Be Compassion

Posted on March 25, 2019 by billtonnis

The path of unconditional love is the path to freedom.

(Listen to my song “Make Me a Channel” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Psalm 40:7-9

Sacrifice and offering you do not want; you opened my ears. Holocaust and sin-offering you do not request; so I said, “See; I come with an inscribed scroll written upon me. I delight to do your will, my God.

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Jesus also expressed this sentiment when he said: “Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Matthew 9:13).

Of course, he was referring back to Hosea 6:6.

According to Jesus, God’s will is that we be merciful.

God doesn’t need your sacrifice unless that sacrifice is making you more merciful, compassionate and forgiving.

What are you being asked to let go of…as in sacrifice…so that you are freed up to show compassion in all that you do?

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Listen to the song of the day “Make Me a Channel” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Be Here

Posted on March 22, 2019 by billtonnis

Now is sacred to those who are awake.

(Listen to my song “Shall We Sing” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 21:43

“Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”

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The kingdom of God…or if you prefer, the realm of God, is present now.

Jesus put it this way: “Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he said in reply, “The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 17:20-21).

And the last part of his statement is sometimes translated, “the kingdom of God is within you.”

If you are not present to the Divine Presence…which is now…you will not experience it.

Therefore, it won’t be possible for you to produce the “fruit” of that kingdom.

That’s why we’re here.

We are here to work together to bring about a more loving, caring, forgiving and compassionate world.

It happens now…if you are awake.

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Listen to the song of the day “Shall We Sing” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Heart’s Desire

Posted on March 21, 2019 by billtonnis

Letting go leads to your most authentic life.

(Listen to my song “Listen to Your Heart” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Jeremiah 17:5

Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.

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Life is not about trying to please others.

It’s about trying to please your inner-most-self…your soul…or your true self.

That can only happen by following your heart.

That’s where God has planted your deepest desires.

It’s the place where your true self springs forth.

You are a unique manifestation of the Divine.

How will you express that divinity in the world?

Trying to satisfy all the yearnings of your body will not bring you deep happiness.

Sure…those pleasures can be a beautiful part of the human experience…but basing your life’s purpose on them will lead to emptiness.

What is your heart’s desire?

To know, it will take a lot of letting go…a lot of practice at setting aside thoughts and physical desires…so that your true self can emerge.

A meditative or contemplative practice will help immensely.

Follow your deepest soul yearnings…and if you aren’t sure what they are…start by simply following your interests.

Allow life to unfold…and perhaps you will one day live into the answer you’ve been yearning for.

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Listen to the song of the day “Listen to Your Heart” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Vocation

Posted on March 20, 2019 by billtonnis

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” – Frederick Buechner

(Listen to my song “Glorify You with Me” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 20:26

“Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant.”

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Jesus throws our culture’s ideology upside down.

Society says that the sign of success or greatness is when you are being served.

When you’re wealthy…people work for you. People serve you.

You’ve made it.

But not so in the kingdom of God.

Jesus tells us that in God’s eyes…the greatest is the one who serves.

Allow his words to settle in your soul.

Look deep inside.

What is your deepest gladness and how are you being called to experience it in serving others?

For me…my soul soars when I play guitar and sing in ministry, whether at retreats or visiting shut-ins, those in nursing homes, or inmates in jail.

What about you?

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Listen to the song of the day “Glorify You with Me” on the Give Praise and Thanks album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Rejoice

Posted on March 19, 2019 by billtonnis

We exist in a Never-Ending-Stream of Love.

(Listen to my song “How Wonderful to Me” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Psalm 89:2

The promises of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.

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God is faithful to us.

Without God…all things would cease to be.

God wills everything to be.

As St. Paul put it, “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

According to theologian Paul Tillich, God is “the ground being.”

And this “Ground of Being” is Love (1 John 4:8).

Each one of us is experiencing life in this beingness.

And the beautiful thing is…life has no end.

When our physical bodies die, our soul goes on.

We have been given eternal life.

Death is just a transformation to a deeper existence in God.

What can we do in response to this great and wonderful gift…but sing out in thanks and praise?

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Listen to the song of the day “How Wonderful to Me” on the Live to Love album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Christ-like

Posted on March 18, 2019 by billtonnis

May we be both just AND compassionate.

