måndag 27 februari 2017
Teetotalism
I'm considering teetotalism. Complete abstinence from all alcoholic beverages. Maybe I did wrong in rejecting that alternative before. Sometimes one needs less to get drunk and that's why I can't just resolve not to get drunk ever again. What would life be like as a teetotaler? Would my social life get poorer? Would life be more exciting or perhaps less exciting? What would teetotalism require from me spiritually speaking? - Let's find out. I'm not going to drink a single drop of alcohol for a month and then get back to it. I just love to experiment like this. I shall now have a drink and thereafter none for a month.
torsdag 23 februari 2017
Upon the Fourth-day of the First month, 1650
"Upon the Fourth-day of the First month, 1650,
I felt the power of the word spread over all the world in praise.
I felt the power of the word spread over all the world in praise.
Praise, honor, and glory be to the Lord of heaven and earth!
Lord of peace, Lord of joy!
Your countenance makes my heart glad.
Lord of glory, Lord of mercy, Lord of strength,
Lord of life, and of power over death,
and Lord of lords, and King of kings!
In the world there are lords many,
but to us there is but one God the Father, of whom are all things;
and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things: to whom be all glory, who is worthy!
In the world are many lords, and many gods,
and the earth makes lords, coveting after riches,
and oppressing the creatures;
and so, the covetous mind getting to itself, lords it above others.
This nature of lordly pride is head, until subdued by the power of God:
for everyone, in that state, strives to be above another;
few will strive to be the lowest.
Oh, that everyone would strive to put down, in themselves, mastery and honor,
so that the Lord of heaven and earth might be exalted! "
Lord of peace, Lord of joy!
Your countenance makes my heart glad.
Lord of glory, Lord of mercy, Lord of strength,
Lord of life, and of power over death,
and Lord of lords, and King of kings!
In the world there are lords many,
but to us there is but one God the Father, of whom are all things;
and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things: to whom be all glory, who is worthy!
In the world are many lords, and many gods,
and the earth makes lords, coveting after riches,
and oppressing the creatures;
and so, the covetous mind getting to itself, lords it above others.
This nature of lordly pride is head, until subdued by the power of God:
for everyone, in that state, strives to be above another;
few will strive to be the lowest.
Oh, that everyone would strive to put down, in themselves, mastery and honor,
so that the Lord of heaven and earth might be exalted! "
George Fox
Source: The Missing Cross to Purity, <http://www.hallvworthington.com/Letters/gfsection1.html >23.02.2017.
To all you, my dear friends,
To all you, my dear friends,
who have tasted of the immediate, working power of the Lord,
and find an alteration in your minds,
and see from where virtue comes,
and strength, that renews the inward man, and refreshes you; which draws you in love to forsake the world,
and that which has form and beauty in it to the eye of the world;
and has turned your minds within,
who see your houses foul, and corruptions strong, and the way narrow and straight, which leads to life eternal;
to you all I say, wait upon God in that which is pure.
Though you see little, and know little, and have little,
and see your emptiness, and see your nakedness, and barrenness,
and unfruitfulness, and see the hardness of your hearts,
and your own unworthiness; it is the light, that discovers all this,
and the love of God to you,
and it is that which is present, but the dark understanding cannot comprehend it.
So, wait upon God in that which is pure, in your measure,
and stand still in it everyone, to see your Savior,
to make you free from that which the light discovers in you to be evil. For the voice of the bridegroom is heard in our land;
and Christ has come among the prisoners,
to visit them in the prison houses;
they all have hopes of release and free pardon,
and to come out freely, for the debt is paid; wait for the manifestation of it,
and he who comes out of prison shall reign.
So, meet together all you who fear the Lord God,
and think upon his name,
his mercies endure forever;
his mercies are in temptations and troubles,
his mercies are in afflictions, in reproaches, and in scorns.
Therefore rejoice, you simple ones, who love simplicity,
and meet and wait together to receive strength and wisdom from the Lord God;
and in departing from sin and evil,
you will be able to speak to the praise of the Lord.
And meeting and waiting in his power, which you have received,
in it all to improve your measure that God has given you;
for you never improve your measure,
so long as you rely upon any visible thing without you;
but when you come alone to wait upon God,
everyone shall have a reward according to your deserts,
and everyone your penny, who are called into the vineyard to labor.
