Basketball has never been my thing. First of all, I'm not exactly tall at 5'4" and second, I don't have stellar aim. Jay, on the the other hand, is very athletic, tall and can hit about any target. When we first started dating, he asked if we could go play a little basketball one Saturday afternoon. I looked outside and could see it was about to rain. I tried to talk him out of it, but he was excited and ready to go. Off we went to find a free outdoor basketball court and by the time we found one, it started to sprinkle. I wanted to be a trooper and try something new. At first, my initial assessment was affirmed . . . I sucked at basketball. But Jay kept encouraging me, proclaiming I was an "athlete" and just needed to know some of the secrets of shooting the ball. He is a very patient man as I can quickly become frustrated with myself when I can't do something perfectly (hmmm . . . just a bit of a perfectionist, huh?). I listened to his advice and soon, in the pouring rain, I was hitting almost every shot! I think I fell more in love with him that day. Getting it right meant hard work and sticking to the rules. With perseverance, determination, and loving guidance, we can accomplish anything. After the basketball experience, I am proud to say I am now a really good football thrower . . . I'm thinking this will be a benefit to my grandsons some day!
Todays Gospel (Matthew 5:17-19) tells us we need to do our best to follow God's commandments, demonstrating their importance to others who observe us:
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”
In Volume Three, God the Father gives us encouragement as we progress up the mountain of holiness:
Todays Gospel (Matthew 5:17-19) tells us we need to do our best to follow God's commandments, demonstrating their importance to others who observe us:
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”
In Volume Three, God the Father gives us encouragement as we progress up the mountain of holiness:
"I wish to speak to My children about heaven. The coming of My Kingdom is the coming of heaven or the expansion of heaven to earth. This is part of My plan and this is what the future holds for My children. Can you see it, dear ones? True happiness can be found only in the union of a soul’s will to the Divine Will. When your will is united to the Divine Will, there is no conflict, no struggle. Only a very few find such union on earth. The seeking of this union is the path to holiness that you follow in your obedience to My commandments. You are making decisions. You are moving forward along the road. You are making corrections. This is the process. At times in the history of mankind, most souls on earth were moving in the general direction of heaven. At this time, most souls are languishing along the way. Many are wasting their time on earth and are not coming in this direction at all. In this way, souls are lost. As a God of mercy, I send all manner of signs and warnings. In this time, however, most of My signs are being ignored. Such is the level of distraction, that My souls no sooner see a sign and experience My call, then they allow themselves to be distracted and pulled back into the world. Children, pay attention. You must focus on Me and on your path. You must be disciplined if you are to remain on the path to salvation. And believe Me when I say that all other roads lead nowhere."
Lay apostles, it's not always easy to follow the rules. But the rules are there for a reason. God developed the commandments so we don't get sidetracked, veering off the pathway to heaven. He knows we are only human and will make mistakes. But if we don't follow the rules, we will miss the target . . . heaven! Every team needs a good coach in order to be successful, right? How blessed are we our Heavenly Coach is ready and waiting to jump in whenever we ask Him for some pointers? Ask Him for help now. Ask Him for help every day. By following the Coach's advice, in the end we will have won the game!
Thank you, Lord, for patience with myself getting it right to the best of my ability. And, thank you for Your commandments. I pray by the time we meet Face to face, You are proud of the path I've chosen which lead me to You.
God bless,
Bonnie
Lay apostles, it's not always easy to follow the rules. But the rules are there for a reason. God developed the commandments so we don't get sidetracked, veering off the pathway to heaven. He knows we are only human and will make mistakes. But if we don't follow the rules, we will miss the target . . . heaven! Every team needs a good coach in order to be successful, right? How blessed are we our Heavenly Coach is ready and waiting to jump in whenever we ask Him for some pointers? Ask Him for help now. Ask Him for help every day. By following the Coach's advice, in the end we will have won the game!
Thank you, Lord, for patience with myself getting it right to the best of my ability. And, thank you for Your commandments. I pray by the time we meet Face to face, You are proud of the path I've chosen which lead me to You.
God bless,
Bonnie
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