Bill Tonnis Ministries

John 8:54
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.'”

Ask yourself a question before engaging in any activity: “What is my motivation in doing this?” The best motivation would be that I am doing whatever it is because God desires me to do it. I desire to please God’s calling in my heart. We need to honestly ask ourselves whether we are trying to please God…or please ourselves? Am I reflecting God’s light so that God is glorified…or am I doing something so that I am put in the spotlight? This is the project of the ego. When we allow our egos to diminish…we become better reflectors of God’s light…so that others don’t see our glory…but God’s.

Suggested song of the day—“May I Be Light” on the Listen to Your Heart album.
All songs available on iTunes. Click on the link under blogroll to the right.
CDs available by clicking on the “music” tab.
Have a blessed day!

John 8:31-32
“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

This is pretty specific advice from Jesus which most “Christians” over the years have not taken very seriously. Each of us needs to ask ourselves whether we are remaining in Jesus’ word. Do we know His words? Do we make it a regular practice to read them, sit with them, meditate on them and to listen to them with the ear of our hearts? Jesus said that to do so would “set you free.” To know Jesus and to follow His way is to be on a spiritual journey of transformation and the path to the freedom of discovering your true self.

Suggested song of the day—“I Want to Follow You” on the Listen to Your Heart album.
All songs available on iTunes. Click on the link under blogroll to the right.
CDs available by clicking on the “music” tab.
Have a blessed day!

Psalm 102:2
Lord, hear my prayer; let my cry come to you.

I cry out. I want all my needs met. This is my childhood program for happiness that refuses to let go. But it must go for me to truly live! My ego will never be satisfied as it will always demand more. As I was sitting in prayer over today’s scripture I heard a voice in my heart say, “Yes, I know your needs…but what about the needs of those around you? What if you tried to satisfy their needs…and then perhaps your needs would be satisfied as well?” Letting go of our ego’s desires will feel like dying. In the words of Jesus: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).

Suggested song of the day—“You’ll Lead Me” on the Listen to Your Heart album.
All songs available on iTunes. Click on the link under blogroll to the right.
CDs available by clicking the “music” tab.
Have a blessed day!

Psalm 40:11
Your deed I did not hide within my heart; your loyal deliverance I have proclaimed. I made no secret of your enduring kindness to a great assembly.

What has God done for you? How has God “delivered” you…saved you…led you to a deeper spiritual place of knowledge, love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion? Look back on your life and see how God always remained faithful even when we did not. Be thankful! Maybe it is time to tell others about what God has done for you…so that others might have their eyes opened to the ways God is working in their lives.

Suggested song of the day—“My Lord and My God” on the Live to Love album.
All songs available on iTunes. Click on the link under blogroll to the right.
CDs available by clicking on the “music” tab.
Have a blessed day!

Psalm 34:19
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed.

Jesus was always going to those who were on the outside looking in. He went to be with the rejected, those regarded as “sinners” and those who were physically sick. He didn’t shun them but loved them and returned them to wholeness. He accepted them without condemnation. Then…Jesus became the one thrown-out and rejected to show us how intimately He relates to all of us who have had our hearts broken and spirits crushed. And then…in return for such anguish and torture being inflicted upon Him…He forgave and showed compassion. Trust in Jesus!

Suggested song of the day—“Come to Jesus” on the Live to Love album.
All songs available on iTunes. Click on the link under blogroll to the right.
CDs available by clicking on the “music” tab.
Have a blessed day!

John 5:30
“But you do not want to come to me to have life.”

Jesus promises us the “abundant life” but are we choosing it? Our society claims the “abundant life” is about accumulating possessions, power and prestige. Jesus says it’s about “dying” to these desires for when you “lose your life” (let go of worldly success) in choosing to follow Christ you will paradoxically find real life (your true self and inner peace). (See Matthew 16:25.)
Psalm 106:19-20 states, “At Horeb they fashioned a calf, worshiped a metal statue. They exchanged their glorious God for the image of a grass-eating bull.” Lord, what idol am I worshiping in place of You? Am I trying to please You…or others…or my ego?

Suggested song of the day—“Listen to Your Heart” on the Listen to Your Heart album.
All songs available on iTunes. Click on the link under blogroll to the right.
CDs available by clicking on the “music” tab.
Have a blessed day!

John 5:30
“I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”

The other night I had a bizarre dream. I was among a few people taking part in some type of class outside in which we were taking turns reading what God was saying to us in all the surrounding scenery. I remember I was simply reading the scenery as if words were somehow communicated in each thing. I don’t remember much but I do remember that I was reading a frayed rope…and I awoke with these words still clear in my mind: “But in the moment do not be thinking of yourself…” The rest trailed away. In centering prayer we simply sit in silence and surrender each moment…allowing our egos to fade away. It is practicing “dying to yourself” and allowing God’s will to take over. While Jesus was the master at this…we will need plenty of practice! How about starting…in this moment?

Suggested song of the day—“Breathe On Me” on the Listen to Your Heart album.
All songs available on iTunes. Click on the link under blogroll to the right.
CDs available by clicking the “music” tab.
Have a blessed day!

Psalm 46:2
God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress.

If you’re like me you call on God almost automatically when confronted with trouble. I remember vividly the phone call from the hospital in the middle of the night several years ago with a voice telling me that my father was dying and that I needed to come immediately. I remember driving down the highway the short distance to the hospital invoking God’s name over and over to be with my dad. I was totally focused on the present moment…which seems to be the case when we are ever confronted by such a distressing situation. I had no doubt that God was indeed with my dad…my mom who was at his bedside…and me. God is always as keenly present to us…if we’d only awaken fully to the sacred now.

Suggested song of the day—“I Will Give You Rest” on the Live to Love album.
All songs available on itunes. Click on the link under blogroll to the right.
CDs available by clicking on the “music” tab.
Have a blessed day!

Romans 4:13
It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith.

God promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations not due to his earning anything by his own works (carrying out the “law”) but through his faith in God. God’s promise is a gift. All we need is faith…being totally accepting of God’s will…and we will open ourselves to God’s never-ending flow of love. Just carrying out the law is a good start on the spiritual journey…but faith in the risen Christ is what “saves” us. Have you ever noticed that Jesus never made following the law a requirement for being with Him or condition of whether He would heal someone? Following Jesus’ example of love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion is what will lead us to completion, wholeness and the fullness of life now and forever.

Suggested song of the day—“I Surrender” on the Live to Love album.
All songs available on iTunes. Click on the link under blogroll to the right.
CDs available by clicking on the “music” tab.
Have a blessed day!

Mark 12:34
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

Jesus made this statement to a religious leader who had just agreed with Jesus when He had told a group of them the two greatest commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). If we worked on both of these commandments the process would be a moment by moment continuous endeavor. In each moment we would be allowing our egos to be put aside (dying to ourselves) so that God could lead us and Christ could fill us. When we are in this flow we truly are “not far from the kingdom of God.”

Suggested song of the day—“Love God” on the Live to Love album.
All songs available on iTunes. Click on the link under blogroll to the right.
Have a blessed day!