Mindset
May 22, 2022Today's message was given by Pastor Patrick Tanton. A video of the message is here. "How you think matters. Our lives move in the direction of our strongest thoughts. Think spiritual truths."
It may help to realize that you are expected to have things to do, maybe lots of things. Right from the get-go, an understanding from the Creation story leads to God leaving it to us to complete Creation (Gen 2:2, "ceased from all that He created to make"). God created, now we make something of it.
Step back now and then, rest, and reflect. This is what the Sabbath (Shabbat) is all about. Practice the Sabbath, or a sabbath. In either case, step off the treadmill once a week and reflect on what you're doing, where you're headed. Make course adjustments with God's purposes in mind.
Speaking of the Sabbath... The instruction does not just say rest on the seventh day, it also says work the other six days. Again, we should not be surprised by having plenty to do. Even if we don't have anything to "make" (in the sense of creation), we have a whole world for which we are trustees.
Near the end of his message, Patrick spoke of "seeking God first every day." This comes dangerously close (tongue in cheek) to ritual. Ritual is a physical act that draws us closer to a non-physical God. Ritual is a physical representation of a value. Praying is a ritual, something we do to get closer to God. It's for us, not for God. Contacting God daily for spiritual guidance regarding what you have to do (or think you have to do) is a very good idea. Some rituals are daily (praying), at least one is weekly (Shabbat), and several are at various times throughout the year (holidays and festivals). The point to all of them is to stay in-tune with God. The more of these you practice, the more your daily thinking will be in-tune with God's purposes.
Lynn reminded me of a life skills coach by the name of Lou Tice. His thing was to have you imagine yourself doing something succesfully over and over in your head. This "practice" will help you be successful in the final event. It's a little reach from what Patrick was talking about, but it does relate. It particularly relates when you consider in whose eyes you're trying to be successfull, yours or God's.
Lastly, Patrick suggested Googling "scripture verses about...", so I did. Here are some Torah-based verses I came upon:
"Fear not." Most often phrase spoken by God in the Torah.
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your mind, soul, and 'all you've got'." Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." Leviticus 19:18. Don't forget the "I am the Lord" part: He is watching even when others aren't.
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6.
"You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:3. Be careful you're not chasing false gods.
Check this out: 50 Inspirtional Torah Quotes, or 9 Spiritual Truths to Live By (more generic).
Maybe try something like Verse of the Day.
Bonus
Both the Flood story and the Sodom story teach us that entire societies can be wrong (not just people in the society). There are two types of societal evils: one, a society that has evil laws or that condones evil behavior (Nazi Germany, Sodom, etc.); and two, a society with basically good laws that are violated (all other societies; there are no perfect societies). In the latter, there is not a systemic problem, but rather the problem that some individuals (even small groups in some cases) don't obey the law, are racists, etc. The first situation is far more evil than the second. In the first case with evil-laws, the society and everyone in it actually think they're doing the right thing, or at least an OK thing. No wonder that neither God, Noah, nor Abraham spoke of trying to get the sinners to repent during the Flood or Sodom stories. Those sinners thought they were being totally cool. They were too far gone.