Category: Religion

10 Wise Things Jesus Said…Without Fine Print

Whether you view Jesus of Nazareth as your personal savior, a great teacher, or an interesting historical figure; there’s little doubt he left behind powerful words that provide a template for the better world we’re all seeking in this moment.

Here are 10 things Jesus said, without qualification or fine print, that we can all use as a basis creating better selves and a better world.

  1. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
  2. Let he among you who is without sin cast the first stone. (Social media would go silent. LOL)
  3. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
  4. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
  5. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew) (Alternatively from Mark – Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
  6. So, in everything, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
  7. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
  8. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
  9. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
  10. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

We see in these sayings words about peace, affirmation, bettering ourselves, and caring about each other.

Jesus spoke many other important and, for many, sacred words. Yet if we took these 10 items alone and built our character upon them and the world’s character upon them; how much better would that world be?

Just sayin’.

In case no one else has reminded you today, you ARE AWESOME!

Ray

One Strike Zone or Having a Moral Compass – Day 279 of 365 Days to a Better You

Whether you believe in astrology or not, I am the very embodiment of my sun sign. Being a Libra, I’m cursed with the perpetual need for balance, justice, and fairness. I mean, heck, our symbol is the scales, right?

My brand of justice is not harsh or judgmental. It is, however, fair to a fault. I call it having one strike zone. Others might call it having a consistent moral compass.

In the games of baseball and softball, there’s something call a strike zone. It’s the rule-defined area above home plate and between the knees and shoulders of each batter where a strike will be called on the batter whether he swings or not. It’s the same for each, batter based on his or her height.

I use a similar principle when I evaluate ideas, political positions, or moral actions. My strike zone for your words and actions is the same whether I like you or agree with you or not. My strike zone isn’t expanded for people I like and contracted for people I don’t. My view is that would be gross hypocrisy on my part.

Experience, though tells me not every operates that way. For many people, it’s hard to separate their personal feelings about a person or idea from the person or idea. Further, they tend to give those they like a massive ethical strike zone, while granting opponents a tiny or even non-existent strike zone.

You know these people. Their religion has all the truth. Their political party is always right and virtuous and the opposition party wrong and evil; even when we’re talking about actions that are precisely the same. The call that goes against their sports team is always wrong and the one that worked in their favor is always right.

You must know that for we Libras, this is practically human malpractice. LOL. Beyond my personal distaste for the inability to be objective, in keeping with my Libra credo, it’s very damaging to our society and out individual lives.

This mindset allows:

  1. “Our” corruption to persist, while “Their” corruption is pursued to the bitter end.
  2. People to be harsh, cold, and uncaring about people not in their circle of agreement.
  3. Us to miss good ideas and adopt bad ones because of WHO proposed it.
  4. Division in a way that makes dialogue, compromise, and resolving big issues nearly impossible.

Sound like any society you know? All of this occurs in an environment when people see only sides and feel a need to defend their side even to the point of absurdity, while attacking the other side to the same extreme degree.

My goal is not to point fingered in this post. If you’re a Libra or Libra-like in this way, you’re probably not contributing to this. However, if you see yourself, your social media interactions, or personal interactions in what I’m saying, I’d humbly ask you to reassess.

It doesn’t mean you have to lose your passion. I’m one of the most passionate people I know. I simply refuse to allow my passion to stop me from seeing the other sides in a debate, giving them their point while taking mine, and working toward harmony and solutions instead of just another partisan argument where tired old talking points are trotted out in lieu of working toward an answer.

One strike zone…it’s where justice, integrity, and ethical consistency hang out. If you’re not quite there now, it’s a very worthy aspiration.

In case no one told you today, you ARE amazing!

Ray

Ray
Website | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Support Us

Co-Exist – The Affirmation Spot for Thursday July 2, 2009

Ray’s Daily Affirmation:

“Right this moment, I am choosing an open heart over a narrow mind.”
(Download this mp3 affirmation or 100s of others at The Affirmation Spot)



Our world CAN live in unity. We have it within our power to live in peace with each other on this planet. And yet, too often, we choose conflict, anger, and violence. Humanity’s destiny is not written in stone or in a book somewhere. It is written in our hearts, our words, and our choices every day.

It is written in the way we think about each other, talk (or don’t talk) to each other, and act towards each other. Fearful perceptions are reinforced or loving awareness replaces the fear. The world remains stuck where it is or progresses towards a place we all aspire to.

One of the biggest stressers in human relations is our differing ways of worship. For millenia we have fought and killed in the name of God. This was never a particularly wise or productive use of our human, intellectual, spiritual, and material treasure.

Today more than ever we face an increasingly clear choice to learn to get along and share this planet or to destroy ourselves. It really is that simple. One simple mantra serves us well here….”Live and let live.” Is our need to be right so powerful and so insistent that we risk destroying ourselves over it?

Or, can we reach a higher place where I live fully and freely according to my beliefs and allow you to do the same?

Today’s video shows the commonality of our spiritual aspirations. If only we could practice the love, compassion, and empathy that all of our spiritual traditions teach; how much better off we’d be.

Stay inspired!

Ray

2009 Affirmation

“This year I am absolutely committed to being the person I came here to be!”

Affirmational Prayer for A Better World – The Affirmation Spot for Thursday January 22, 2009

Today’s Affirmation:

“Right this moment, I am choosing an open heart over a narrow mind.”
(Click the affirmation to hear the mp3 version)

meditation_prayer_rsI ask this day that I might be an instrument of peace in the world. May I take care to think only thoughts that lead to a positive world for myself and others. Help me to bear in mind the effect my thoughts have on the world I come to experience.

