seeking to pull down those who have risen up.  Only a coward would go after someone who did them no harm.  If you are so right, stand against the doctrines of the church which did you wrong, instead of picking on those who have helped you.  Stand up for the doctrines of the Messiah, be forgiving, kind, loving, merciful, etc.  Even forgive those in the previous church who have wronged you.  Repent now, before it is everlastingly too late! 

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Selfishness

3. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others.  Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  

4.  Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.   

Philippians 2:3-4  NIV  

Life in the Gospel is often an adventure.  Even though we go to church to find peace, to rest, to recharge, it is often the most difficult part of the week.  In church, are all kinds of people.  There are many selfish people that are only looking out for themselves, and can really only see their own situation in life.  And so we hear the comment, "I do not like going to church because the people there are not living the Gospel."  Well, this is true!  Many people do not live the Gospel.  They are much more interested in just looking out for their own interests, making themselves look good, taking advantage of others, etc.  And yet, that is what we are here for.  Who will help these people if not you?  Who will show forth a good example, patience in long-suffering, to help these selfish people, if not you?  

We often want to serve God, and sometimes dream about being sent to a foreign nation, returning in triumph like Jonah, having converted the entire city.  And yet, here are the Ninivites, right here at church!  Can we have patience in long-suffering, always showing forth good examples to those whom the Lord has placed in our lives?  Can we strive with the members at church, until all of them are converted?  

"But these are not nice people.  They insult me, they hurt me, they spread rumors about me.  I have never done any of those things to them!"  Yes, of course!  Sometimes others are oblivious to the evil they do, and other times, they know very well the evil they do.  But what about us?  We need to do right before God.  We need to be good, no matter what the other members do to us.  All this and more happened to many in the Scriptures, good people being beat, tortured, imprisoned, and even killed.  Yet, they kept the faith!  Even our Saviour kept the faith.  Are we better than He?  Let us be good, even when bad things are done to us on purpose.  

Let us give up our selfishness, and keep striving with those who are not yet converted to the Father.  Let us be humble, for they are worth as much as we are.  Let us not look to our own self-interests, but look to their eternal salvation.  

Remember, we are only here for a short season; we can do this!  

May God bless you all.  

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Learning From Example

Were you not close enough to a great king to learn by his example?
~ Saladin, Kingdom of Heaven.

In the movie, Kingdom of Heaven, the king of Jerusalem is always trying to make and keep peace, even among generational enemies. When the old king dies, a new king comes into power, and things change. The new king, filled with pride, actually thought he was just as smart as the old king, and therefore did not learn the example that was right in front of him. And when he did his own ideas, he did not get the same results. In fact, he lost the kingdom, and his people had to suffer! 

It has been said: There are many paths which lead to the top of the mountain, and although this may be true, there are easier paths, and harder paths. There are safer paths, and there are paths which are more dangerous! And if the Lord Yeshua Himself, comes to show us the path back into the presence of the Father, and Yeshua shows by the results that His path works, and tells us that His is the only path which will get us back into the presence of Father, and proves this by the results of His path, then should we believe Him and follow His path? 

The new king, filled with pride, thought his method was just as valid as the method of the previous king, yet it did not produce the same results. This led to great suffering of his people, and the loss of the kingdom, the loss of his life, the loss of Jerusalem. All because he thought his ideas were just as valid as the ideas of the great king before him. 

Are we close enough to the Great King Jehovah to learn by His example? If not, how do we know what ideas are in line with His proven method, or what ideas are our own? I submit, it is the Spirit of Holiness which we must acquire, in order to know what ideas of which the Saviour does approve. The great Spirit of Holiness will lead us into Holier, and Holier paths. The way to tell is, if the results are Holy. 

I remember a time when a young person in my stewardship told me of a different approach than the one I was using, to which the Spirit of Holiness bore immediate witness. I instantly apologized and changed to that Holier approach, and the results were undeniable! There have been many such examples in my life, which have alleviated suffering as a direct result. 

When a person comes into your life, who has the results you desire, and offers to share the method to get those results, how do you respond? Do you inflate your pride, and say, "My way is just as valid as your way!" Or, do you immediately give up your way, for the proven method? 

Even if a person has not yet witnessed the life of the Saviour, and exactly how He did things to get the proven results, we can apply to the Holy Spirit of Promise, and be led into Holier and Holier paths, which will alleviate suffering caused by our own approach. 

Are you not close enough to the Great King to learn by his example?

Diet Vs Lifestyle

When we are young, we often have a joyful lifestyle more conducive to a lean body. All the running around, happily playing with the other children, the constant growth, keeps us much more healthy. This is often the same in the Gospel. In the beginning, we are learning, growing, running around making new friends, becoming a part of things. This keeps us healthy and growing in the Gospel. We can get into good Gospel shape!

Then when we grow up, we tend to slow down on these different features of a healthy lifestyle, which leads to the extra weight, cynical attitude, depression, lack of growth, and overall poor health. The same in the Gospel. As we "grow up" and settle down in the Gospel, we gain a few extra vices, cynical attitude, depression begins to set in, experience a lack of growth, and generally obtain poor Gospel Health! Well, we need to change all that!

Let us re-visit the beginning:

In the beginning, we were introduced to an exciting new goal, a new way of looking at things, new things to accomplish. This is the same today, let us make an exciting new goal!

Second, we learned and learned. We fed that goal. We focused pretty hard on the goal, and fed ourselves loads of new material, researching all the things we needed to accomplish that goal. With all the moving toward our new goals, we naturally did not ingest the old inputs. This got us healthy! And we moved forward quickly.

Third, we exercised a lot! We got involved. We got a new calling, we started going to more meetings, we shaped, and shared, our new outlook with many people, we participated!!!

Fourth, We spent a lot of time in prayer, and meditation, contemplating every aspect we could. We stretched our minds and hearts. We found peace to our souls, in the promise of Eternal Life!

And all this revolved around our Love for our Heavenly Father and His Son! In which regard, we were constantly analyzing ourselves, striving to improve, looking at the harsh reality of ourselves, and changing ourselves deeper and deeper, in response to which, we felt that ever burning witness of the Holy Ghost, the messenger of Heavenly Father, letting us know that we are on the right path, that we are loved, that the course of life we are pursuing is acceptable to Him! What a beautiful memory.

And all this can be yours again. Let us re-new ourselves, and run the gauntlet again!

May God bless you all. 

The Best Diet Programme

Question:
What is the best diet, that will give me the best results, in the shortest amount of time?

Answer:
Whole foods, portion control, a lot of proper exercise, proper sleep, no stress, etc.  And all these things must be done properly and properly scheduled.

The easiest and best way to get the results is, to do the programme.  Any person who does the programme will get the results.

Of course, this honest programme does not sell well.  The best selling fitness programmes are those which promise incredible results, with no effort.

"Just take our pill, and watch the fat melt away!"

"You can eat anything you want on our diet!"

"Just take our supplement, and you never have to get off the couch again!" 

Instead of looking for the easy way, perhaps it is best to look for the proven way.
Proven results of a proven way is the best way!

Results are the measure of the effectiveness of the programme.  No one got skinny by eating and sitting.  Yet, everyone got into shape by eating only whole foods, limiting intake, a lot of exercise, uninterrupted sleep, no worries, etc.

Any person who does the proven programme, gets the proven results!

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Protected By The Hand Of God

In the course of my duties, I have often counselled folks to go forth with boldness, and serve the Lord without fear, and just as oft, been faced with the statement that, 'I was blessed of the Lord and can go forth without any fear.'

I know that going forth serving the Lord can sometimes be scary, but the Lord will watch out for anyone who is on His errand. It does not matter if that person is a Priest or Priestess, nor does it matter if that person is an Elder, Seventy, or Apostle, etc., for the Lord to reach out and protect and prosper His servant!

I love this quote from Wilford Woodruff:

"I traveled thousands of miles and preached the Gospel as a Priest, and, as I have said to congregations before, the Lord sustained me and made manifest His power in the defense of my life as much while I held that office as He has done while I have held the office as an Apostle."

So, do not fear. Go forth without fear in the service of God. Fulfill your callings, and the duties of the priesthood, and build up the Kingdom of God without fear, and without worry!  

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This Lock-Down Is Great!

It allows us to do all those things we often wished that we had time to do.  Like, Praying more, and getting closer to the Lord.

How often have we wished to have more time to read the scriptures, more time to memorize things, more time to teach the children the Gospel?

This time can be a great blessing from the Lord!  We can now run forth and do all those wonderful things that we have longed to do!

Personally, I like to start the day with prayer!  And this is such a wonderful time, because now we do not have to rush through our morning prayers.  Now we can take the time to accomplish a deep and abiding relationship with our Father in Heaven!  No longer do we have to limit our prayers to 5 or 10 minutes, or even half an hour to an hour, but we can take our time and get a few hours of interaction with the Lord, and really get fed!

I like to start the day, getting up early, because I went to bed early, and start the day with some deep breathing exercises, and meditation.  I do this so that I can rid my mind of all the temporal thoughts.  I want to have a clear, peaceful mind for when I approach the Lord, so I am not distracted by worldly thoughts, or concerns.

With life moving so slowly, I like to prioritize time for scripture study.  To  refresh my mind with all the stories and lessons contained in the scriptures that I can.

It is a great time to spend with the children, to teach them your love of the Gospel.  A time to tell the stories of amazing and miraculous spiritual experiences which you have had.  Ensure your children know your testimony, and your love of God!

It is a great time to write, to catch up on journaling, to write new gospel songs, poetry and psalms about the Lord.  It is a great time to be creative, painting or drawing pictures of Gospel stories and experiences.

What a great time to work on gifts of the Spirit of God!  We can work on things like the gifts of prophecy, revelation, tongues, interpretation, translation of Holy writ, controlling the weather, moving mountains, crossing the veil, healing, being healed, exercising great faith, etc.

There is no need to limit our interactions with others, we just need to find other ways than just face to face.  For example, we can call our family and friends, to share with them our love and testimony of the Saviour.  We can get online, learning how to negotiate the various forums and message boards, teaching the Gospel.  At this time, there are many people who are worried about the state of the world, they are looking for comfort, and what better comfort than sharing with them the Good News of the Gospel of the Messiah?  That God loves them, and wants them to do well.  That God has made a plan to help them return to Heaven and take up their thrones there.  We have so much time to be emissaries for God.  We can be good stewards, and good missionaries.  We can be found blessing the lives of others when the Saviour returns.  "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  Blessed are those who are found feeding the children.

The best thing about this, is we do not have to stay stuck in the rut of what our daily lives were before the lock-down.  We can progress.  For those who follow the Saviour, this is a great time to change the course of our lives!

May God bless you all!

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Questions About The Corona Virus

I have been avoiding posting about this latest virus, namely the Corona Virus, preferring instead to post about the direction in which we should travel, in order to accomplish a solution.  But, as of late, I have been asked several questions about this virus, and the damage that it will do to humanity.

As the readers of this blog know, Heavenly Father wants us to progress, to move toward Him and have Eternal Joy.  In order to accomplish this, Father has often sent out emissaries to deliver His messages, messages of peace and how to accomplish the goal of becoming like Him.  These messages preceded the problems that are present, and precede the problems that are coming.  The warnings which are sent out are so that Father's difficult children can see what they are doing, the consequences of what they are doing, and then change their course of action to get the better results of joy and peace.  Anyone who follows the Father's instructions, will prosper in the land both spiritually, and have plenty temporally.  This is the desire of our Heavenly Father, to take good care of His children, leaving the choice up to them, of course.  In this regard He gives us directions by which to live so that we can have those wonderful results.

These rules of conduct, which will bear the fruit we so often desire, are provided in the scriptures.  They are things like, 'do not hurt people', and 'help each other.'  These are the basis of all the rules of conduct whether in society, or personally.  This being said, all those who have read the scriptures know of these rules, and either follow them, justify breaking them, or twist them into something selfish.  It is best to return to these rules of conduct, and watch the Lord keep His promise of blessing us with peace and prosperity.

So, now that we know the rules of conduct, which will keep us safe, what went wrong?  How did we get from that state of affairs to this?  It is self-evident that we did not keep the rules of conduct laid down for our safety and progression by our Father, who has already accomplished His Godhood, and has shared with us the rules which have enabled him to do so, which when we apply those rules, will enable us to do so as well, so that His work and His glory will be accomplished.

The messengers went forth to warn the people of the natural consequences of their selfishness, their hurting each other, and taking advantage of each other for their own gain.  The messengers proclaimed to the people to return to the standards which God has set, to reverse the natural consequences of their selfishness.  It is God's desire that His people do not suffer, therefore He sends out messengers to remind people to return to the standard which will accomplish peace and prosperity.

The problem is, folks just did not want to listen to those messengers, saying that they prefer their own opinions and viewpoints of how to live the Gospel (Which ironically got them into the position they are in currently.).  Therefore, the people stubbornly stuck to the doctrines which got them into this horrible situation, all because of their pride.  The Lord knew this would be the case, and sent out messengers to instruct people on how to approach the Lord, and get direction straight from Him.  This message was also ignored, over the preference of pride.  The people choosing instead to follow their own desires, their own emotions, their own doctrines, and various spirits, of which they have become accustomed.

It has been 7 years since the last king was elected, and war has come.  It is here now.  This is war.  It is sent out to consume and rule the people.  Unfortunately,  the general populace is under the impression that the tactics used by the king and his generals do not include information control, manipulation, and distribution, strategically used to control the populace.  This military strategy has been effectively used throughout time, and is being used just as effectively today.  It is the spreading of a disease of fear, which effectively controls the masses.  This fear, cost effectively and with minimal loss of their own people, has caused more damage and manipulation of society than any other weapon known to mankind.  Because of people's reaction to this mass hysteria, many parts of society will fall apart, bringing a natural consequence of people turning against each other.  Scapegoats will be named, in their various forms.  Internet prophets will be spreading more fear.  People will form more cliques and have warm contentions against others of differing beliefs.  As long as there is contention, there is fear, and war!  There will be many other tactics used, in many areas, other biological weapons, manipulation of weather, induction of seismic activity, charismatic leaders, and even armed conflicts.  This is definitely not the end.

The only way to stop this war, to win, is to turn back to the Lord, to keep the standard that the Lord has set for all His people.

Turn back to the Lord.  Find others who have also turned back to the Lord.  Rid yourselves of all fear, worry, and ungodliness.  Instead, focus on working together.  Become one.  Love each other, forgive each other, be one with each other.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, Love Him so much that you actually keep His commandments.  Never justify the breaking of any of His advice, only keep all His words so deeply inside you, that it seeps out of you in all your behaviour, all your conversations, all your thoughts, and all your emotions, until you become like God.

The only way to stop this war, to win, is to turn back to the Lord, to keep the standard that the Lord has set for all His people. 

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The Lord's Prayer

This prayer is a very particular call/commission to the Apostles, for what the Apostles and Disciples of the Lord should be doing in the Name of God. This is clear by the instruction given to, "After this manner, therefore, pray ye."

In the Lord's prayer, there are things like "Our Father in heaven", which is to not only acknowledge him, but to connect with Him in all reality. The disciple should be making that solid connection. This is our direction, the direction to which we should be connecting at all times.

"Hallowed be Thy name", should not be lip service. You are not bragging and telling him 'oh, you are so wonderful'. He is not a God of pride, nor does he need His ego inflated. It is the disciple who is supposed to be hallowing the name of God. We are to be that perfect example of hallowing His name. So the disciple is first making that connection, and second hallowing His name, because they just transfigured and became like Him, they just connected with Him. All of a sudden His Holy fruit is now emanating from the connected disciple.

The next focus is: "Thy kingdom come". That phrase in and of itself is a whole lot. Zion should have just been established in the previous directions, and with it, the Father having shared His ideas and plans of a beautiful kingdom, of which the disciple pledges to accomplish by the words, "Thy Kingdom come." Now that the disciple is committed to ensuring God's Kingdom coming. To where is it coming? It is coming into the heart of the disciples, where their own kingdom is. It is the disciples, which are to bring God's Kingdom into themselves, the disciple's kingdom becoming subject to God's Kingdom design. This is what the prayer means, for the disciple to accomplish these things. This is why the third person grammatical structure is used. It is a covenant, that the disciple will do all in their power to accomplish the will of their Lord.

As the prayer/instruction continues, a deeper and deeper connection with God is established.

Next, the commission; "Thy will be done", what is that? 'I am going to go do it.' This is not a prayer, to be like 'Oh God, go do all this stuff. You are so wonderful.' Since the faithful disciples have already brought His Kingdom inside their hearts, now it is going to come out. This instruction is to the disciple to actually accomplish this. The disciple is to be truly God's agent here upon this earth. The faithful disciples are going to do His will, of that Kingdom they have just established inside themselves. When God gives a command, or shares with the disciple what He has in His heart, the loyal disciple's response is of course, O Lord, Thy will be done! In other words, 'Thy will will be done', or 'O Lord, I will help you accomplish Your will'!

When the phrase "Father in heaven" is spoken, the disciple is connecting. "Hallowed be Thy name," the light is just glowing now, as the disciple carries out the commission to hallow His name. The joy of the Father fills the disciple. "Thy kingdom come", all that knowledge and goodness comes here inside the heart, and then "Thy will be done," and the disciple now freely shares it out to everybody, doing it for God and fellow man.

"On earth just like it is in heaven." Well, where is heaven? Inside the heart. It has just been established in the heart, and how it is going to be done on earth, is just like it was done with you. So, you are supposed to be connecting with other people and doing the same thing that God is doing with you. Since there is somebody who is sharing it with you, there is somebody who is teaching you, there is somebody who is helping you, until you can make that connection yourself solid, you are to serve others in that capacity.

And then the instructions take on a new form, to show the Will that is to be done on earth, as the Lord continues, "Give us this day our daily bread." Well, what could this possibly mean? Does it mean, 'Oh God, come on, come on, give me something.'? Or could it expand from what is previously established, 'I am going to seek out my daily bread, but only just what I need, so that all I can focus on is spreading the kingdom of God, the will of God being done on the earth'? 'Lord provide for me and show me where I can get my daily bread. Do not worry about tomorrow, Lord, I will be okay, just a little bit for today so I can do Your will.' And now, since the disciples have asked from God, and God has provided, the disciples are going give that to others, doing the same for others as was done for them. So, the idea is not to be concerned with saving a large amount of food, but more concerned with spreading the Gospel, and therefore only needing to provide just what is needed for the day. And for the disciples, only a handful to shove in the mouth, so they can be on their way teaching and helping others. This, of course, applies to all daily needs. The disciples are the agents of God, administering for, and in behalf of God.

Next, "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." What could be different ways of keeping this commandment? 'Lord, I am forgiving everybody because You forgive me.' What about 'Lord, You forgive, and I am doing Your will. I am forgiving everybody, they are all forgiven. I forgave them all for You.' The disciples of Yeshua, will be doing as He does, and forgiving people. They will cover the sins of others with a cloak of charity, they will help them, they forgive them for God. And all that is forgiven, is gone. Leave it gone. Remember, God is inside the disciple, in His Kingdom inside you, it is up to the disciple to act in the capacity of an agent for God, doing what God would do, forgive others. Those praying this prayer are to be His disciples doing His work!

The next phrase: "Lead us not into temptation". Joseph Smith translation says "Suffer us not to be led into temptation". And if the disciple is God's agent and is talking to God, making this connection, the disciple is not begging from a careless boss, but is a proactive employee fulfilling his job description. It is just like the forgiveness concept. The disciple is ever so careful, making sure nobody is led into temptation. As much influence as can be provided. No disciple would find it appropriate to play devil's advocate, nor trick anyone, nor try to get their neighbour to do anything wicked.

It is better to try to teach people without being cruel. It is better to try kindness with people. The disciple is actually being, in that prayer, God. Being that connection to God, and spreading that light.

"Suffer us not to be led into temptation", 'Lord, we are making sure. Let us make sure none of us get led into temptation. We are doing it.' How about "lead us not into temptation", the disciples ensure their words, actions, behaviours, heart, and everything is correct so they are not leading people into temptation. In fact, the disciple will do all righteousness to deliver their beloved neighbour from evil!

