The River of LIFE! April 28 Notes from Papa via Paul Gray ~
To My highly favored and most wonderful child, on whom I continually lavish all My blessings,
I want you to picture two scenarios. Both involve the Mississippi River. Picture yourself floating peacefully in a nice canoe starting at the headwaters in northern Minnesota. I am the river and My current gently carries you along. As the current carries you along, you occasionally see a sign that says “Grace” and an arrow continuing to point you downstream.
I provide everything you need for your trip to the Gulf of Mexico. When you need drinking water, I steer you to clear little pools in beautiful coves. When you need shade, I park you under trees or cliffs. When you need food, I take you to trees overhanging the river that are filled with a variety of luscious fruit. Occasionally I even have fish jump up out of the water and into your canoe!
I provide little islands with dry firewood and provisions for everything you need. I protect you. I talk all the time and I tell you how much I love you, how proud I am of you and how you can trust Me and depend on Me to provide for you tomorrow just like I did yesterday.
From time to time I orchestrate meetings for you with other children of mine who are also on My great journey and you have wonderful community with them. I give you brilliant sunrises, sunsets, breath-taking cloud formations and stunning scenery. You just rest, relax, trust Me and enjoy the life I have given you.
Now, the second scenario: You are on your own make-shift raft in New Orleans, paddling for all you’re worth going against the current… trying to get to Me! Often you see signs saying “work” with arrow pointing upstream against the current. You work hard and are proud when you make it further each day than other groups that obviously don’t work as hard.
Some days you’re proud of your raft and judge other people’s rafts as inferior. Other days you see nicer rafts than yours and you believe I must be disappointed in your little effort at raft-making and paddling. You believe the lie that I’m at the headwaters in Minnesota and that your life is a constant struggle to somehow reach Me by your own efforts.
You work and struggle and it’s very hard. You see others resting in My canoes and laughing, enjoying and going with My current. You judge them and think they are misled and following a path that is too easy. You think they will be greatly disappointed when they get to the Gulf because you think I will punish them for not working hard enough to please Me.
You encounter others who are going the same way you are… countless others… all working, striving and trying. Some are clustered in groups, paddling exactly the same way, saying the same things, singing and talking about how “god” will bless them when they finally get to the promised land in Minnesota.
They look at other clusters of rafts who are different from them and judge and condemn them and say, “They aren’t doing it right.” They will never get there. Only our group is doing it right.
Every once in a while someone will leave a cluster to paddle over to join a different cluster and try their way. Then they condemn and bad-mouth the group they were previously in. They say that “god” is good because “he” is helping them and against the other groups. But the “god” they “worship” is not Me!
All those working hard to go upstream avoid those who are resting, trusting Me and gently floating in My current. They think what they are doing is too easy and just not right because they have always been told it’s too easy and just not right or fair to not have to work hard.
Day after day they work, strive and repair their rafts and they try to make their rafts bigger, better and easier to navigate. A few of them get the majority of their people to paddle for them while they tell them how to work harder to get closer to their “god”
Can you see that I am the river of living water… the river of life… that is always flowing, always carrying you along, always providing? Everyone is already on My River of Life! When you believe Me, trust Me, relax, rest and let Me carry you along, then your life is peaceful and full of joy and enjoyment.
You enjoy Me and the others whom I bring in your life knowing that I’m in charge, I’m doing everything and they are all in My great river of life. Each day you listen to Me, do what I ask you to do, say what I ask you to say and you have great joy knowing that it’s all Me and My doing.
You tell those working hard and paddling against My current the truth about Me and My way and My life… My living water, My river of life. Most resist and don’t believe you… but occasionally some hear and respond and they join you in resting, trusting and enjoying- and you celebrate Me and My life together.
You no longer worry about rules and regulations and “right belief” about god and how to gain and maintain a way to make progress going upstream. You give all that up and trust Me and let Me carry you along and experience My abundant life!
These are two very different ways to live. I’m so happy for you when you go with My flow!
~Love, Papa