Don’t let selfishness cloud your prosperity of abundance

I’ve observed several times when lottery ticket buyers in California and other states were asked what are you going to do “if” you win millions of dollars? The majority of the answers were I’m gonna build a big house, buy cars for all family members, buy a recreational vehicle to travel all over America, pay off credit card debt, so on. To make it more amusing, many said they will keep working their current job. Looks like they can’t let go of their everyday job, that is grinding and taking up 40 hours per week. Other’s who made it big wealth wise (businessmen), want to acquire more, more and more. There is no end in sight. Nowadays, it’s not making of a millionaire, it’s a billionaire, with a B.

There is a conversation in our society that, about “very few” billion dollars will bring world hunger under control. its a wonderful thought and observation. How many times the TV and internet ads keep asking for donations to feed the children with their sad pictures to convey the message to the audience? I’m sure there are some millionaires and billionaires who are taking up the task to help out with the hunger cause. But, not enough. What does it take to move the majority of billionaires hearts to curtail world hunger? It’s their hearts and acknowledging God’s call for action.

We can easily pass judgement on the hungry or have-nots. God wants people to love and care for others. Those that have an enormous amount of wealth, what’s keeping them from moving forward to curb hunger? Maybe they are not touched from within. Acknowledging and reflecting the Infinite Intelligence or Energy or God or Lord in our daily life, and God’s purpose in our life is the way to touch those that are hungry. With love and understanding they can be reached. Many of these non-profit organizations don’t have to beg for money to care for the hungry. The money is already there in people who have amassed in vast quantity. Many of the working families and seniors, live month by month on their income. The inspiration to give must come from within, and that is God communicating from within. Pray to God, that the hungry gets fed each day.

Blessings,

Reverend Ernie Martin, The Reverend of Love, Las Vegas, Nevada

You are on God’s schedule

Ever notice how we go through life and somehow many of us long to have a prosperous, loving, healthy life? Or a fully successful career or business? So on. Nothing wrong to have such aspirations and dreams. Many of those dreams and aspirations may come in fruition. let’s understand you are a spirit with a human body for a finite amount of time. God has created you and you are on God’s schedule to live in this world. We never know when we leave this earth. God has a plan for each one of us. We are endowed and blessed with free will and have choices in life to make a better place to live and love each other.

I recall recently a friend made a transition. He was ill for a lengthy period. I visited him twice at his home and at a hospital. Prayed with him. A devotional man and praised God for keeping him alive and be of help to others in areas of health and well-being. Even though he faced pain and under medical treatment, he wanted to give information on caring for themselves, mostly elderly people as well as people who were ill at any age or had disabilities. He was quite an eloquent fellow whose hugs were heart-felt. His way of serving God was by his testimony of his life and sharing the information on safety for their health. God had a plan for Bob (Name changed).

Since in our physical life we are guided by ego and the peers around us (parents and relatives as well), to acquire abundance of wealth in the form of money or going astray in loving relationships, or getting addicted to long hours of work or business, we must look deep into our heart and ask ourselves whose plan are we on. When we acknowledge we are on God’s plan, we sure will see the light that shines inside of us and reach to others to help them when they are in need or facing challenges. Be good to yourself, and you will be good for others as well.

Blessings,

Reverend Ernie Martin, The Reverend of Love, Las Vegas, Nevada

Find a balance in a material world

 The first 18 years of my life I grew up in India in a Christian family and in a Methodist boarding school. And all the years in my adult life I have been living in USA. So, I grew up having less materialist “stuff” in India, and more “stuff” as I began my adult life in USA. I’ve found balancing materialism to my way of life is more healthier, peaceful and harmonious. We are operating from a free will and decisions making in our everyday life. We are blessed for these attributes given by God (or higher spirit or divine). What is more challenging is obsessing with possessions and getting addicted year after year. Somehow many of us lost the spiritual life that is in awareness of love and caring for others.

 Materialism does make many of us self-centered, but, there are also some who are caring of their loved ones and neighbors as well as those who do not have anything. The more materialistic we get, the less spiritual we become. I mean, keeping God at bay, leading to isolation, separateness from people who need help or support. When we are God centered, we do pray and meditate for others and their well-being. Don’t get me wrong about the rich people. There are some rich people who do care, but, there is still homelessness and hunger in our own society. Imagine a small group of multi-millionaires in each city pooled some money with an awareness of eliminating homelessness.

 We must pray for prosperity and abundance for our residents in our communities. Which means each person uses God’s attributes to use their skills, knowledge, decisions and faith, to better themselves. The more we reach out to others, God blesses us in various unexpected ways. We must learn to share. God or the divine spirit wants us to care for others in need in our communities and beyond our own country. There is true joy and happiness when we reach out to others.

Blessings,

Rev. Ernie Martin, The Reverend of Love, Las Vegas

You are abundant

 During holidays season, such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve, etc, many people are depressed or lonely especially among singles and couples with relationship problems. For somehow they are not happy with themselves. They can’t wait to get the holiday season quickly vanish and hoping for January to come as soon as possible. Realize that you and I are a miracle. We have been blessed abundantly with good health, loving family and developed friendships. Also, developed working relationships at work environments and at businesses. The key here is to be grateful and thankful for what we have. When we look around us, we are bombarded with materialism and wanting to keep up with neighbors and peers.