(Listen to my song “Mercy Reigns” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Luke 6:36

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

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How do you know that someone is a Christian?

I’m thinking the main criteria would be: Does that person remind you of Jesus?

In today’s scripture, we hear Jesus tell his followers quite clearly that they must be merciful…just like God.

Is the word “merciful” a description of the Christians you know?

Each of us first needs to ask that question of ourselves.

To even have the capacity to extend mercy…our hearts must be open to empathy.

Many times this only happens through receiving mercy from someone else.

By the way, being merciful doesn’t mean being a push-over.

It means standing for what is right but always tempering your stance with merciful and compassionate actions.

Trying to be merciful is a task that should keep each of us humble and kind the rest of our lives!

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Listen to the song of the day “Mercy Reigns” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Sacred Choice

Posted on March 15, 2019 by billtonnis

Will we be channels of love…or hate?

(Listen to my song “Make Me a Channel” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 5:22

“But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin.”

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In this scripture passage, Jesus said the commandment against killing also covers ridiculing another in anger.

He said you were guilty of this violation if you called someone Raqa…which was an Aramaic word likely equivalent to imbecile or blockhead.

So you see…Jesus makes it quite difficult for us to not break the commandment against killing.

Yet look at the level of incivility in language used today…especially on social media.

It seems Jesus has set an impossible standard.

Is that so we throw our hands up in futility and sink into endless guilt?

No…but it does call us to clean up our act.

And it’s also an invitation to accept the grace of God.

Forgiveness is always granted because God is Love (1 John 4:8).

But don’t think this makes life easy–far from it.

It calls each one of us to extend the same level of forgiveness to others so they also can experience the transforming compassion of God.

We are all in this together.

This is a team effort…not a bunch of individual personal salvation projects.

Go and be this message to all you encounter!

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Listen to the song of the day “Make Me a Channel” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Reflect Compassion

Posted on March 14, 2019 by billtonnis

One rule is all you need.

(Listen to my song “I Stand in the Light” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 7:12

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.”

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This, of course, is known as “The Golden Rule.”

In today’s scripture verse, Jesus stated the rule’s utmost importance in the way of life that he was proposing.

It is touted as such by many of the world’s religions.

So why does it seem so little practiced?

It states the truth that whatever you do to another…it is as though you are doing it to yourself.

That’s because the Source of Life, the Christ, is present in everyone.

We are all part of One body.

God’s light shines on all and in all.

Take some time to dwell on this.

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Listen to the song of the day “I Stand in the Light” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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New-Life-in-Progress

Posted on March 13, 2019 by billtonnis

Let go and let God.

(Listen to my song “Make Your Way” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Psalm 51:12

A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit.

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Renewal and growth require change.

This will mean letting go of something that is no longer life-giving.

It means moving on.

It’s like the change of seasons when dead leaves fall to provide nutrients for new sprouts to grow.

Death to life.

Spring is coming.

“See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the wilderness I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers” (Isaiah 43:19).

We are in the Flow of the paschal mystery of dying and rising…of constant renewal.

But we must be willing to let go…and let God.

“Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).

This is what is happening quite naturally all around us.

Love with a capital “L” is at work!

Why not consciously enter into this pattern of renewal now?

Human beings have the option to ignore this pattern…but eventually life will make it inevitable.

Freely choosing to go with the Flow leads to the discovery of your true self and true life.

The opposite is to live in delusion and death.

What is your choice?

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Listen to the song of the day “Make Your Way” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Contemplation

Posted on March 12, 2019 by billtonnis

Pure presence speaks volumes.

(Listen to my song “Slow Me Down” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Matthew 6:7-8

“In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

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This is a rather profound statement by Jesus about prayer.

His followers had just asked him to teach them how to pray.

The first thing Jesus said was that they should go to their inner room, close the door and pray to God in secret (Matthew 6:6).

So…given that he said that God already knows what you need, why not just simply commune with this Divine Presence who is Love (1 John 4:8)?

If you first emptied yourself (Philippians 2:7), then perhaps you would have space to receive the peace of God that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Practice this through meditation or contemplative prayer.

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Listen to the song of the day “Slow Me Down” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

Posted in God, inspiration, progressive Christianity, spirituality, Today's Contemplation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment