Universal Life Church Monastery of Massachusetts: July 2014

Monday, July 28, 2014

HEALTH: The Heart

The human heart is an amazing organ and necessary for life. It continually pumps life through our bodies, beating about 100,000 times a day. Many things can affect the health of our hearts, such as stress and poor diet, but God tells us that it is good for us to have a cheerful heart and joy is medicine for our bodies. (Proverbs 17:22)

Having a positive and cheerful attitude is one key to abundant life. God tells us that being happy, or cheerful, is good for us spiritually and physically. With stress being so prevalent in our culture, it is important to remember to do things that make you laugh. Take time to watch funny movies or go out with friends and simply enjoy yourself. Manifest the motto: Live, laugh, love.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

HEALTH: Being independent

It seems that when we try to live lives independent of God, we end up feeling empty and perhaps even disappointed. We try to fill a never-ending void with things such as material possessions, food, work, or hobbies and end up not being able to satiate our greatest need: Connection with God.

Proverbs 3:7-8 reads, "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear and respect the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."

This proverb tells us that as we reverence God and connect with him, we will be more apt to make wise decisions and those decisions will cause us to be healthier. Perhaps as we stay spiritually connected with God, our desires for things that harm us, such as unhealthy food, will decrease and we’ll be able to make healthier eating decisions. Ask God today to help you make healthy decisions regarding your diet.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

MARRIAGE: Endurance

If it is endurance you want, you must begin to train. Just as athletes are diligent to train for a race, so we ought to be diligent to train to be successful in our marriages. Knowing our purpose in marriage is to honor God and our mate, we are motivated to do what it takes to develop perseverance.

Stay active through movement. Stagnation kills.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

LIFE: Purpose

Finding a meaning or purpose in life is important to us, although it’s not always easy to do. Some struggle their whole lives trying to find a sense of purpose.

Discovering one’s purpose takes effort. It takes taking time to pray and discern what gifts, talents, and passion one has. Once this is done, it takes effort and action to begin walking it out.

One way to discover purpose is by serving others. Start with your family and friends. It doesn't matter a bit if you are on your way to saving the world if you are neglecting your immediate family. Spend quality time with them and educate yourself on how to be a better spouse, partner, mother, father, or friend. If you feel you have this area down pretty well, volunteer in your community. There are plenty of non-profits in your area needing help. Do the footwork.

Be aware that finding your purpose is not a one day thing. We are on a journey and we may have many "aha" moments toward living out our purpose. All we have is today and I encourage you to use this day to pray and contemplate your purpose. It's not supposed to be complicated. I could not sit and tell you every single purpose of my life, but I do know that it involves loving and helping others person by person, day by day.

You're on a path to purpose. Smile.