 Acknowledge God has given you energy, good health, loved ones and friends. We might want to have more of materialism because of our ego needs for fulfillment. The ego needs are short-lived. Have you ever thanked for air that you are breathing? Cheap water from the reservoir you are drinking to quench your thirst? 3 meals a day? A bed to sleep? Loved ones and friends around you? A car or bus to move around? You are blessed with abundant in your daily life and experiencing prosperity in your life. There are few who do not see the abundance in their life, such as the homeless or relationships gone bad. But, there are solutions to get back to normalcy and ask for them. Friends and even outside agencies are willing to help and guide the resource seeker for bettering their lives.

 When we acknowledge and recognize how we are blessed with abundant prosperity within us, we are experiencing harmony, happiness and peace. Do thank God for that state of existence and feeling. Once we recognize to enjoy what we already have, bless them and enjoy to the fullest. We have to think in terms of prosperous consciousness, not just wanting more to fulfill the ego, which is temporary. Take time to bless the abundance you enjoy everyday with joy and with a smile. Meditate and pray on abundance and thank God for your inner contentment. When you act and project your happiness, harmony and joy, others see you what an abundant life you’ve been living and experiencing.

Blessings,

Rev. Ernie Martin, The Reverend of Love, Las Vegas, Nevada

What do the holidays mean to you?

 As we look forward to holidays every year, such as Thanksgiving Day many personal issues come up. Issues as the significance of celebrating holidays is a personal matter and most of the nation celebrates the holiday. First of all remember what thanksgiving means. Thanks and then Giving. Are you grateful for having a healthy life? Are you appreciative and thankful of your family relationships and having wonderful friends in your life? Are you thankful for food, shelter, clothes and daily sustenance? Are you thankful for receiving income by means of a job or business or other means?

It’s time for introspection and sharing with family members and friends. Hopefully, the self-reflection being thankful shows and feels how your inner self is in contentment. In this blog, I minimize talking about holiday stress, even though it exists. The more we look holidays from a positive aspects,energy and spirituality, the more enlightened we become. The more we are enlightened and loving, the stress becomes less and less. Holidays must be treated as joy, fun, recreational, sharing, caring and feel a sense of fulfillment. Joy and sharing is a great healer.

 The other part with the thanksgiving is the “Giving” part. It’s about sharing with others. When we count our blessings, we are blessed with abundance in our everyday living. Abundance of prosperity in our lives keeps us in balance with “Thanks”. When we have a mindset of abundance and prosperity, we attract finances, excellent health, a giving and sharing attitude, thanking and praising God for our well-being. There is so much need in our own communities. Some people are desperate. They are facing challenges with food and money.  This is where compassion and caring comes in. Without judging others. It’s not beneficial to analyze and rationalize why people are poor or not working or not successful with their lives. People are poor for variety of reasons. It’s our choice and awareness to help those that are in need by way of sharing our bounty. It can be canned food, cash, clothing or even being a volunteer at a homeless shelter and help out a the tables. We do get inner contentment when we reach out to others.

 As we take the initiative to be thankful for what we have, and acknowledge that we are a miracle in this world, we begin to see how we are blessed. It’s not just materialism or large bank account or a big house or number of cars we drive. Sure money does help. It’s the holistic approach to life and how we interact with our loved ones and neighbors and those that are in need. We must balance holidays with “Thanks” and “Giving”. It’s great for the soul. Sharing is loving.

Blessings,

Rev. Ernie Martin, The Reverend of Love, Las Vegas

Where are you God? Are you there?

 I constantly come across with some people with a question(s) like ” Where are you God? Are you there”? There are some people who pray and meditate on a daily basis and communicate and listen to God for answers. And some of them are grateful for what they have and are blessed. There are also many who just are in despair, sad, anguished, impatient, irritant, and unhappy for not getting “wants or needs” fulfilled.

 Many of the spiritual belief systems do support prayers and meditations and to go within for answers. The scriptures in Bible says “Pray without ceasing”. Many Muslim devotees pray 5 times a day. Hindus and Buddhists meditate and pray. In Judaism, they pray at least 3 times a day or even more. There are several other belief systems that encourage meditation and silence. Even people that are non-religious spend quite time in awareness and in silence to quite their minds and seek answers from within and intuition.

 The challenge lies in experiencing the requests made. After praying, do your feet move for action? Have you started talking and sharing with others what you desire? Have you prayed and meditated with faith and believed its already done for you? Your intuition must be aligned what you desire and want to experience. Do you pray and meditate only when you have problems with finances, debts, ill-health, faulty relationships, unhappiness, etc? Many people turn to God and plead for help when things are desperate and don’t know where to turn. Take it from me: You are not going to find answers to your problems at the worship places or at some places of lectures who will preach “instant feel good” remedies. The answers and solutions are within you and must be implemented by way of taking action.

 God reveals answers and directions from within right where you are. God Is. God is All there is. God surrounds you. God is within you. There is something greater than we are, which sustains our lives, and that is infinite and unseen, some would call God, Lord, Almighty, Jesus Christ, Savior, Force, Energy, etc. In your self-awareness you will be noticing a “gut” feeling or “intuition” speaking from within to take action. The answer you seek is revealed. Believe and trust it. Ask, and it will be given to you. We all have a free will and choices to make in our lives. Make your choices wisely to experience joy, love, happiness, peace, harmony, abundance, prosperity, secured feeling, inner contentment and a sense of well-being.

Blessings,

Rev. Ernie Martin, The Reverend of Love, Las Vegas