And then he says, "For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory", bringing the prayer back to the beginning. It is not to pay lip service here. It is a disciple's responsibility to carry out this commission, ensuring the Kingdom, Power, and Glory all belong to God. After all, it was "Thy kingdom come", that just came at the beginning, for which we prayed. And now that His Kingdom has come, we are to ensure that His Kingdom remains with Him!

That kingdom that just came, that is the kingdom to be established here, Heavenly Father's kingdom.

People are being fed. No one is hording all the food, but all are sharing.

People are forgiven, people are forgiving each other.

Nobody is tempting each other, being led into temptation. Nobody is playing devil's advocate, trying to lead somebody into temptation. People are being delivered from evil.

'It is Your kingdom, Lord. Look, here it is, we got it ready for You. For this kingdom is Yours! And the power is all Yours! And the glory is all Yours! It is for You.' "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever," 'I do not want any of it.'

'I am content to be a part of things, I just want whatever you want O Lord, Thy will be done, O Lord.  I will do all in my power to accomplish Thy will.'  

I view this prayer as the same prayer that Heavenly Father makes.  He is selfless too.  So, Heavenly Father is praying to His father.  This is pretty interesting stuff, is it not?  

This may be a new way of thinking, although it is worth considering, what could this prayer actually mean?  It is not a begging prayer.  This is a prayer of actually connecting and being God's agent here on earth.  And there is nothing in that prayer of any type of selfishness at all.  This prayer invites everyone to come to the Lord, and have good priorities, to have God inside you, to be perfectly connected to God.  And then, since God is inside us, what God would be doing is what we should be doing.  Forgiving people, feeding people, teaching people, helping them, administering to them, healing them, helping them to go forward.  If we look at the Lord's prayer in the respect that we are standing in for the Lord, we would be doing those things.  This is actually a very deep prayer.  We are actually becoming one with the Father, and doing what the Father would do here upon the earth.  This prayer organizes what a disciple should be doing every day of their life.  This prayer invokes the "Name of God".  This prayer is His Holy Name!  

Strait Is The Gate, Narrow Is The Way

I love reading the scriptures, over and over again.  There are so many cool treasures to find.  As one lesson is learned another appears!  

Here are some positives from Matthew 7. 

Do good to others, and good will be done to us.  

The more we fix ourselves, the better we can Help others.  

If you need help, ask, seek, knock: your Heavenly Father will help you!  

Remember the Golden Rule: this is the strait gate.  

Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life.  

Bring forth these good fruits.  

A house built upon this rock, shall not fall.  

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Forgiveness, A Little Deeper

If we do not forgive, then nothing will work.  It is imperative that we forgive.  

This is a little story, based on various experiences, and I pray it is understandable.  

There once was a girl, Ruby, who moved to a new town, got her feelings hurt, and cried.  She was hurt because people acted a certain way around her, a way she was not used to, and she took offence.  She thought they were making fun of her, reasoning why they acted so strangely.  Taking offence hurt Ruby's heart, and she could not let it go.  

She knew she needed to forgive.  Yet, she thought that she did forgive.  But then, if she forgave, why did she hurt?  She could not understand this concept.  

Later on, there came a time when Ruby made a friend, and on her friend's birthday, gave a gift to her.  Her new friend was delighted, which made Ruby delighted also.  

Ruby was happy to have a new friend, and confided in her of being hurt and struggling to forgive.  Her new friend asked, if Ruby would now cry, for giving the birthday gift?  

Ruby said no!  And she wondered why would someone even ask a question like that?  

Her new friend answered, because you gave a gift.  Why are you not going to cry, are you not sad?  

Ruby said, no!  She was not sad, and she could not understand the reasoning, the questioning.  

And so her new friend explained to her:  When you forgive, or when you give a person a gift, you are not sad anymore, you are happy, because you gave.  And you are happy that the person accepted that gift!  To forgive, means to give, as if you gave before they took it.  Forgive: to give before.  

And so, Ruby started to realize that maybe she had not forgiven.  She began to understand a deeper meaning of forgiveness.  

"If any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have they cloke also.  And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.  Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:..." 
Matthew 5:40-45

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