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Earth—Marvelous Work and a Wonder
To cure spiritual diseases which throttle us and plague our lives, the Lord has given us a sure cure. Knowledge of God must be supplemented by revelation. If wisdom is God, who made all things, as is attested by the divine authority and truth, then the philosopher is a lover of God. The truth turns out to be the search for one’s own salvation, as a sparkling new presentation. Here then is a great truth. In the pain, the agony, and the heroic endeavors of life, we pass through a refiner’s fire, and the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright, intact, and strong. In this is the divine image, which can be mirrored from the soul. It is part of the purging toll exacted of some to become acquainted with God. In the agonies of life, we seem to listen better to the faint, Godly whisperings of the Divine. The wealth of insights that it brings will be unfamiliar to most. Is not aspiring to or seeking the Godlike transfiguration of one’s own soul, in and through the stern but invigorating exercise of justice and (merely apparent) sacrificial devotion, equivalent to the pursuit of the greatest of all conceivable goods for the very core of one’s own being? #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
Since immortality and eternal life constitute the sole purpose of life, all other interests and activities are but incidental thereto. And since those objectives are the work and glory of God, they are the proper work of humans also and are the major reason for his coming to Earth. Of the two elements, the one great blessing immortality comes to humans without their effort, as a gift from the Almighty. The other eternal life is a cooperative program to be developed by the Lord and his offspring on Earth. It thus becomes the overall responsibility of human beings to fully within the Eternal God in accomplishing this objective. All people can stand adversity, but if you want to test a person’s character, give them power. To this end God created humans to live in mortality and endowed them with the potential to perpetuate the race, to subdue the Earth, to perfect themselves and to become as God, omniscient and omnipotent. Our Father in Heaven the sent to the Earth a line of prophets to keep humans in remembrance of their duties and their destiny, to warn them of dangers, and to point the way to the total victory of humans. The pursuit of truth is intrinsically valuable. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
To marvel at the wonders of the gospel is a sign of faith. It is to recognize the hands of God in our lives and in everything around us. On Earth we have the rich opportunities to discover the marvelous things of this World. We can visit the most significant monuments, historic sites, and natural wonders of the World. There is so much beauty in this World. However, sometimes when we have them constantly before our eyes, we take them for granted. We look, but we do not really see; we hear, but do not really listen. We are so privileged to live in an exceptional time. Our amazement also produces spiritual strength. It gives us the energy to remain anchored in our faith and to engage ourselves in the work of God. Clearly belief in miracles is already plausible if our enquiry may presume this view of things. The usual way of making this out might be described as supernaturalistic. God reveals his nature in part through observable phenomena. Divine actions are not changes in God as they are manifestations or expressions of his will, which is eternal. Being all-knowing God eternally knew renowned miracles would be necessary. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
Seek and cherish the companionship of the Holy Ghost. In faith, we hold to the promise that of we seek, we shall find. To this day, healing remains the form that most claimed miracles take, and many of those miracles are associated with visitations to churches and the shrines of saints or the wilderness. Miracles remain an important and powerful dimension of religions and mystics. The word of God and sacred places are considered to be a fountain of knowledge that never runs dry. There is always something new to learn and feel. Nearly 90 percent of Americans believe in God, 84 percent believe in miracles, and nearly 48 percent reported that they have experienced a miracle in their own lives or in the life of someone else. Our amazement should be rooted in the core principle of our faith, in the purity of our covenants and ordinances, and our most simple acts of worship. Others recognize miracles as extraordinary occurrences. Miracles were designed by the creator for very specific purposes and, though contrary to the observable laws of nature, were instituted at the beginning of creation as part of God’s divine plan. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Most wonders of the gospel cannot be perceived by our natural sense. They are the things that the eyes have not seen, nor heard, the things which God has prepared for them that love him. When we have the Spirit with us, our spiritual senses are sharpened and our memory is kindled so we cannot forget the miracles and signs we have witnessed. Viewed this way, a miracle is an event that astonishes beholders (wonder) and at the same time conveys meaning (sign). Absent the sign factor, it is impossible to distinguish miracle from mere coincidence. Since signs are always signs of something, we can say that a miracle is an unusual event that discloses the meaning and power of the transcendent within the World of time and space. If a veteran from the Vietnam War gets Hodgkin’s lymphoma (a cancer of the lymphatic system), after being exposed to Agent Orange, and is given 3-5 years to live and told he cannot have kids, but he goes on to live beyond his projected lifespan and produced three biological children, the patient or others may claim that the patient’s sudden restoration to health and procreation are the result of prayer to God for a miracle. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
Only after a board of physicians concludes that an unexpected healing has no known scientific cause does a board of theologians consider whether the healing is also a divine sign. Because of miracles, people have a reason to believe in the afterlife. Therefore, miracles are real and much more than just studies. This gives many people the faith to believe that God is real, Heaven is real, and the scriptures are not just stories that people came together and made up to control human behavior. The power to work miracles belongs to God as the creator and sustainer of the World. When we have the spirit with us, our spiritual senses are sharpened and our memory is kindled so we cannot forget the miracles and signs we have witnessed. The testimonies of miracles might dwindle without being constantly renewed by the power of the Spirit of God. And this is why it is important for us to thank God and focus on the good things in our lives, so we can give power to that which is edifying to our souls and experience on the Earth. Do not risk the loss of this precious and marvelous gift—the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Seek it through fervent prayer and righteous living. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
Let us pray that we may always have eyes that see, ears that hear, and hearts that perceive the wonders of this marvelous gospel. Often, when we pray for miracles to happen in our lives, we are also praying for healing to happen in our lives as well. We see countless examples of miracles every day. Dear Lord in Heaven, please heal us in whatever you see needs healing. Heal us of whatever might separate us from you. Heal our memory, heal our heart, heal our emotions, heal our spirit, heal our body and heal our soul. Miracles are power testify that God’s touch is always a heartbeat away. It is important that we are conscious of God at work in our lives daily. Miracle power can happen in our lives when we have faith and trust that miracles can really true. Heavenly Father, we open our hearts wide to receive the love of God. We realize and accept your healing power of the Universe of love. God is limitless and abundant, we feel the outpouring of God’s love in our bodies and minds. We feel God’s love in all our affairs, and we know all is well. We would not be here without the power of God and without his miraculous power being at work. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
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Hearts and Renewed Spirits with Divine Compassion
Follow God when others put detour signs in your path. You have been reserved to come to the Earth for a special purpose. We each must find and finish our own story, but how much sweeter the telling when encouragement is called out, when arriving at our destination is valued and celebrated, however long ago the journey is commenced. It is very clear that the search for human fulfillment cannot be achieved by one’s natural powers alone. As the image of God, such a project can only be realized with God in full view; the origin and destiny of human life. This means, to have God within the soul, that is, to enjoy God. In fact, it is because the soul has the stamp of God that it is a mirror to see God; self-knowledge is a route towards God. Here is to be found ultimate human happiness and the crowing of a life’s journey. There is a joy which is not granted to the ungodly, but to those alone who worship God for their own sake, and whose joy he is. This is the blessed life, to rejoice in God. The search for truth is inextricably linked to the journey towards God. This brings one to a personal encounter with God, which is the full satisfaction of souls, this happy life: to recognize piously and completely the One through whom you are led into the truth, the nature of truth you enjoy, and the bond that connects you with the supreme measure. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
The World is going through a tremendous and rapid change in every aspect of life. One cannot be left to reason alone, but requires God’s illumining and faith. Believe in yourselves. Believe that you are never alone. Believe that you will always be guided. God has promised us that as we search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all thing will work together for our good. That does not mean that everything will be perfect or that we will not have any trials, but it does mean that everything will be okay if we just hang in there. Ours is the opportunity to be an example of the believers, and God has promised that all things are possible to one that believes. Do not give in when the going is rough, for you are laying the foundation of a great work, and that great work is your life. Believe in your capacity to do good, to make some contribution to the society of which we are a part, to grow and develop, and to do things that we may now think impossible. This principle can make a difference in this World. It may be ever so small, but it will count for the greater good. You are one of the greatest generations to ever live on this Earth. There are things for each of you to do that no one else can do as well. You have a destiny to fulfill. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
