which Jesus enunciates, everything has been provided for. That is the first step. Many people believe that who dare not take the next step. If you If you believe the will of God that everything has been provided, that is literally universal in its care, then trust all, "dare all, nor be afraid." There is where the test comes. For that means giving up for the moment of that It is a venture. And here is which seems more sure. where we so often fail. We are not quite ready to "No believe, we doubt, we distrust. But note the clearcut character of the law as Jesus sets it forth. man can serve two masters." If any man would enjoy the benefits of the kingdom, let him take up his particular problem into the realm of oneness with God, and follow the Christ: let him leave all for the Christ. "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:37); yet he who is willing to make the test will find that he loves father or mother more. "Take no thought for the morrow." Trust that what you should say will be told you when you should say it. Do not even turn back to bury the past, leave that Seek not things first, but the Spirit. the hour of coming but the Father. He that doeth the will shall know the way, he who not only hears the precepts but practises the sayings. There are many occasions when a solution of our difficulties seems impossible. "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible." (Mark 10:27.) "They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever." (Psalms 125:1) to bury itself. No one knows Now we know what Jesus meant by saying, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Mark 8:34.) To deny one's self is to bring one's will into line with the Divine Will. Again it is clear why "If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all" (Mark 10:14). The " 'way, the truth, and the life," the pathway of the Christ, is to take one's entire being up into the mount of unity with the Spirit, then to follow wherever the Spirit leads. First, cleanse yourself, be, reconciled with those who are near at hand, then shall you see clearly what lies beyond. "A good man out of the treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things," but he must first find the pure "heart." The will of God has meaning for all, therefore each must find the will for himself. The Christ is universal, but each must be a Christ-soul to make this actually true in the objective world. This is the great meaning for you and me. It has been thought sufficient that Jesus lived and suffered nineteen hundred years ago. But Jesus was the one who dared to make the venture, to show that he really meant and knew that "I and the Father are one." He exemplified the attitude in regard to the situation of his day. The test of belief in him is to adopt the same attitude towards the smallest as well as the greatest circumstances of our own life. There is no universal formula which may be applied to all cases, with the hope that form shall take the place of spirit. There is a general law, but we prove it only by seeing it as a particular law. For each individual is unique; therefore each must learn in a special sense that I and the Father are one." A PRAYER. [Copied from Lord Coleridge, 1737.] Almighty God, by Thy eternal word, my Creator, my Redeemer, and Preserver, who hast in Thy free goodness glorified me with the capability of knowing Thee, the One and only absolute Good, the eternal I AM, as the author of my being. With inward prostration of my will and affection, I adore Thy Infinite Majesty. To Thee, great omnipresent Spirit, whose mercy is over all Thy works, who now beholdest me, who hearest me, who hast formed my heart to seek and to trust in Thee; in the name of my Lord and Savior, I humbly command and commit my body, soul and spirit. - G. S. FEAR HATH TORMENT. [From a letter by J. Gilbert Murray to a student.] not only against fear, but for wisdom and understanding, for had we right understanding of our relationship to the whole universe, had we clear realization of our place in Being, it would be impossible for us to have fear. Yet as it is, fear is without doubt the most universal enemy the human family has to contend with. Although it has no place in the Divine economy, no place in the universe, it is simply a bugaboo which man through his mortal senses, or his mortal conception, has conjured up and made real. And as the Scripture statement, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he, "and also, "By thy words art thou justified and by thy words art thou condemned," are based in Truth, so by our fears the race fearwe have brought about the very conditions and dangers we have feared. We are told also, "God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." This proves fear not of Divine origin, not having a place in the universe of Good. You must see that the whole matter hinges upon our relationship to God, Life, the Universe; our realization of that relationship, and upon getting rid of the false beliefs, opinions and consequent acts of generations of misunderstanding of what Life and God really is, and what is our true place in Being (Life). We have believed ourselves poor, miserable worms of the dust, vile, weak and sinful, as well as subject, yea, almost abjectly subject to everything about and around us, both animate and inanimate the elements, the creatures, the sunshine, wind, rain, fogs, snow and cold. The Scripture also tells us, "Servants ye are to whom ye give yourselves servants to obey," and the race has certainly acted in a very servile manner toward pretty much all of its surroundings and environments, wholly ignoring the fact that man was given dominion over all things, and that thousands of years later it was declared, "Now are ye sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what ye shall be," proving that even at that day man had no clear conception of that which was his as a child of God, the Most High. Now, we have been reasoning and living from an altogether mistaken plane and premise; from that which does not exist, save in a disordered imagination. Let us for a moment lay aside all theology and theological teachings and reasonings, and answer to ourselves a few plain questions: Is God omnipotent, or is there some other and inferior power or being or thing, which is evil, and opposed to God, the Good, and which shares all power with Him, and also uses it against Him, and for evil purposes, for the purpose of subverting God's plans and desires? Is God omnipotent, the only Power, or All-Power? Next, are we children of God, created by Him in His likeness and image, living, moving and having being in Him? If God is Spirit, are we not then right now and always His spiritual children, or offspring? "Beloved, now are we sons of God," etc. We now are and always have been children of God, sons of God and daughters of the Most High, but, like the prodigal, we have wandered away from home, away from a spiritual consciousness and realization of our true nature and being, into a consciousness, or belief, of separateness; apartness from God and one another, This is the far country," and we have wasted our substance, our time, talents, strength, health and understanding in riotous living, in self-seeking pleasures and in fears and doubts and apprehensiveness; we have actually forgotten our spiritual birthright, our royal lineage and heritage, Yet, like an infant prince, heir apparent to the throne, who has been in infancy stolen by gypsies, and growing up to manhood with them, following them in all their vagrant wanderings, partaking of their poverty, ignorance and superstitions, he is still the child of a king, an heir to the throne, to all his father has; yet, so long as he does not know it, he is no better off than if he were in truth a gypsy. Now, we have never ceased to be children of God; that is impossible, no matter how ignorant or poor or wretched, or even degraded or wicked and criminal we may have been; God is still our Father and waits with infinite patience, tenderness and yearning to "run and meet us," even while we are yet a great way off. We have simply to awake, come to our senses, and say, "I will arise and go to my Father," and then do so, and immediately we are in the Father's presence; He has come to meet us, and if we are but faithful and stay close by Him, that is, keep ourselves in a spiritual state of mind, looking to Spirit, believing (with all our hearts) and trusting wholly to It, He will never leave nor forsake us. Indeed He never does leave nor forsake us, for even "while we are yet sinners," while yet in the "far country," even while we are still ignorant of our true relationship, He is close beside, and around, and within us; for God cannot get away from us nor we from Him, except in this false consciousness, this false belief of separateness, and this is unreal, for God is not only omnipresent, everywhere present, but is Omnipresence, the All-of-Presence, the very thing Itself. Does all of this seem mystical, unreal, figurative, a parable, etc.? It is parable, yet is also literal and exact truth. By study and meditation, with earnest desire to know the Truth, it will grow into your consciousness. Believe, believe, believe that the Truth is for you, and that no power can keep it from you nor hinder your understanding of it. Believe also that God (All-Wisdom, All-Knowledge) worketh within you to bring all these things to your knowledge. |