May I join with other compassionate beings to lend my thoughts and efforts to creating a better tomorrow for us all. I am taking action to make the world a better place in every way I affect it today. May I find peace and healing for myself as I work to be part of the solution in the world.

Grant me the strength within to love all living things and to make a positive impact on all I encounter today. May I attract positive people and circumstances to me that I may be more effective in my undertakings. May no one be too important nor too unimportant to greet with a kind word.

I seek the strength to live completely in love, as I release all my fears. I grant forgiveness for all I hold against myself and for all I hold against another. May I be a tool for healing in the world. I ask for the fortitude to be the embodiment of selfless harmony to the extent I am able today.

I will generous with my time, my resources, and myself to the best of my ability without resentment or reluctance. For I know that what I give others I give to myself as well.

I seek happiness, peace, and freedom from suffering today. As such I wish it for all other beings as well. I am thankful for all that I have been given. I am especially grateful for the beauty and harmony that exists all around me, if only I am willing to see it.

Finally, I see a patient acceptance as events unfold in my life. Help me to see the big picture and not get bogged down by unimportant details. I understand that all my experiences are chosen by me at some level for my benefit. Thus, I seek to understand, to learn, and to open myself to every wonderful possibility.

Amen

Ray Davis  (written circa 1993)

2009 Affirmation
This year I am absolutely committed to being the person I came here to be.”

Message from the Desk of God

Today’s Thought:

If your God tells you to harm others for your cause, you need a new God.

Child watching the fireAs I surf the web most days, it’s nearly impossible to avoid stories of angry human beings doing hateful and harmful things to their neighbors. Conflicts that are ethnic or religious in nature seem to be seeded with particular venom and a complete loss of wisdom and common sense.

Generation after generation of “us” kills generation after generation of “them” and vice versa. Anyone in either group daring to stop and ask why or show a shred of humanity to the other side is labeled a traitor.

Of course, the Middle East represents the longest lasting and perhaps the sorriest example of this behavior. However, it is endemic to many places in the world.

I got to thinking what would God say to these people, many of whom are convinced they are doing God’s will. No, I don’t have a God complex, but I thought it might be interesting to speak directly to these angry, hurting, misguided people who refuse to put down the rock or the gun.

To all people everywhere!


loving_godDo you think Me so small that I cannot handle being called different names by different people? Do you believe Me so arrogant that I cannot handle prayers in different forms and different languages? So selfish that I would choose the friendship of one of you over another? Whatever you call Me, I shall answer.

Your anger only eats you up and wastes your life. And when it boils over, it sends you out to kill, sometimes with weapons and sometimes with words. You rally around those who speak of violence and “solving our problems by eradicating ‘them’.”

You swirl around such words like sharks in a feeding frenzy and then you run off and do things in My name that I have explicitly asked you not to do. You commit suicide to kill others and think it brings you closer to me. Ridiculous! You dress in uniforms like it is a game and use machines – created with the very genius I granted you – to kill innocent people and call it righteous and justified. Outrageous!

When you kill and hate in My name you had better find the person – religious leader, politician, whoever taught you this – and tell them this IS NOT My teaching or My will. They have taken their hatred and prejudice and projected it off as God’s will. This is utter nonsense!

My children, you are never far from Me. Your “enemy” is never far from Me. I allow you all to rest your weary heads on My cloak. As you sleep, I see your dreams. THEY ARE THE SAME DREAMS! I weep because I know when you awake you will try again to steal the dream from each other. The dream is big enough for everyone. The world is big enough for everyone.

These are YOUR thoughts again. You are not closer to Me here than you are there. I AM THAT I AM and I AM EVERYWHERE.

Everywhere and every time I have ever communicated with humanity (in your scriptures, through another person, in your own heart and mind) I have taught you to love each other, to share with each other, to live in peace with each other. If that is not the message you received, you are NOT following a true teacher.

I have sent my teachers in whom I am well-pleased to teach you how to live together and you have twisted their words and used them as a means to tear yourselves apart.

You think you must send others to hell so you can go to heaven. Where do you get this stuff? Certainly, not from Me!

STOP IT!

You are all brothers and sisters, sharing a planet, sharing a common life experience. Your commonalities are vastly greater and more important than your differences. Yet, you seek out the differences and despise each other for them.

I see, now, that I made your desire to be right too strong. You would rather be right and think all others wrong than simply accept MY teaching to “Love thy neighbor as thyself”.

Your true potential will be forever hidden as long as you find only reason to hate. Follow your dreams rather than your hatred. Live together as brothers and sisters and give up all claims to the only truth, to your self-righteousness, and to Me.

I am big enough to accept all of you. You created the walls where none existed, now you must tear them down and live as ONE!


This is my word. Amen.

God

cc: all departments
cc: all human beings where ever they may be

Ray Davis is the Founder of The Affirmation Spot and focuses on empowering minds to think positively, achieve goals, and live dreams.

anunnaki_cover_full_colorRay’s 2015 speculative fiction novel, Anunnaki Awakening: Revelation, is turning heads. Where did humanity really come from and where is it going? This is Book 1 of a trilogy. The Awakening has begun!

Learn more about the trilogy and order your signed copy today at AATrilogy.com.