There is a need for a deeply thought out evaluation of the meaning of culture and the knowledge of the human person. We must establish the existence of supreme values which should form the ideal aim of human life and education, and lead the way in determining how issues in the World can be healed. Each of these approaches to truth have their limits, but they highlight the aspects of human wisdom that leave a lasting mark on the best that can be found in human civilization. You are righteous examples as one of the believers will make a difference in the World, so be not weary in well-doing, for you are laying the foundation of a great work. As you strive to be an example of the believers, you may feel that you are standing alone. You may feel that you are the only one who is trying so hard to be righteous and pure. You may feel you are the only one striving to be modest in your actions, speech, and appearance. However, you are not alone. There are thousands of people like you all over the World who are striving to be an example of believers. God is the most adequate conceivable object of worship; there is no possibility of another reality beyond him to which he is inferior or subordinate and which would thus be an even more worthy recipient of human’s devotion. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
God seeks our trust only by showing himself to be trustworthy. Stopping to know what you are doing and why is not a one-time activity. It must be a daily activity. Spend time every morning or evening to think about the coming day. Set aside a day twelve times a year to plan your month. And spend one whole week each year reflecting and evaluating, to measure the years that have passed, to plan the year that is coming, and to stay on track. The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before us and prepares the way for our destiny. You may be spending too much time analyzing your situation. You may have so many facts and figures that you have talked yourself out of what God can do. In the Scripture, God asks Abraham, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” If you spent more time considering your God and thinking about his greatness and the times he has made a way in the past—dwelling on his promises, declaring victory and favor—what a difference might it make in your life? Have peace of heart and mind because you have given God your best. This is the true measure of success. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
The truth that the deepest yearning of the human person consists in religious truth, which brings reason to the summit of its endeavor. Each one of you has the power to change the World. Heavenly Father, we petition you for that noble attribute of courage, for we know courage counts. The call for courage comes constantly to each of us. It is this sweet assurance that can guide you and me—in our time, in our day, in our lives. Of course, we will face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded as a willingness and determination to live decently. A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he or she thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh. Do your duty even when critical eyes are watching. Remember that all people have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well. The ultimate truth about our own lives and about the goal of history is to bring humanity to the threshold of these depths and give room to other instruments to take their part in the drive to attain the ambition of bring true meaning to human life. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
God not only presides over nature as a whole by way of organized laws; in his loving-kindness he extends his Providence over individual human beings as well. God is incorporeal, and that internal complexity is a property of bodies alone, God appears to be one not only relative to other beings, but in an absolute internal sense as well. God is much more supreme that anything we know, he created the cosmos. Also, regarding the belief in immortality and the resurrection of the dead, these are phenomena that belong to the category of miracles which God might perform in his World. In their view, miracles are not absurd, given the principle that God is omnipotent and everything is possible for him. No one likes conflict. Especially in a religious setting. However, conflict is an unavoidable part of life, and when it comes, it can provide an unavoidable part of life, and it can also provide an opportunity to experience God’s sanctifying work in our hearts. It is my prayer that we overcome evil with good and keep our eyes above the fray of the gnashing teeth and stones being hurled at us. God, our master, model of perfection, we resolve to imitate your example, to be like you, mild, humble, chaste, zealous, charitable, and resigned. We wish to remember that with God all things are possible. Thank you, God, for your wisdom, strength, and divine compassion. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
Quest for Eternal Peace And Celestial Beauty
Feeling a strong desire for the manifestation of the glory of God, we make him the focus of our lives, in order to trace the continuity of pure logic. There are things going on that we cannot understand and do not know how to address, and our soul’s thirsts for God’s power and glory is an insatiable hunger, a search for something eternal, the unlimited development. Prayer is desire in its essence as response to the mystery in which we exist. God is the supreme desire of our hearts, and is supreme in everything. We long for fulfillment of the soul to feel God’s extravagant love at each turn, a desire for God to release Heaven’s fullness to overflow into our essence. Spiritual peace will lead to deep places in God’s heart, where he loves to meet our craving for him with abundance. God honors and blesses spiritual desire for union with him. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5.6). The sense of being hungry for God is painful, yet the mere wanting is felt to be somehow a delight. Other desires are felt as pleasures only if satisfaction is expected in the near future: hunger is pleasant only while we know (or believe) that we are soon going to eat. However, even when we do not know when this possible satisfaction will come, it causes us to pray and focus on God more intensely. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
We are drawn to God’s celestial beauty. The hunger for God continues to be prized, and even preferred to anything else in the World, by those who have once felt it. It is the quest for eternal peace. This hunger is better than any other fullness; this poverty better than all other wealth. The soul at the very moment is being rejuvenated, as it seeks and finds the will of God in the disposition of our life for salvation. May it please the Divine Wisdom to grant that we may always know God’s most holy will and find our peace and happiness in ever fulfilling it. With God’s health, we have to do everything in our power to get rid of sin and disorder in our lives. The courageous, and total acceptance of life and of oneself when everything tangible seems to be a mystery is the creating time when God’s blessing is coming to fruition. We can discover God in every human experience. Prayer is oneness of mind and heart in the presence of infinite mystery. Prayer is an opportunity to find God’s will as he communicates with us. God, thank you for creating our World, and giving us a chance to grow. Thank you for allowing us to appreciate life. God, thank you for the grace that has allowed us the gift of claiming responsibility for our loves, and teaching us to love ourselves as well as others. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
We are offered the possibility of losing ourselves in the past or in the crowd or of seizing new possibilities, especially those opened up by faith in God. Freedom is found in the grace of God. It is a blessing that we have the healthy power over our lives and circumstances. The religious philosophy for the hunger of God and immortality involves a mysterious sense of divine presence. The presence of God is found in a spiritual dimension of human existence, an ontological point where the divine and the human meet. This mysterious presence of the divine cannot be objectified; it takes form in an intuitive faith. It is the idea of the reciprocal action of the divine and human, of the penetration of the supernatural into the natural. To believe in God is to wish for him and be unable to live without him. God is the higher intellectual conscience, overseeing one’s ordinary conscience. That superior form of consciousness is an unerring internal court within each individual that gives us a sense of responsibility. A pure spiritual enlightenment outshines the simple mental admonition of knowing oneself. A spiritual enlightenment gives a white-hot divine flame that sears the heart, mind, and being—leaving behind a pure heart and consciousness. It makes us fit and pure utensils or vessels to greet the Most High. Layer upon layer are peeled away until only the soul, the true self remains. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
The essence of goodness consists in this that is some way desirable. Goodness is what we all desire. In nature there is nothing contingent, but all things have been determined from the necessity of the divine nature to exist and produce an effect in a certain way. Taking delight in God’s love will transform our experience. A we ponder God’s love and all that it means, it will help us, it will enable us. God’s love is unconditional, and his love is very different from human love. God’s love is not based on feelings or emotions. God loves us because he is love. He created us to have a loving relationship with him. There is no such thing as love without God. God’s love for us is spontaneous and unmotivated, revealing not that we merit that love, but that God’s nature is love. If God is truly our delight, then we will surely find him filling our thoughts, right? We will find that we remember him constantly. Then, when our minds are roaming freely in the night that our thoughts easily and naturally turn to God. Whatever is, is in God, and nothing can be or be conceived without God. The ultimate proper object of love is God, who is the highest good absolutely. However, God’s goodness is also revealed in every human person, given that every human being is made in the image of God. Thus, the proper object of love also includes human beings. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Only acts that accord with rationality contribute to a human being’s moral goodness, and as far as a good human being is a moral one, a rational action is always a moral action. God loves human beings by helping them to maximize their capacity for reason, which is to love the good and act in accordance with it. However, the ultimate good is God, so the nature of human beings is fulfilled by loving and obeying God. Love desires the goodness of things, and since being and goodness are identical annihilation is an unloving act. A love of someone requires that we try to know that person as well as we can, to learn about his or her life as well as we can, and to respond appropriately to him or her. God loves us and this makes us valuable. God’s bestowal of love is the origin of all value. Love is a creative activity because it illuminates the beloved’s potential and allows him or her to become a better person. If someone loves me, then I am more likely to think of myself as a valuable being who is capable of much; if I am not loved, then it will be hard for me to recognize my own worth. When we love something, it means we are concerned for its well-being. As loving begins when we can respond to another person, and are able to experience his or her own desires and needs as being as import to our own, it helps to affirm that love is the fulfillment of human life. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
We truly cannot love God if we do not love our fellow travelers on this mortal journey. The great test of life is obedience to God. God has the power to bring us into loving fellowship with the him and one another. Humanity that is expressed both affirms and evokes the ultimate value of human life and the sense in which we all belong to each other as a part of the greater community of men and women that cannot be denied. We need to continually deepen our knowledge of and obedience to Heavenly Father. Our relationship with God is eternal. We are his beloved children, and that will not change. We shall love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, and will all our soul, and with all our mind. Every day of our lives, we are given opportunities to show love and kindness to those around us. Forgiveness should go hand in hand with love. In our families, as well as with our friends, there can be hurt feelings and disagreements. Again, it does not really matter how small the issues was. It cannot and should not be left to canker, to fester, and ultimately to destroy. Blame keeps wounds open. Only forgiveness heals. As we rise each morning, let us determine to respond with love and kindness to whatever might come out way so that we might have eternal life. As we come to understand this incomparable gift, our hearts will be filled with love for our Eternal Father. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
God Almighty, we thank you for our lives, and ask you to allow us have pure experience in life, knowledge of the eternal. Grant us absolute free will and access to the eternal now, and let perpetual light shine upon us. May our souls be given compassion, and teach us to love our hidden spiritual life with you. May we see all things in God and have knowledge of the Divine ideas. Let us have truth, be proud, and high-minded. May the affection of God arrogate to great force and penetrate our minds as to go about to comprehend and determine what God can, and ought to do. So that if we would but carry about us this thought, that our minds are to be considered as finite, but God as incomprehensible and infinite, there would be no further difficulty in any of their objections. The immediate cause of pleasure for us is God, who is, therefore, the sole and proper object of our love. Happiness consists of the enjoyment of pleasure, guided by the exercise of reason towards the greatest happiness, that is, God. We attribute the way of intuition to the most perfect beings, God and Angels. Please give us the great privilege of Heaven, and encourage both desires and hopes of that perfect state. May we express our devotion as to comprehend under it faith, hope, love, fear, trust, humility, submission, honour, reverence, adoration, thanksgiving in a duty to which we owe God. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
Come Inspire My Mind
Each moment and every day, we trust our love to God. Cover us with your protection, and carry us through hard times, and lead us to love and happiness. You are children of the Almighty. Limitless is your potential. Magnificent is your future, if you will take control of it. The future is bright with promise, hope, faith, and achievement. The World will become better than we have ever known. There must be purpose. We are here to accomplish something, to bless society with our talents and our learning. We must also recognize the fact that life is serious, and there are great risks, but we can overcome them by disciplining ourselves and seeking the unfailing strength of God. Our lives can go wrong if we never give ourselves time to think carefully and logically about our plans. And, we can end up with the wrong values, careers, and relationships. However, if one has made a mistake, if one has become involved in any immoral behavior, all is not lost. Memory of that mistake will likely linger, but the deed can be forgiven and one can rise above the past to live a life fully acceptable unto God where there is repentance. God has promised that he will forgive us of our sins and remember them no more against us, as long as we ask for forgiveness and stop repeating those sins. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
Repentance means to change one’s way of life as the result of a complete change of thought and attitude with regard to sin and righteousness. Repentance also means looking at something that you did in the past, recognizing that it was sinful—that it broke God’s good and beneficial laws—and concluding that one needs to change for the better. When an individual repents, they ask for forgiveness, turn to God, and commit to a new way of living and to the transformation of the human heart and mind from carnal to spiritual. Repentance is characterized by an understanding of the seriousness of sin, a deep desire to be forgiven, and a determined commitment to change behavior in order to stop sinning. Godly sorrow produces genuine repentance, which results in permanent changes that ultimately lead a person toward salvation. Common-sense is riddles with errors, prejudice, and superstition. Popular ideas about love, fame money or goodness simply does not stand up to reason. Many people seem proud about being led by their instincts or passions (jumping into decisions on the basis of nothing more than how they feel), which is much like being dragged dangerously along by a group of blindfolded wild horses. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
People can go forward with a renewal of hope and acceptability to a far better way of life, but there will be scars that will remain. The best way, the only way, is to avoid any entrapment with evil. You have within your instincts, powerful and terribly persuasive, urging one at times to let go and experience a little fling. However, do not do it. You cannot do it. You are children of God with tremendous potential. God has great expectations concerning you, as do others. Do not be let down for a minute. Do not give in to an impulse. There must be discipline, strong and unbending. Flee from temptation. There is nothing in all this World as magnificent as virtue. It glows without tarnish. It is precious and beautiful. It is above price. It cannot be bought or sold. It is the foundation of self-mastery. When you fall in love, what is really going on is that you have seen in another person some good quality which you like. Perhaps they are calm, disciplined, or eloquent. The underlying fantasy of love is that by getting close to this person, you can become a little more like they are. They can help you to grow to your full potential. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
Let virtue garnish your thoughts unceasingly. Love is in essence a kind of education: you could not really love someone if you did not want to be improved by them. Love should be two people trying to grow together—and helping each other to do so. Which means one needs to get together with the person who contains a key missing bit of your evolution: the virtues one does not have. We should accept that we are not complete and allow our partners to teach us things. A good relationship has to mean we will not love the other person exactly as they are. It means committing to helping them become a better version of themselves—and to endure the stormy passage this inevitably involves—while also not resisting their attempts to improve us. Find your purpose in life. Choose the things you would like to do, and educate yourselves to be effective in their pursuit. Pray to the Lord earnestly for direction then pursue your course with resolution. There is not anything you cannot do if you will set your mind to it. You can be excellent in every way. There is no need for you to be a scrub. Respect yourself. Do not dwell on unkind things that others may say about you. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eyes. You are worthy of the Kingdom of God. There is no adequate substitute for this marvelous blessing. There is attached to people who live a life of virtue, a promise of marvelous and wonderful blessings. We shall wax strong in the presence of God. Everyone likes beautiful things. However, we tend to think of them as a bit mysterious in their power over us and, in the greater scheme, not terribly important. We like beautiful things because we recognize in them a part of the good. There are lots of good things we aspire to be: kind, gentle, harmonious, balanced, peaceful, strong, dignified. These are qualities in people. However, they are also qualities in objects. We get moved and excited when we find in objects the qualities we need, but are missing in our lives. Beautiful objects, therefore, have a really edifying function, as they invite us to evolve in their direction to become as they are. Beauty can educate our souls. It follows that ugliness is a serious matter too, for it parades dangerous and damaged characteristics in front of us. It encourages us to be like it: harsh, chaotic, and brash. It makes it that much harder to be wise, kind and calm. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
Study your options. Pray to the Lord earnestly for direction. Then pursue your course with resolution. Love life and look for its opportunities, and forever and always be loyal to God. Never forget that you came to Earth as a child of the divine Father, with something of divinity in your background. God did not send you here to fail. He did not give you life to waste it. God bestowed upon you the gift of mortality that you might gain experience—beneficial, wonderful, purposeful experience—that will lead to life eternal. God wants us to have the opportunity to grow and experience, to teach and lead, and encourage other. May God bless you richly and abundantly. We need censorship. Continuous exposure to a storm of confused voices is seriously bad for us. With education, we need to learn more than just maths or spellings, but how to be good: we need to learn about courage, self-control, reasonableness, independence, and calm. God, your heart is full of wisdom, truth, and love. You lead us to enjoy the beauty in creation, to engage each day with love in our hearts. You teach us to live lives brimming with your love and goodness. We are blessed to live in your care. Thank you that you guide us into true love and happiness by your gentle hand. We choose to give our lives to you each day, God. Bless it be. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
