Universal Life Church Monastery of Massachusetts

Monday, September 29, 2014

HEALTH: Your career

Our physical health can affect other areas of our lives such as career and family. If we are not feeling well or are battling sickness and disease, it affects not only us, but those around us.

God has given us the best diet plan in the Bible. If you will read Leviticus and Deuteronomy, you will find a diet blueprint that will help you walk in optimal health. Walking in good health requires discipline and commitment. You might not feel like eating fruits and vegetables over cookies and hotdogs, but the rewards of feeling energized and fully alive are well worth the effort. Educate yourself on how you can live a healthier lifestyle and share your good news with others.

Monday, September 22, 2014

HEALTH: Learn the art of meditation

Various cultures and religions have used meditation for healing for thousands of years. Studies have revealed that mediation can help those who suffer from stress, pain, depression, and high blood pressure, as well as an assortment of other ailments.

Meditation calms the mind and allows individuals to learn to take back control of their lives. There are various meditation techniques used throughout the world. The bible explains that if one meditates and follows God’s word continually, then he/she will have success. Take some time to learn about mediation and commit to spending time each day in prayerful meditation.

Monday, September 15, 2014

HEALTH: Lifestyle

God has a divine plan for optimal physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Through Scripture, prayer, good nutrition, and modern medicine, we can walk in health, strength, and joy.

The Bible says God made all of our delicate, inner parts of our body and knit us together in our mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13) God created our bodies with organs and systems that work in perfect order. Ask God to help you live a healthy lifestyle and understand the healing power of God.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

LIFE: Live each moment

“In the end, life lived to its fullest is its own Ultimate Gift.” – Jim Stovall. Everyone comes in this world alone and goes to the next world alone; whatever he chooses to make of his life depends on the person. People can either wallow in their sorrow, or they can take the low phase in their life as a challenge and try to overcome it. They can either be sad about it, or they can choose to see the glass half full.

When you try to live each moment of your life, be it in the happiness or grief, there would be no regrets, because the person would have the satisfaction of making the best out of what they had. As Jim Stovall says, a life well lived is a gift in itself. It’s a cherished feeling, which everyone should strive for.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

LIFE: Making mistakes

People commit mistakes, they stray from the right path, sometimes knowingly and other times unknowingly. However, if one spends some time thinking in what is the right or the wrong thing to do; one will be able to figure it out for oneself. As it says “For the Truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us and shall be with us forever.”

Everyone just needs to look within themselves and seriously ponder which path to take, and surely, the right path will be apparent to them. Right and wrong may be subject to people’s perception about the small and petty things in life, but the things that matter, it stays the same for everyone. The truth is within all of us, and the more clearly we are able to see it, the better it will be for us.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

LIFE: Respect

People in this world are judged by their actions. People who do good deeds are known to be good people and vice versa. Therefore, to be respected in the eyes of your peers, family, and friends you need to have honorable actions. As it is quoted in Proverbs 20:11 “Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.” As clearly stated, everybody is known his actions, even children who are naive, which leaves no room for adults.

Doing good deeds can only make a person be respected in this world and Hereafter. Society will have no reason to point fingers or to question the person’s characters if everything is done with a good intention. Therefore, to have a peace of mind, and not be at conflict with the norms of Society and their beliefs, one needs to have honorable actions.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

LIFE: Critics

The hardest critic of man is man himself. Having committed a wrong, we condemn ourselves to a life of depravity thereafter, not thinking ourselves worthy of redemption. Because we are unable to forgive ourselves, we immerse ourselves even further in vice so as to escape from the realization of our guilt.

However, just because we lived in folly in the past does not mean there is no hope for our future. None of us is entirely bad, and by acknowledging where we went wrong, and taking past experiences as guidelines for what not to do in the future, we can rekindle hope in ourselves from these words of the Bible “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” We are all given second chances: to learn from our mistakes; grow out of them as a person, and gather the strength to start anew.

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.