Psalm 24 Sincerity

Contemplative moments (ascend the hill of the Lord ) are ones in which we are acutely aware of the Presence of God within us and in our midst and our connection to that Presence. It is interesting that while we are in the world, we are never separate from God (the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.) And yet even the most devout people proclaim the experience of separation from God. Despite the presence of God everywhere, in the world there are many distractions, internal and external, that seduce our attention and energies away from this truth. During these times it is critical that we stay connected to our deep down, burning desire to know God (clean hands, pure heart.)

Psalm 71 Maturity

As the years pass, our bodies, minds and spirits go through changes. Conventional wisdom says that as our stay on this planet is prolonged, we must experience deterioration in our bodies and minds. We have been taught that these changes that take place are negative and that we should fight them to the extent that we can with medical and scientific intervention. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, we must inevitably experience change in our bodies and minds, but none of this has to be viewed as negative or as deterioration. It is just different.

Psalm 19 Divine Intelligence

There is an underlying intelligence in all things that is evidenced by the constant change in the world. Nothing stays the same. That is because of the Divine energy that moves us forward through the cycles of life. It is the source of all life. From every beat of our heart, to the seed that becomes a plant, this force creates life. We can choose to cooperate with that force or we can attempt to fight it, for God has given us freewill. But there are consequences of resisting.

Psalm 36 Unbounded Love

So often we define God’s love by our limited human ideas of what it means to be loved. But love in the divine sense is at the same time similar to and very different from human love. Sometimes I think of it this way: take the highest and healthiest aspects of human love and expand. God’s love is the impulse to oneness or unity. It is the knowledge that we are all of one Source and the feelings, thoughts and actions that come from that understanding.

Psalm 29 Renewal and Glorification

In order to glorify the Lord, we must understand God. This is a difficult concept to convey in words because typically when we think of understanding, it implies some intellectual or analytical exercise. Spiritual understanding does not have this connotation.

Psalm 72 Illumination

Illumination is the ability to, despite our circumstances, see the Truth behind the appearance and make that Truth the basis for all of our thoughts and actions. Intuitive knowledge (spiritual understanding) is the key to abiding in Christ consciousness. Wisdom and understanding are the true source of power, for they give us the ability to create our experiences.  Divine understanding, in essence, means accepting God as the only Power and Presence in our lives.