God in the Temporal Salvation of all Saints
The spirit and the body are the soul of a person. When looking at the most successful people and organizations, we often imagine geniuses with a smooth journey straight to the promised land. However, when one really examines nearly every success story, they are filled with crushing defeats, near death experiences, and countless setbacks. Success is a process—a journey to be taken, and we do it one day at a time. It takes most people some time to discover what God created them for. If you are willing, you can explore the World and learn more about your purpose every day. You can engage in activities that help you grow a little more in mind, body, and spirit. And can perform some act—large or small that helps others. Success is knowing your purpose in life and doing things that benefit others, while growing to your maximum potential. Intellectual virtues essentially enable us to see, and truly grasp the World around us. Success involves remembering there is a great idea and persevering through failures leads one to finding the truth. The door to your potential is waiting for you. The key is to be on the journey. Keep at it day in and day out. If you are, you are a success today. And you will be a success tomorrow. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
Your willpower becomes strong when joined with the Lord. The life is the time for people to prepare to meet God. God is working out a grand, progressive agenda with his people, and it will not stop until we stand in the Kingdom of God, the ultimate paradise. God is never in a hurry, but he is always on time. When we are in the silent season between promise and fulfillment, we must remember that we are part of a more comprehensive story that is always about God’s glory. God is not some cosmic robot, incapable of feeling. God created compassion and is never oblivious to the hurts and crimes of those he loves, which is all of us. Behind us is infinite power. Before us is endless possibility. Around us is boundless opportunity. May we care for our bodies and our minds by observing the principles set forth in the Word of Wisdom, a divinely provided plan. Spiritual crevasses symbolize the temptations and pitfalls that too many people are tragically encountering: alcohol, with its wine coolers and keg parties, drug tampering and dependency, Restricted and Obscene rated films and videos, which often culminate in sexual immorality. Even good people slip into hardships and risk their success. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
Do not procrastinate the day of your repentance. If we do not improve our time while in this life, then comes the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. A highly respected member in the community, who was involved with the church, was enticed by some business friends to try the cocaine drug crack, which is an extremely poor-quality drug. As it stands, most cocaine in America is only 67 percent pure at best. Nevertheless, the men were depressed. Their company was failing, and they succumbed to the evil enticement of illegal drugs. He wasted $40,000.00 USD buying “crack,” lost his job, underwent a personality change, and finally was hospitalized. Through it all, his wife stayed by him. She found a job, and they began the struggle of putting his life back together. At one point, he even tried to claim someone else’s son as his own and sell him to support his habit. His friends helped him get another job. However, his mind is seriously affected. He is still somewhat dependent on some drugs. The hope and prayer of his family is that he will be able to hold on to the lifeline. Some people are so morally corrupted that they no longer recognize sin and sin and come into other people’s life and send them on a downward spiral, but it feels so good while they are doing it, until they start to experience the spiritual and legal consequences. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
Movies, television, the news, and magazines have glorified sin into what they think is an acceptable life-style: fornication, adultery, incest, serial marriages, drug abuse, violence, and double dealing of every imaginable variety, that is often portrayed as normal behavior; where people who do good are not rewarded and those who do some very bad things are not punished. So, do not trifle with things that you know are bad. Do you see the warning signs? It is saying: Danger—do not go near the edge. You will lose. We pray that you will not display the somewhat arrogant attitude of some who say, “I got this!” or “Everyone else does it!” Everyone is not doing it. You do not. And you influence your friends. And others watch you. You help set the standard. People, you are a royal bloodline—not because you are better than anyone else—but because you have been blessed by God with special privileges and responsibilities. You have a special calling. You can discern good from bad. You have the gift of the Holy Ghost. And with that power, you have the authority to represent you Heavenly Father. Put on the armor of righteousness. That same spirit which does possess your bodies at the time you go out of this ill will have power to possess your body in that eternal World. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
God has provided us with the scriptures, which, if held on to, will allow us to escape both physical and spiritual danger. The Words of Wisdom are given so that we might have clear minds and healthy bodies. The Ten Commandments—cut in stone by the finger of God—forbidding us to sin are what we need to focus on. Develop a personal companionship with them. If you desire with a sincere heart, with faith in God, you can understand all things. May the Lord bless each of you with your life’s purpose. Put trust in God that you will avoid the crevasses of sin and evil. Hold on to the lifeline of the gospel, not some gossip. You can make correct choices—the one you know in your heart will be for your best good. We love you. Do not give up. Do not doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light. Do not grow weary in well doing. May the Heavenly Father command it and may it be arranged, and may it appease the hearts of those who are against us. Come, God, enlighten the hearts of those who can favor us (or those who can help us). Dear Lord, we pray for your divine intervention to resolve all our problems in the community we are facing. Choose to be different. Distinguish yourself from Worldly crowds. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
We have a lot of experiences in the past which have resulted to deep heartaches, feelings of frustration and grudges. Please heal and strengthen each member of the community so that we will have the courage to forgive and move on with our lives as one united family. God, we ask for the forgiveness for our failure to make ourselves open to one another. Bless us with more patience, apprehension, good communication and predominant love. May all the families in the World, especially experiencing broken family relationships, depression, addiction, agitation, and other relationship problems be resolved and entirely healed by our God Almighty. Your life is precious. Cheer up your hearts, and remember that you are free to act for yourselves—to choose everlasting death or the way of eternal life. The choice of life brings an outlook of optimism. It breathes hope. It rekindles self-esteem—regarding one’s body as a timeless trust. And awakens a personal commitment to see that you take care of these sacred things. That we look to God and live. Believe in God. Accept yourself as his child, created in his image. He loves you and wants you to be happy, and discover wisdom, great treasures of knowledge, and hidden treasures. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
God Loves Us Because of Who We Are
God waits for you to communicate with him. Our entire lives can be seen as a pilgrimage to the Kingdom of God. In the process towards illumination, the fear and obedience of God melts into a passionate interior love of God that is carried with it the hope that union with him might be grained through leading a righteous life. This interior knowledge is the Light of God, which lights the Heavens and the Earth; his light is like a niche wherein there is a lamp, a lamp encased in glass, the glass as it were a glistening star. We receiver the radiant light with the gaze of love, and become worthy for the doors of our heart to be opened by the workings of God’s divine attraction, descending from the unseen. Upon us is peace, the manifestation of the attributes of grace and of love, and the path we trod is that of concern for the well-being of others, as we fully contemplate that the World and the gracious assistance it receives will increase. The spirit, when returning to its proper World, has the need of the soul, for it cannot go on foot. When it came into this World, it inhaled the spirit. Were it not for passion, none would travel a path to God. When the soul becomes assured, it gains mastery over the two attributes of passion and anger. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8
God loves humankind and all life on Earth so much. When passion desires to ascend, it become all love and affection; and when anger strives upward, it becomes all zeal and high aspiration. The soul turns to the Divine Presence with love and affection, and in its zeal and high aspiration refuses to stop at any station to pay attention to the Almighty Presence. When we were still in the World of spirits, the spirit was without these instruments (bodies), and was like the Angels, satisfied with its own station. It was content to perceive a single light and glow from the candle of the Majesty of Unity, we were appointed stations, and dared not to step beyond our own station because we would be burned. However, when the spirit became acquainted with Earth, the soul was born as the offspring of its union with the four elements, and from the soul was born. The divine grace attached itself to the soul as companion. The relationship of the heart to the body is like that of God’s Throne to the World. In the same way that the Throne is the place of manifestation for the repose of the attribute of compassion in the macrocosm, so too the heart is the place of manifestation for the repose of the attribute of spirituality in the microcosm. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8
The heart is possessed of awareness and capable of progressing. When God Almighty’s sustaining grace reaches the world of bodies, it is through the attribute of compassion. May God’s compassion encompass the World for all creation benefits from the attribute of compassion, whether friend or stranger, animate or inanimate. Compassion is a divine attribute, but mercy is a human attribute. When some part of the grace of the attribute of compassion is dispatches to the World of bodies, the first body to receive it is the Throne, for it is the closet of all bodies to the World of Dominion. One of its faces is turned toward the World of Dominion, and it is by means of this that it receives God’s grace. It is also by way of the Throne that the grace is distributed, for the Throne is connected with all corporeal beings by a series of channels that conduct the sustaining grace of each class of being. This flow of grace is continuous and makes possible the survival and permanence of all beings; were the sustenance it provides to be interrupted for a single moment, nothing could remain in existence. This is the inner meaning of “Everything shall perish, but God’s face.” Since the Throne was fitted to receive the sustaining grace of the attribute of compassion, it was honored with the compassionate reposed on the Throne, although unaware of this high fortune. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8
Similarly, one face of the human heart is turned to the World of spirituality, and the other face to the World of the bodily frame. It is for this reason that love is mysterious because the heart contains within itself two Worlds, corporeal and spiritual, and constantly turns from one to the other. Now, just think about that for a moment. Love is not just physical, but it is also divine, so that means each and every one of us has a soulmate. If we try to force a relationship, are only lustful, or just seeking stability, we could miss out on the love of our life, which could have mystical consequences. All sustaining grace received from the spirit is distributed by the heart; delicate veins connect it with each member and serve as channels for the grace of the spirit. Thus, all grace received by the heart is distributed by it in such a manner that each member receives a fitting share. Were the sustenance of that grace to be severed from the heart, even for an instant, the bodily frame would stop functioning and all life would cease. Likewise, if its sustenance were to be severed from a member on account of some obstacle in the veins that are the channels of grace, the member would be unable to move and would be paralyzed. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8
It is thus clear that the relation of the heart to the microcosm is the same as that of the Throne to the macrocosm. The heart, however, has a property and nobility that the Throne does not possess, for the heart is aware of receiving the effusion of the grace of the spirit, whole the Throne has no such awareness. For the grace of the spirit reaches the heart in the form of attributes, and the attributes of the spirit bestow upon the heart life, knowledge, and intelligence, so that the heart is able to perceive grace. In like manner, the light of the Sun, which is also its attribute, may pour into a room. The room will then be illumined with the flowing light of the Sun, and light will appear in it, so that it acquires the attributes of the Sun with respect to luminosity. By contrast, the grace of the attribute of compassion comes to the Throne only as action and power, not as an attribute. The Throne is sustained thereby, and bestows upon all beings a trace of the action and power it has received, sustaining the, in turn. Life does not appear in them, however, nor does knowledge or gnosis, which are the attributes of God. Similarly, when the Sun pours down the attribute of luminosity on a mountain, the mountain acquires the attribute of luminosity. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8
However, when the mountain in turn bestows this light upon the ruby and agate within the mine, through its own workings and effects, the ruby and agate do not acquire the Sun’s attribute of luminosity, and react instead to the workings of the Sun by acquiring the attributes of ruby and agate, respectively. Furthermore, when the heart is purified in accordance with the code of the Path, it has the capacity to become the place of repose of the attribute of compassion, in the same way that it is the place of repose of the attribute of spirituality. Indeed, when through nurturing, purification, and direction toward God it reaches perfection, it becomes the locus for the manifestation of all the attributes of divinity. God put something in you to give you an advantage—his favor, his blessing. There is something about you that makes you stand out, something that draws opportunity, something causes you to overcomes obstacles, to accomplish dreams. There are certain of God’s children who attain perfection of the heart after purifying and training their hearts through follow our gracious God Almighty of the First and the Last; and then the ocean of light of the attributes of beauty and splendor will exalt the God Almighty and will be made manifest to our hearts several times in the course of a single night and day. This is the support through God’s grace. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8
What, now, is the heart; wherein lies its purification; how is it to be trained, and how to attain perfection? Know that the heart has an outer form, upon whom be peace, as flesh. There is also a spiritual heart, a heart that is derived from the light of love and not possessed by everyone. Thus, God said: “Truly therein is a reminder for him or her who is possessed of a heart.” That is, the one who has a heart enjoys familiarity with God. God did not affirm that everyone possesses a heart. The vein of the spirit was pierced with love’s lancet tip; a drop fell down, and they called it the heart. Love and affection, a heart full of passion. No pain is pleasure. Mystical experience then typically involves the intense and joyous realization of oneness with, or in, the divine, the sense that this divine One is comprehensive, all-embracing, in its being. The soul is longing for its return to God. However, it is also keenly appreciative of the beauties of nature. Farther God, we come into your presence so aware of our human frailty and yet overwhelmed by your love for us. We thank you that there is no human experience that we might walk through where your love cannot reach us. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8
Teach us today to love more. Help us to rest in that love that asks nothing more than a simple trusting heart of an innocent. God is our Father. He loves us. He values us beyond measure. We are all unique. One of a kind, made of the eternal intelligence which gives us claim upon eternal life. Let there be no question in your mind about your value as an individual. The whole intent of the gospel plan is to provide an opportunity for each of us to reach our fullest potential, which is eternal progression and the possibility of Godliness. God’s love is infinite and it will endure forever. No one can make us feel inferior without our consent. God assures us that when we have virtuous thoughts, he will bless us with confidence, even the confidence to know who we really are. Remember the Worth of souls is great in the sight of God. May our hearts be filled with love. As we remove the distractions that pull us toward the World and exercise our agency to seek him, we open our hearts to a celestial force which draws us toward God. As the Savior lifts us to higher ground, we can see more clearly not only who we are but also that we are closer to him than we ever imagined. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8
God Holds Your Future in His Hands
Humans are born to be good to each other. For each of us, life is a journey. Heavenly Father designed it for us out of love. Your life as it is lived, your experiences, feelings, deeds, these are the embodiment of your ideal plan for your individual life. Each of us has unique experiences and characteristics, but our journey began in the same place before we were born into this World. However, many of us never expresses our plan of life perfectly because there is always more to do with our cause. The purpose may not be so much on self-understanding. Instead, perhaps, the true and ultimate focus is to know God and to establish a pleasing relationship with God. We can make choices every day and almost every hour that keep you walking in the light or moving away toward darkness. It is in our power to become virtuous, because assent is in our control; we decide how we act. Suffering, as unpleasant as it is, often has a bright side and that is compassion. Compassion is an emotional response when perceiving suffering and involves an authentic desire to help. Human suffering is often accompanied by beautiful acts of compassion by others wishing to relieve it. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
With each other is the path to living the good life. Compassion is a natural tendency since it is essential for human survival. Communities, which include the greatest number of the most sympathetic members, will flourish best, and rear the greatest number of offspring. Because babies are the most vulnerable offspring on the face of the Earth, it rearranged our social structures, building cooperative networks of caretaking, and it rearranged our nervous systems. Humans have become the super caregiving species, to the point where acts of care improve our physical health and lengthen our lives. One can see our natural connectivity and compassionate instincts in how our brains react to pain. When we are physically hurt, the anterior cingulate region of the brain is activated. It has also been discovered that when we see someone else suffering, that very same part of the cortex in our brain activates. Therefore, many of us have the same pain response to other people’s pain as we do to our own experiences of suffering. Remarkable tendencies toward kindness, play, generosity, reverence and self-sacrifice are vital to the classic tasks of evolution—survival, gene replication and smooth functioning groups. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
With situations like the shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada USA that happened 1 October 2017, which left 59 people dead and injured 515 individuals, that is a misrepresentation of the evolutionary study of human goodness. Humans are a social and caring species. For instance, there are organizations out there trying to see the 200 million children in Africa who are starving, get the food, shelter and medical care that they need, and that is just one of many examples that exemplifies that we have compassion for humans, and life in general. We are prone to feel emotions that promote altruism, compassion, gratitude, love, and happiness. It is our love that defines us today, and always will forever. These good emotions can be readily cultivated in familiar ways, bringing out the good in others and in oneself. When praying about compassion the left hemisphere of a brain, a region associated with happiness, becomes active and boosts the immune functions. When we praise the Lord, and thank him for our blessings and talk about what we are grateful for, this boosts happiness and social well-being and health. Experiences of reverence in nature or around morally inspiring society improves people’s sense of connection to others and sense of purpose. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
Compassion may have ensured our survival because of its tremendous benefits for both physical and mental health and overall well-being. Laughing and playing in the face of trauma gives an individual perspective upon life’s inevitable difficulties, and improves resilience and adjustment. Connecting with others in a meaningful way helps us enjoy better mental and physical health and speeds up recover from injuries and other ailments, and it may even lengthen our life spans. The reason a compassionate lifestyle leads to greater psychological well-being may be explained by the fact that the act of giving appears to be as pleasurable, if not more so, as the act of receiving. Inflammation is at the root of cancer and other diseases and is generally high in people who live under a lot of stress. We might expect that inflammation would be lower for people with higher levels of happiness. People who are happy because they live a life of purpose or meaning (eudemonic happiness) have low levels of inflammation. A happy life helps to act as a barrier against stress and compassion may boost our well-being because it broadens our perspective beyond ourselves. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
Every child of Heavenly Father born in the World is given at birth, as a free gift, the Light of Christ. You have felt that. It is the sense of what is right and what is wrong and what is true and what is false. That has been with us since our journey in life began. We were given the right to have the Holy Ghost as our companion. The Holy Ghost is a powerful source of light to recognize truth, to follow and love the Lord Jesus Christ, and to find our way back to God. This kind of religion and science gives many hope for the future. Our culture may shift from a consumption-based, materialist culture to one that privileges God and the social joys. Executives are learning the wisdom around the country of emotional intelligence, respect, and building trust. Heavenly Father, please grant us the peace of mind and calm our troubled hearts. Help our souls to find peace and balance in our lives. Give us the strength and clarity of mind to find our purpose and walk the path you have laid out for us. We trust your Love God, and know that you will heal this stress. Just as the Sun rises each day against the dark of night, please bring us clarity with the light of God. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
Miraculous and Blessed Manifestations of God
I once told someone I know God’s first and last name. She asked me what is it? I said his first name is God, and his last name is Almighty. She disagreed with me, but I realize not everyone will always share the perspectives we have about life and that is fine. It is necessary to be as certain about things as we can be in our own Worlds. Our expectations and assumptions—whether generous or hopeful, pitiless or woebegone—constantly bend and even wrap the World we see. Uncertainty is a lack of information about an event and is characterized as an aversive state that people are motivated to reduce. Uncertainty during an emotion event makes unpleasant events more unpleasant. We have all been there at one time or another, stuck in uncertainty. It is an uncomfortable place to be, and can leave an individual feeling out of control, hopeless, and helpless. Humans love a sense of order and predictability, chaos and the random nature of life can be very scary. By gaining information, organisms learn to predict and control their environment, conferring an adaptive advantage. Consequently, uncertainty is generally viewed as an aversive state that organisms are motivated to reduce. The state of curiosity, for example, in which people desire more information about something in their environment, is viewed as a negative drive state that produces pleasure only when it is satisfied. The more people that understand an event—what it is, why it occurred, how it fits into their self-concepts—the more quickly they adapt to it. #RandolpHarris 1 of 9
Thus, anything that impedes understanding, including uncertainty about the nature of the event, will prolong affective reactions to the event. Researchers typically induce uncertainty by depriving people of information. There are well-documented associations between job insecurity and health issues. The University College London looked at the effects of changes in job security in more than 3,300 civil servants. There were three groups of participants (those who lost job security during this period, those who gained it, and those for whom employment prospects remained uncertain), and found that of the three groups the worst health problems were reported by the participants whose work status remained uncertain. Sadly, even those whose jobs became secure still reported lingering problems two years later, particularly psychiatric disturbances such as low moods. This is not surprising, psychologist have noted that individuals are more likely to suffer lasting psychological disturbances—in particular, low self-esteem and depression when formed to live with aversive events they feel they cannot control. All the of the health problems were not mental either. Some people got sick, suffered severe headaches, bone fractures, loss of appetite, hair falling out, insomnia, bruises, chronic fatigue syndrome, digestive issues, inflammation, bruises, felt more pain that they had in the past, and a few of them even passed away because they lost their purpose to live and/or the stress was too great to endure. Some even attempted suicide, which is not surprising. During the Great Depression 1929-1941, 324,000 Americans committed suicide. At that time, the population was only 123,000,000 people in America. When a person is uncertain how they will care for themselves or support their household, their families also suffer because they love the individual and see how hard the stress is on them and it impacts the lives of others who care. The stress was also detrimental to relationships. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9
When you are living with uncertainty and feel like some of your power in life has been taken from your hands, how do you cope? How do you manage to live in that ambiguous place without falling apart or dissolving into stress or worry? Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in Heaven and in Earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in Heaven and in Earth; believe that humans do not comprehend all things which the Lord can comprehend. Try to be good and follow protocols so one can make sure that one has done everything in one’s power to prevent an adverse reaction from happening. Later on, if the matter is not addressed in a reasonable or timely manner, also pray about a good resolution every day, for hours, and thank God for the blessings that have been provided. It helps to reduce a great deal of stress. You do not have to experience the sorrow caused by sin, the pain caused by others’ actions, or the painful realities of morality alone. Authentic faith is not about easy answers. Rather, it is about finding the courage and wisdom to live with uncertainty. Faith can help turn uncertainties into blessings. In fact, uncertainty can ultimately sustain and make our faith even stronger. Sometimes we compartmentalize. We pray about one thing and worry about something else. We seem to limit the ability of the Lord to help us in every aspect of our lives. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9
God has overwhelming love for human beings, and we need to receive this love. There is a sense of an infinite loving kindness in the World, and we can tune into this more as we develop our faith. The original creations of the Heavenly Father constitute a truly wonder-filled World. Our greatest advocate is Jesus Christ. He is like our lawyer and is correcting barriers in our lives and creating opportunities as we pray and thank him. Faith is the assurance which people have of the existence of things which they have not seen, and the principle of action in all intelligent beings. As the key to our salvation, our individual faith, then becomes of absolute importance to us. Faith is the realization that the Lord can help us with all things. We are living in a time in which we shall see things both wonderful and awful. When we find ourselves in stressful circumstances, we should still be cheerful. If our attitude towards life depends upon the praise of people, the level of interest rates, the outcome of a particular election or athletic contest—we are too much at the mercy of humans and circumstances. Nor should our gratitude for the gift of mortal life depend on appearances. Jesus calls on us to have a deliberate trust in God’s unfolding purposes, not only for all humankind, but for us individually. And we are to be of good cheer in the unfolding process. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9
The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both to coping and to comprehending, and he will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. God is the absolute maximum or infinite being, in the sense that he has the fullness of perfection. There is nothing outside of God to oppose him or to limit him. He is the all. God is the infinite being, all opposition is reconciled in perfect unity. Creatures add nothing to divine reality; they are simply limited and partial appearances of it. As a face reproduces itself more or less perfectly in a number of mirrors, so God reflects himself in various ways in his creatures. In this case, however, there are no mirrors. God transcends the Universe, but is also immanent in it, as a face is present in mirrored images. Each creature is also present in every other, as each image exists in every other. The love of God is the reason for joy. This love of God is precisely what the first Christians did feel. God is love and love is meaningless except between persons. Almighty God, we bless you for our lives, we give you praise for your abundant mercy and grace we receive. We thank you for your faithfulness. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9
Where there is great love there are always miracles. A miracle is merely some event which astounds the speaker, with perhaps some presumption that others will or should react to it in the same way. The wonder is that a miracle will consist in an overriding of the order of nature. A miracle is something which would never have happened had nature, as it were, been left to its own devices. A miracle can be worked only by God or by his specially deputed agents. Lord Jesus, we ask you to give us all around peace in our mind, body, soul, and spirit. We want you to heal and remove everything that is causing stress, grief, and sorrow in our lives. Please guide our paths through life and make our enemies be at peace with us. Let your peace reign in our families, at our places of work, businesses and everything we lay our hands on. Please let your Angels of peace go ahead of us when we go out and stay by our side when we return. Please build systems of miracles in our lives that are larger than truth. Produce miraculous events in our lives. Heavenly Father, open our hearts wide to receive the love of God. As we receive God’s love as universal supply, may all our affairs be healed. We realize and accept the healing power of the Universe as love, and allow the healing power of love to penetrate our lives. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9
