September 17, 2016 – Words of Wisdom
Paul Coelho

“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.” Matthew 7:1-5

What gets in the way of having a good idea of our own true self, is the ego. It is the ego, and the attempt within us to legitimize our existence that always drives us outward to be critical of others. You begin to resent the lives and behaviors of others. You resent their greed, their dishonesty, what they do, what they have done in the past, what they say, and what you think they should have or have not done. Eckhart Tolle, in his book “The New Earth” writes “When you are in the grip of…ego, complaining, especially about other people, is habitual, and, of course, unconscious… Applying negative mental labels to people, either to their face or more commonly when you speak about them to others or even just think about them, is often part of this pattern.”

Jesus said, of course, that we are to avoid the “inherent behavior of highlighting the faults of others” by first seeing more clearly our own lives and behaviors. When we become more introspective, and focus more on our own behaviors and need areas, we will soon be able to see more clearly the lives around us and realize that the faults we see in others may not really be there – it may simply be a misinterpretation based on our need to be “better” than “those people”.

Take time each day involving yourself in prayer – it is through our conversation with G-d that we can find some clarity for our lives. Pray for the strength to let go of your anger toward others – and to see more clearly the good and the worth in all people. It is through prayer that we can let go of the hurt, the anger and the complaining, and remind ourselves of the blessings we have in our lives.

Pastor Dave

September 16, 2016 – Words of Wisdom
Gautama Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama)

“When words are both true and kind, they can change the world.” Buddha

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” Buddha

(Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhārtha Gautama, or simply the Buddha, after the title of Buddha, was an ascetic and a sage, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded.)

“…do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:26-30

We all have met someone who just seemed to be angry all of the time. They are exhausting people to be around, don’t you think? Always arguing about something, always complaining about someone, always disagreeing with you or someone else, they are in a constant state of anger, and as such, a constant state of tension, stress and conflict. Holding onto anger is just as caustic as the Buddha mentioned, that it hurts us more than it hurts others. Jesus teaches us that there are two commandments we must always work on keeping – loving G-d and loving our neighbor. To love others means we need to learn to love – and that may include accepting the love of others – and learning to love ourselves. And, it will be very, very hard to love others if our hearts are filled with anger and hate.

Pastor Dave