From Rev. Sunnie Murphy
November 30, 2009
"And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!"
Luke 1:28
LIVE IN GOD'S LOVE
List what you are expecting. What occupies most of your thinking and the topics of your conversations? That's where your faith is.
December 1, 2009
"The Angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary."
Luke 1:30
Let go and Let God.
True faith is that deep inner knowing that the good you desire is already yours. Is your faith focused on an appearance or on the truth? In other words, is your thinking fixed on the problem (what you see and hear) or on the solution (God)? Carefully examine your own faith. Where is it leading?
December 2, 2009
"You will....bear a son, and you will name him Jesus."
Luke 1:31
Listen for guidance from Spirit within.
Be aware of your thinking. Watch for the signs that are dead giveaways that you are misdirecting your faith. For example, you might find yourself saying, "I'll never be able to afford that," a surefire way to send your prosperity to the gallows. It's so easy to repeat things you don't really mean, not realizing how you're herding your faith into the wrong pasture by saying them.
Write out some of the things you normally say which indicate a misdirected faith:
December 3, 2009
"He will be....called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David."
Luke 1:32
Open yourself to the working of Spirit.
Rewrite each statement you listed on the previous day in a positive, faith-filled way. (For example, if you wrote, "I'm so lonely," you might write, "I'm attracting new friends.")
December 4, 2009
"He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
Luke 1:33
Live in faith-filled expectation.
Become still for a few minutes. Remember a time when you felt on top of the world. You knew that everything was going to go perfectly. You expected it, and that is precisely what happened. You had absolute faith that the outcome was going to be wonderful, didn't you? And, naturally, it was.
How did you feel at the time? What emotions were involved?
December 5, 2009
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you. and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God."
Luke 1:35
God's light and love shine through you.
Many of us spend more time checking out our financial investments than we do the investments in our faith. As you take a tally, do you find most of your faith investments on the asset (positive) side or on the debit (negative) side? Where were your expectations this week? Do the totals show that your faith is invested in fear or in God?
How can you increase your asset score (i.e., demonstrate more positive faith investments)?
December 6, 2009
"Blessed are you."
Luke 1:42
You are blessed with the infinite power of Spirit.
The only resource a battery-powered instrument has, its only power, is its batteries. Yet no matter how much the batteries are charged, as long as they are separated from their power source, they will eventually become ineffective.
Any changes created and sustained solely by your "battery-powered" human self must eventually run down. But when changes come from your spiritual self, that part of you "connected" to God, then you share in God's power. And that never wears out.
Name three things you thought you could control, which you have found out you couldn't.
December 8, 2009
"Then Mary said, 'Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.'"
Luke 1:38
Let the Spirit of peace guide your actions.
Act "as if" today. Choose what you want to be today and act all day as if you really were that way. For example: I will act as if I were a very patient person; I will act as if I really enjoy my work; I will act as if I am prosperous.
What "as if" action did you take and what were the results?
December 9, 2009
"Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fullfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.'"
Luke 1:45
Draw inspiration from Mary's
strength and courage.
List the instances in your life when you feel that you were open and receptive to God's will and allowed God-Mind to flow through your mind and inspire you. (Look for the times in your life when you absolutely knew that the decision you had made was the right one.)
December 10, 2009
"And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord.''"
Luke 1:46
You are on a magnificent
journey of renewal.
This moment, as you read these lines, is a brand-new moment in your life. You can choose to be more relaxed, more trusting, more forgiving, more loving. You can choose to be whatever you want. The question is: Are you treating this moment in a new way? If so, how? If not, why not?
December 11, 2009
"My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour."
Luke 1:47
You are a child of light and peace.
The teaching that we are each a child of God is the most basic teaching in virtually all of the great religions.
With your present concept of God, what exactly does the term "child of God" mean
to you?
December 12, 2009
"The Mighty One has done great things
for me, and holy is his name."
Luke 1:49
You are blessed beyond measure.
What do you feel is your most obvious and personal inheritance from God?
Perhaps you have a great ability to love
or a strong desire to teach or to serve
or you feel you've been given the gift of
healing.
What characteristic inherited from
your Creator are you most aware of?
December 13, 2009
"An angel of the Lord appeared to him
in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary
as your wife, for the child conceived
in her is from the Holy Spirit.'"
Matthew 1:20
Listen to the voice of Love within.
Loving people don't strive for love, the allow love. If you think of the most loving people you know, chances are they are not trying to love. They are simply being
true to what they are, and what they are is love.
List those people in your life who are love and how you can follow their lead.