Miracles come as we yield to the enticings of the Spirit, put off the natural humans, and are filled with the love of God. We accept the healing power of love in our lives and know that as love, God is our limitless and abundant supply made manifest. We feel the outpouring of God’s love in our bodies and mind. Bless us with the faith to always believe, to affirm the Supreme Power of Your miracles, be they physical, financial, or spiritual in nature. Grant us the aptitude to instantly perceive the source of all supernatural occurrences, so only your excellence shall be glorified. Lord, we are praying for only what you can do. We are praying for a miracle. The source from which it will come is from you, great God. We trust you to send us a sign. Teach us, dear Lord, to know your wonder and splendor. And, if you are willing, we are waiting, ready to receive our miracles today. We ask that you come against negative influences, spiritual attacks, and bondages. We believe you have the miraculous power and strength to conquer the darkest enemy, break the strongest barrier, and silence the greater deceiver. God, you are worthy, glorious, almighty in power and we claim victory today in your name. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9
Miracles are not differing from nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature. Send us a miracle which will create faith. God, help us to remember the reason we began. Help us to see the purpose behind your place. Please provide the necessary grace. Keep us set upon your face, to find strength for the next step, to discover faith to keep increasing and to believe that miracles are possible today and in all circumstances. Send your mightiest warriors to fight this battle for us. God, to you, the darkness shines as bright as day. Shine your light upon us, free us, give us peace, and snatch us back from the enemy’s grip. Impossible situation can become possible miracles. Seeing, hearing, and feeling are miracles, and each part of us is a miracle. We believe in a God of miracles. We can all bear witness to miracles. We know children who pray for help to find a lost item and find it. We know of young people who gather the courage to stand as a witness of God and feel his sustaining power. We know friends who pay their tithing with the last of their money and then, through miracles, find themselves able to pay their tuition or their rent or somehow obtain food for their family. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9
In this beautiful time of year, we remember that restorations and renewals are gifts from God. There are multitudes of little miracles every day: a collapsed lung heals, and then, despite the odds, continues to function properly. God of miracles loves his children and desires to bless them. Our family also has faced the passing into Heaven of loved one, serious illness, the trial of divorce, and children and adults who are choosing another path. We do not always under the reason behind the tests that come with morality. However, our faith has grown, and perhaps yours has too, as we have watched loved ones, friends, and people we know only by reputation endure with faith in the Lord the most severe trials. They, too, know the God of miracles and witness in their extremity that whatever the future holds for the, the Lord knows them and loves them and is blessing them. We are all sealed to God and to each other forever, and are willing to submit our wills to God’s. God can heal us of our sins, and he can and will bless us, his children, in our daily lives. God lives and loves. God is a God of miracles. Among the signs of the evidences of God’s work in the World, which are the manifestations of his power which we are unable to explain, but we know they are divine acts and special blessings. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9
CRESLEIGH HAVENWOOD
Lincoln, CA | from the high $600,000s
Now Selling!
No appointment needed! Cresleigh Havenwood features four distinct floor plans ranging from 2,293 – 3,377 square feet and offering up to five bedrooms. Each plan has been thoughtfully designed and includes great features such as single story homes, guest suites, optional offices, garage workshops, and more! Get the most out of your new home with Cresleigh’s All Ready smart home featuring all the connectivity needed to keep your house running. Best of all, each Cresleigh home comes with owned solar included!
Located off of Virginiatown Road and McCourtney Road, residents of the 83 homesites of Cresleigh Havenwood will benefit from a brand new neighborhood in the charming City of Lincoln. Palo Verde Park, is just down the street and there’s plenty of recreation to take part in all around town. https://cresleigh.com/havenwood/
I Saw this Miracle of Comfort
Quality is not an act, it is a habit. One of the most familiar traits of our time is the tendency to revise tradition, to reconsider the foundations of old beliefs, and sometimes mercilessly to destroy what once seemed indispensable. This disposition, as we all know, is especially prominent in the realms of social theory and of religious belief. We are constantly faced with difficult choices. These problems are not new, but they are intensified. We are subjected to temptations that are attractive and appealing. We represent the future of this World, and the adversary of truth would like to injure us, would like to destroy our faith, would like to lead us down paths that are beguiling and interesting, but deadly. However, we believe in being true. How very important it is to be true to ourselves. Some have lived and died and never knew the value of this World because they never knew God. We recognize our greatest problem is our rapid growth. Our population increase in numbers is phenomenal, for the population has doubled in the past few years. We are obsessed first to see that all people obtain eternal life. Our precious relationships with families, friends, the Lord and his restored Church are among things that matter most in life. Because these relationships are so important, they should be cherished, protected, and nurtured. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
Now, it all ages of civilized life there have been people who have won in some form a consciousness of loyalty, and who have held to such a consciousness through life. Such people may or may not have been right in their choice of cause, but at least they have exemplified through their loyalty one feature of a rational more life. They know what it is to have unity of purpose. And again, the loyal have known what it is to be free from moral doubts and scruples. Their cause has been their conscience. It has told them what to do. They have listened and obeyed, not because of what they took to be blind convention, not because of a fear of external authority, not even because of what seemed to themselves any purely private and personal intuition, but because, when they have looked first outwards at their cause, and then inwards at themselves, they have found themselves worthless in their own eyes, except when viewed as active, as confidently devoted, as willing instruments of their cause. Their cause has forbidden them to doubt; it has said: “You are mine, you cannot do otherwise.” And then they have said to the cause: “I am, event of my own will, thine. I have no will except they will. Take me, use me, control me, and even thereby fulfill me and exalt me.” Our patriots, soldiers, law enforcement, and many parents and teachers are devoted to the speech above. They realize that loyalty tends to unify life, to give it centre, fixity, and stability. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion. People loyal in this sense have surely existed in the World, and, as you all know, the loyal still exist amongst us. And I beg you not to object, at this point, that such devoted people have often been loyal to be very concerned with the challenges we must face in this life, as they are extremely personal in nature. The nature of the challenges we face in this life are not nearly so important as what we choose to do about them. When we have the courage and faith to live up to the best we know, we fulfill the purpose for which we came to this Earth, and we provide an incentive for others to do the same. In the medieval World, the underlying assumption is that human’s self-fulfillment is discovered in the love of God and the rest of the divine creation. God has contrived the afterlife that only if we obey the fundamental moral rule will we in the long run, that is, in the eternal run, secure our own happiness. It is clear that we could find no good reason to be moral if God did not exist, but God’s function in bringing the gulf between self-interest and morality is veiled in conventional theological terms. A spirit eternal penetrates through Earth, Sky, and Ocean, mounts to the Moon’s lucid orb, and Stars in countless abundance; one soul all matter invigorates, gives life to the system, over each particular member diffuses alertness; the burdens faithful servants in God must carry in life are made lighter by the Atonement of Jesus. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
Happiness is a waking dream. The burden of sin can be taken away, but the trials of mortal life for good people can still be heavy. This is why you have a feeling to want to help a person struggling to move forward under a load of grief and difficulty. You promised that you would help the Lord make their burdens light and be comforted. You were given the power to help lighten those loads when you received the gift of the Holy Ghost. We have seen miracles time and time again. It is nice to feel in people’s voices and see in their eyes that the Holy Ghost is within them. In words of simple testimony, people speak of what happened and how they felt, and it is clear that the Holy Ghost has already given them the peace that comes with hope of eternal life. The Comforter had come, bringing hope, courage, and increasing strength for all of us. That is why the Lord included in our charge to comfort others, and the command to be his witnesses at all times and places. We may be strengthened. However, the burden of grief may not disappear, but we are made able to bear the sorrow. Our faith will increase and our strength will continue to grow as we ask for it and life for it. For all that we know, our redeemer lives, and he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