Therefore be faithful to God, and mind that which is committed to you,
as faithful servants, laboring in love; some threshing, and some ploughing, and some to keep the sheep.
He who can receive this let him.
And all watch over one another in the spirit of God.
So God Almighty bless, guide, and prosper you unto his kingdom, where there is no tribulation.
When your minds run into anything outwardly, without the power,
it covers and veils the pure in you.
who have tasted of the immediate, working power of the Lord,
and find an alteration in your minds,
and see from where virtue comes,
and strength, that renews the inward man, and refreshes you; which draws you in love to forsake the world,
and that which has form and beauty in it to the eye of the world;
and has turned your minds within,
who see your houses foul, and corruptions strong, and the way narrow and straight, which leads to life eternal;
to you all I say, wait upon God in that which is pure.
Though you see little, and know little, and have little,
and see your emptiness, and see your nakedness, and barrenness,
and unfruitfulness, and see the hardness of your hearts,
and your own unworthiness; it is the light, that discovers all this,
and the love of God to you,
and it is that which is present, but the dark understanding cannot comprehend it.
So, wait upon God in that which is pure, in your measure,
and stand still in it everyone, to see your Savior,
to make you free from that which the light discovers in you to be evil. For the voice of the bridegroom is heard in our land;
and Christ has come among the prisoners,
to visit them in the prison houses;
they all have hopes of release and free pardon,
and to come out freely, for the debt is paid; wait for the manifestation of it,
and he who comes out of prison shall reign.
So, meet together all you who fear the Lord God,
and think upon his name,
his mercies endure forever;
his mercies are in temptations and troubles,
his mercies are in afflictions, in reproaches, and in scorns.
Therefore rejoice, you simple ones, who love simplicity,
and meet and wait together to receive strength and wisdom from the Lord God;
and in departing from sin and evil,
you will be able to speak to the praise of the Lord.
And meeting and waiting in his power, which you have received,
in it all to improve your measure that God has given you;
for you never improve your measure,
so long as you rely upon any visible thing without you;
but when you come alone to wait upon God,
everyone shall have a reward according to your deserts,
and everyone your penny, who are called into the vineyard to labor.
Therefore be faithful to God, and mind that which is committed to you,
as faithful servants, laboring in love; some threshing, and some ploughing, and some to keep the sheep.
He who can receive this let him.
And all watch over one another in the spirit of God.
So God Almighty bless, guide, and prosper you unto his kingdom, where there is no tribulation.
When your minds run into anything outwardly, without the power,
it covers and veils the pure in you.
George Fox
Source: A Collection of Many Select Epistles to Friends of That Ancient Eminent and Faithful Minister of Jesus Christ, George Fox, <http://www.hallvworthington.com/Letters/gfsection1.html>23.02.2017.
Purify your Souls
"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." 1 Peter 1:22-23
onsdag 22 februari 2017
The Inward Judge - A Poem by John Greenleaf Whittier
The soul itself its awful witness is.
Say not in evil doing, 'No one sees,'
And so offend the conscious One within,
Whose ear can hear the silences of sin.
Ere they find voice, whose eyes unsleeping see
The secret motions of iniquity.
Nor in thy folly say, 'I am alone.'
For, seated in thy heart, as on a throne,
The ancient Judge and Witness liveth still,
To note thy act and thought; and as thy ill
Or good goes from thee, far beyond thy reach,
The solemn Doomsman's seal is set on each.
Say not in evil doing, 'No one sees,'
And so offend the conscious One within,
Whose ear can hear the silences of sin.
Ere they find voice, whose eyes unsleeping see
The secret motions of iniquity.
Nor in thy folly say, 'I am alone.'
For, seated in thy heart, as on a throne,
The ancient Judge and Witness liveth still,
To note thy act and thought; and as thy ill
Or good goes from thee, far beyond thy reach,
The solemn Doomsman's seal is set on each.
Neither Thieves nor Drunkards
No one is perfect, we all need God's mercy."Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." 1 Corinthians 6:10 - 12
måndag 20 februari 2017
Alcohol and Tobacco
A quote from Faith an Practice, Advices and Queries 40: " In view of the harm done by the use of alcohol, tobacco and other habit-forming drugs, consider whether you should limit your use of them or refrain from using them altogether. Remember that any use of alcohol or drugs may impair judgment and put both the user and others in danger."
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