The Story of Good – Learning to Steward the Good Within.

This is what the LORD says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. ~ Jeremiah 21: 8 (NIV)

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The Spirit continued, “It’s important to take note here,

When the Gift of Self-Existence is aligned,

With the Gift of God-Dependency,

God’s rich blessing of perfect peace is poured out on you.

God’s Good, circulating freely,

Brings life-sustaining Faith, Hope, Love.”

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“But when self-will,

Begins to overpower your dependency upon God,

Good begins to be stored up for selfish reasons.

And as Good fails to circulate freely, trouble begins to brew.”

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“Unfortunately, under the unction of extra-curricular activity,

Offered from one who failed to discern these truths,

Your ancestors decided that some of their life choices,

Were better made in the shadows.

Outside the realm of God-dependency.”

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“And as the Scriptures show us,

Those poor choices left them out in the cold,

With only the clothes on their back,

As a souvenir of their glorious beginnings in Good.”

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“So, rather than changing their ways,

Stewarding the Good of God so that it is both received and given,

Your ancestors chose to take their lives into their own hands.

They preferred Self-agenda over God’s agenda,

Walking more under Self-initiative,

Then yielding to a God-directed initiative.”

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“In the wake of these fleshly decisions,”

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“Your ancestors birthed the beginnings of life,

Lived outside the refreshing fountains of God’s Good.

They allowed the Good within, which is meant to be shared,

To be stifled by,”

“Self-Preservation,

Self-Promotion,

Self-Perpetuation.”

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“And all the while, God’s Good began to sour inside.

Turning rancid, pent up Good eventually stagnated into Sin.

Words and deeds drenched in Good gone Bad,

Missing the mark, preferring Self over others,

Unbridled lives birthed Evil, wreaking havoc wherever it goes.”

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“Allow Me, if you will, to share with you this heavenly song.”

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God’s Good, when given away freely, produces Life.

God’s Good, when kept to oneself, produces Death.

Lord, have mercy on us all.

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Ponder on these things:

Reflect upon a recent time when you found yourself being consumed with self-agenda.

What circumstances surrounded that situation?

What feelings were evoked as you walked through that recent situation?

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Over a period of about eight weeks (3 sessions per week), we will take you on a poetic journey (26-sessions) we call The Story of Good. We suggest you bookmark our blog series homepage to keep all the writings in one place for your future reference. Take note that each blog session begins with a short scripture reading. My suggestion is that you don’t hurry through, or skip the text, but treat it as a Lectio Divina reading where you slow down and sit a bit with God’s Word, allowing it to penetrate and influence you as you read. Each session also ends with a few thoughts to ponder on. I look forward to hearing some of your insight as we journey together!

Oh, and if you enjoy what you’re reading here, we encourage you to share this page and our website, The Contemplative Activist, with your friends! 

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