The energy of the mind is the essence of life. Most people have a feeling of unity with their fellow humans and a natural want to live in harmony with others. It is often overshadowed by selfish emotions, but those who do possess it know that they would be worse off if they did not possess it. The reason for this conviction is that the best prospect of realizing such happiness as is attainable is a willingness to sacrifice the prospect of one’s own present and immediate happiness to an ascetic devotion to altruism and benevolence. We beg you Lord, to help and defend us. Deliver the oppressed. Pity the insignificant. Raise the fallen. Show yourself to the needy and heal the sick. It is also important to bring back those of your people who have gone astray. God, we pray that you feed the hungry and left up the weak. May every nation come to know that you alone are God, that Jesus is your son, and that we are your people. God, please provide us with public good, promoting of peace, harmony, and order in society. Give us the independent power of sympathy and of sense love. It is the witness of the Spirit that gives us the strength to endure. God, thank you for allowing us to see the joy that comes to the faithful after passing faithfully through their trials. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
The one exclusive sign of thorough knowledge is the power teaching. Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. Departure will weaken the superficial feeling but deepen our friendship like wind blowing out candle light, but making the fire lighter. We meet when are strangers, but depart when we are familiar with each other. Time goes by slowly, but your eyes are in my heart forever, they are as pure as crystal, and light as the moon, as deep as abyss and as white as snow. There will be violent storms and waves in the sea of life. We row with resolution and wisdom, brave the winds and waves, sailing for the ideal tomorrow. The voyage of life is very long and we do not know where we meet again. Your generous smile impresses me most and I never forget it. Now, I gaze at your eyes and you are so quiet that there is only hope for the future. I complain you do not cherish our friendship, while you say I am too sentimental of departure—we have no choice and the departure time is a sad autumn. We must recognize the power of mind, definitely, specifically, concretely and consciously speak from our objective minds. Love cannot be afraid, it is fearless and strong, and is mighty in its works. It can accomplish all things through the inner light of that faith in God. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
Work in Us What is Pleasing in God’s Sight
Drawing near to God is what qualifies us for the eternal saving work of our High Priest. God’s gifts are precious beyond words, and we will sing of them forever. The most precious gifts lead to God himself. Ultimately, that is what all his gifts are for. The unique and absolute infinity of God is the attribute that best distinguishes him from creatures and constitutes his absolute perfection. Life and the World around us is a painted veil, an illusion through which we must penetrate to the reality behind (this reality being the one that remains when the many change and pass). We see life as if through a veil—the veil of our own prejudices, which are imposed by social institutions. Humans must transcend these prejudices in order to understand their love of fellow humans. Once the veil is removed, the World will be seen as a unity—both in the sense in which science may be said to be a unity (the truth about one field of study cohering with an illuminating the truth about another), and in the sense that a true understanding of our fellow people will give rise to virtuous behavior. This is what we have in mind when we speak of the indestructible order. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
It is the function of coupling poetry and religion to provide humans with a coherent view of the World that will help them to understand both themselves and their fellow beings, and to provide it in a form that will kindle the imagination as well as the intellect. There is a natural order in the Universe, which science and philosophy reveal; there is also a moral order, which humans themselves must impose. When Christ became our servant as a ransom, he took away the curse of the law and the threat of punishment for all who believe. However, to what end? That we might enjoy sin with impunity? No. That we might enjoy God for eternity! Forgiveness is precious because it brings us home to God. Why does anyone want to be forgiven? If the answer is just for psychological relief, or just for escape from Hell, or just to have more physical pleasure, then God is not honored. The selfish picture of human nature cannot be the whole story, for if selfishness were the only natural feeling, there would be no society. The rise of a nation, the pressing forward of a social class, means a bitter struggle, a hard and soul-sickening battle with the World such as few of the more favored classes know or appreciate. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
What is more, since the existence of a social feeling is sufficient to account for the origin of society, appeals to the religious sanctions for society are necessarily subsequent to the actual foundation of society and are therefore of secondary importance. Romans 15.9 reports: The aim of Christ’s serving us is the glorifying of God for his mercy. However, if we exploit God’s mercy as a ticket to enjoy sin—or even just to enjoy innocent things—God gets no glory from that. God gets glory for showing his mercy when his mercy frees us to see him as the best gift of his love —as the most enjoyable person in the Universe. It is good for us that Christ came on behalf of the truth of God, because his coming this way shows that God is true first and foremost to himself; and he confirms the promises of God, and that the promises are promises of love; and he shows that the essence of the love he promised is himself. Virtue is the pursuit of the public interest. There is no real love of virtue without the knowledge of a good public. We are disposed to act virtuously by our affection for God. Virtue is called the moral sense. Moral sense is like a sense of harmony in music and a sense of proportion in architect and art. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
The voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the Earth, that all that are willing to listen will hear, and the day will come that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his children, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people; for they have strayed from their ordinances, and have broken God’s everlasting covenant. People who knowingly and willfully do wrong seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every one of them walks in their own way, and after the image of their own God, whose image is in the likeness of the World. If you seek him, God will waken your heart to your deep need for mercy as a sinner! And then ravish your heart with a great Savior, Jesus Christ. And then release your tongue to praise him and your hands to make his mercy shine in yours. A Vietnam Veteran called Roger Harris just knew that he was going to die and would never make it home from the war. And his mother told him that he would make it back alive, but he did not believe her. In fact, many of the veterans thought they would never see America again. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Roger Harris considered himself a sinner and saw many young men who had never had an adult relationship, were honest, Christian, and did not swear get killed right before his face. However, the day came for Roger Harris and his team to come back to America, and as they were getting ready to board the helicopter, an attack broke out and it he just knew he would never make it home and that he attracted the calamity because he was supposed to die and so many good people lived and died, but he made it back to America safely and was able to tell his story. Perhaps Roger Harris made it come because someone loved him and kept him in their prayers and God knew he had more to learn about the miracles of God. And maybe the other guys passed away because they were pure and God wanted them to come home to Heaven because they learned all they needed to know and their mission was complete. Furthermore, it is possible other good people also stayed alive so they could testify and share the gospel of God with others and help to save their souls. God has a purpose for all of us and he employees our talents and abilities for different reasons. Therefore, release your faith and praise God and use your hands to make his mercy shine in yours. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
God is benevolent and his love reinforce the affection. Also, virtuosity is an inherent part of human nature. God is really good. This morning I was asleep and I was awakened a few days ago by the fire alarm in the high-rise building going off. Usually, when the crews test the alarm, they tell us on the loud speak, but they started the test first, and in a low voice told of they were testing the alarm. I was going to stay in bed even if it was a real alarm because usually there is never a fire. The has only been once serious fire since I lived here. So, Sunday morning, I was laying in bed and my mother called and I did not answer the phone because I was not in a great mood. Then about an hour later, the fire alarm went off again, and I stayed in bed, and was not going to get up. However, my neighbor screamed from outside to tell me to get out of the building, it was a real fire. If my mother’s call had not woken me, I might have slept through the fire alarm, and who knows what would have happened. The fire department got here and put the fire out and there was no significant damage. As you see, God is always looking out for us, and even if you do not feel like talking, always answer the phone when your parents call. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
God owns and controls all things. And there is nothing that he would not give you. God has the power to provide redemption, restoration for past losses, and liberation from future enemies, forgiveness and freedom, pardon and power, healing the past and sealing the future. There is a revelation from God the Father, opening the eyes of the heart so that it cries out, like a person who stumbles onto an incredible treasure. Oh, I totally forgot to tell you. I have been experiencing a lot of hardships in life, so I cut certain people out of my life, stop swearing, gave up mature movies, I am celibate and have been, do not smoke, nor do drugs, and I do not drink. The purpose is so that I may have the favor of God. Maybe this will cause Satan to flee from my life completely. Now, may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom by glory forever and ever. Amen. One of the things pleasing in God’s sight is that his people keep on drawing near to him forever and ever. And so, he is working in us this very thing. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
Randolph Harris II International Institute 