December 14, 2009
"She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.'"
Matthew 1:21
The light of God surrounds you.
However people may treat us, it's important to love them. Certainly it's easy to judge them as not worthy of our love, but in withholding love from them, we are first depriving ourselves. Are we unworthy too?
You are on a journey of transformation.
List those people you now recognize as worthy of your love:
December 15, 2009
"And they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, 'God is with us.''"
Matthew 1:21
The love of God enfolds you.
The degree to which you can let your love flow unconditionally in all directions is the automatic built-in gauge of how you are letting God express in your life. Your
love quotient is never higher than the least amount of love you give to some person, no matter how much you think you are loving someone else.
How can you express more of the love you have? Be creative. Think of new ways to let love flow from you:
December 16, 2009
"When Joseph awoke from sleep,
he did as the angel of the Lord
commanded him."
Matthew 1:24
Be both a giver and receiver of love.
In the past, has someone's love for you affected your decision to love that person and others? For example, the leader of a clique in high school may have unexpectedly shown love for you and you may have decided to love him or her and their group.
Choose and analyze one incident:
December 17, 2009
"Joseph...went...to the city of David called Bethlehem...to be registered
with Mary."
Luke 2: 4-5
Express the spirit of love and joy within.
In the past, has someone's lack of love for you affected your decision to withhold love from that person and others? For example, a bitter divorce may have led you to withhold love from your former mate and his or her family.
Choose and analyze one incident:
December 18, 2009
"While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child."
Luke 2:6
Your love and faith bless others.
Is there anyone you love unconditionally?
Think about this for a good while. If you answered "yes," be sure there are no strings attached to your love. If you feel you could love this person more if he or she did something more, then your present love is conditional. Or if your love would diminish even a little bit if this person stopped doing something (like loving you), it is conditional.
December 19, 2009
"She gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger."
Luke 2:7
Love your inner child.
Please answer each of these next questions as spontaneously as you read them and answer them in that order.
List your three greatest assets. What do you feel makes you special or unusual? (Answer this now.)
a.
b.
c.
List your three greatest liabilities. What areas need improvement to make you a better person?
a.
b.
c.
December 20, 2009
"Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we have observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage.'"
Matthew 2:1-2
Give thanks for the Christ in you.
There is no circumstance that can force you to relinquish your joy. The potential for joy exists at every moment.
What physical activity brings you the most joy? Why? There are probably many physical things you do that bring you joy; eating, dancing, a hobby. Choose one and write a few sentences on why it makes you happy.
"Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we have observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage.'"
Matthew 2:1-2
Give thanks for the Christ in you.
There is no circumstance that can force you to relinquish your joy. The potential for joy exists at every moment.
What physical activity brings you the most joy? Why? There are probably many physical things you do that bring you joy; eating, dancing, a hobby. Choose one and write a few sentences on why it makes you happy.
December 21, 2009
"When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.'"
Matthew 2:10
Express joy in all that you do.
What emotions, thought or feeling brings you the most joy? Why? This could include the feelings you get when you are with a special person in your life or the feeling of satisfaction with a job well done.
December 22, 2009
"There were shepherds living in the fields,
keeping watch over their flock by night."
Luke 2:8
Spirit within brings you comfort and joy.
What spiritual sensation brings you the most joy? Why?
Perhaps you had a spiritual insight in your meditation that brought you great joy.
December 23, 2009
"Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them."
Luke 2:9
The Christ light shines in you.
Compare the joy you feel in each of your responses from the past few entries. Which is the most precious, and how can you make that joy more dominant in your life.
December 24, 2009
"The angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid;
for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.'"
Luke 2:10
Embrace the spirit of Christmas.
Joy comes not from circumstances themselves but from our adjustment to those circumstances. Be aware of the circumstances activating your joy. Was it reactive - was your joy dependent on changing circumstances? Or was your joy proactive - did you initiate the action yourself?
Make note of all the things that have brought you joy this week.
December 25, 2009
"To you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord......
'Glory to God in the highest heaven
and on earth peace!"
Luke 2:11-14
You are one with the spirit of faith, peace, love, and joy.
Your 26 day journey is now complete. Sit quietly, in a comfortable seat. As you relax your body and mind, think of the work joy as you inhale and exhale. Then remain in the silence for several minutes as you allow the feelings of joy to bubble up from deep within you, sweeping through every cell of your body. Stay as long as you like in this state.
When you are ready, slowly come back to the present reality, bringing the bouancy of joy with you.
Capture your thoughts following this meditation: