"And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."
And God leadeth us not into temptation but delivereth us from sin, disease, and death.
What a relief it is to know that God does not lead us into temptation, but just the opposite: He delivers us from evil - all evil! - including all sin, all disease, and even death.
What a relief it is to know that God does not dangle goodness - anything that is desirable - out in front of you just to cruelly snatch it way. God does not sucker you into wrong choices. He does not "wire" you to want what's bad for you, or make your heart's desire a sin, a sickness, or (especially) a death of your true nature.
"God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all." God has no dark intentions, no dark conflicted will for you, no dark malice, no dark humor laughing at your efforts to live and love. In Him is no darkness at all.
Yes. "God is Love." And as your Father-Mother, He creates in you a clean heart, a complete heart, a heart that beats steadily and constantly for Him. You are not cursed. You are not created as something dispicable, unworthy of love, undeserving of life, incapable of truth! God makes you in His own image and likeness, as His own reflection. The spiritual qualities you embody are reflections of Him. And He adds no sorrow with it.
Therefore, you have the divine right to reject any thought you might have of yourself as worthlessness. You have the divine right to reject every single suggestion of self-hate. God makes you to be His likeness, to live His Love, to love His Life, to be His Truth made manifest, to run with His Spirit, to live - not die! neither by age nor by 1000 cuts nor by suicide.
Wake up to see that self-love and self-hate are just positive and negative forms of egotism. It is not you. It is just a subtle suggestion that you are somehow separated from God. This "separateness" is easy to accept if you're not alert to it. It can feel good (the personal ego loves to be fed attention) but don't be duped! Egotism would love to control you, derail your life, silence your gifts, terminate your natural joy, destroy you. Don't let it! See egotism for what it is: always just a suggestion being presented to your thought. Refuse to accept it! It is your divine right to reject it! And instead, embrace your true status as God's image and likeness, a unique expression of His being. In fact you could say, you are God-being.
So don't hide under a bushel. Shine! Be the light of Light! This is your divine right and nothing can stop what God is making you to be.
"Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven."
Enable us to know, as in heaven, so on earth, God is omnipotent, supreme.
God enables you to know your perfect being, and He enables you to see it and be it.
Amen!
Showing posts with label God's image and likeness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's image and likeness. Show all posts
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
God's will done in you as it is done in Heaven
"Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Enable us to know, as in heaven, so on earth, God is omnipotent, supreme.
Enable us to know, as in Heaven so in us, God sees His omnipotent supreme will being done.
Right here where you are, you have the ability to see the universe as it really is, as under God's complete control, as all-harmonious, under God's perfect care and revealing. His will is done in earth - in your present state of consciousness - just as it is done in heaven - His state of consciousness, which yours reflects.
To the extent that you awaken to this, you experience God feeding your need of Love, forgiving all dreams of debt or lack or loneliness, leading you and delivering you from any nightmare of sin, sickness or death, revealing in you His kingdom, already present, already complete, already all-harmonious.So you see that this is not mind-over-matter, or even Mind-over-matter. It is an awakening to the fact that you are, in fact, completely spiritual! That you are actually already - here and now - God's perfect image and likeness, without a single material (i.e., limited / mortal) element.
This is how God knows you. This is how God sees you. This is how God creates you. And it is your divine right to know, see, and be His exact image and likeness. In fact, it is more than your divine right. It is your actual present state of being. And it is the actual present state of being for everyone and everything around you: your neighbor, your community, the world, the universe.
Mrs. Eddy put it this way: "Jesus beheld in Science [just like God does], the perfect man where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man, the Saviour saw God's own likeness [God actually being made manifest], and this correct view of man healed the sick [awoke the "sick" to their already-present perfection as God-being]."
And God's will leads us not into trials or temptation - dreams of sin, disease, death - but His omnipotent will always delivers us from every wilfull, uncomfortable, limited sense of ourselves. Because His kingdom is already come, and His kingdom is already "within you."
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Aspects of Reflection (Part 1)
"Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven."
Enable us to know, as in heaven, so on earth, God is omnipotent, supreme.
Isn't a mirror a good metaphor for God's will being done in earth as it is in heaven?
Think about it: a mirror creates an exact image of what is before it. Spiritually speaking then, you (as God's image and likeness) are an exact spiritual reflection of God. That means God's will - His purpose, His desire, His mandate - is mirrored in you, reflected in you, by you, as you.
Mrs. Eddy says this:
"Your mirrored reflection is your own image or likeness. If you lift a weight, your reflection does this also. If you speak, the lips of this likeness move in accord with yours. Now compare man before the mirror to his divine Principle, God. Call the mirror divine Science, and call man the reflection. Then note how true, according to Christian Science, is the reflection to its original. As the reflection of yourself appears in the mirror, so you, being spiritual, are the reflection of God."
"...so you, being spiritual, are the reflection of God." God's will done in you as it is in heaven. God's desires awakening in you as they are already truly awake in heaven. God's perfect lovely qualities active as you, as the true heavenly you, as they are in heaven.
What would this feel like? what would your life look like? How would you feel, think, act, if you understood and accepted that, by reflection, God's will is really already yours? already active as your deepest spiritual yearning? already alive as your most natural native desire to live and help others live? to love and be loved?
But what if this "mirror" is dirty? What if it's covered in sin, sickness, and death? What if there's hatred, abuse, heridity, failure, guilt, dispair scratched on its surface?
Well, that's just it: it's only on the surface of the mirror. That "dirt" never touches God or His reflection. Just as if you had toothpaste on your bathroom mirror: that toothpaste never once touches you - or your reflection. It only appears to.
So just the same, if God is intact, then you - by reflection are also intact. If the mirror (the mental state) you're seeing your reflection in is material (limited to the perceptions of the physical senses and emotions) then you're looking at yourself through a dirty mirror. You are going to think that "toothpaste" is on you. You are going to think that something is horribly wrong with you. That you have immense amounts of work to do to become whole. That there might be a long recovery from "toothpaste-itis". That maybe you are unredeemable, scarred, fatally flawed, a lost cause.
But that is never the case. That is only the view you get when you think that the toothpaste on the mirror is actually you - and not seeing that you are actually perfectly fine, and that it's just the mirror (the mental state) that needs a little spiritual Windex.
... and isn't this also exactly the case when we look at those around us? when we see them as anything less than God's own likeness?
You already know that if you change your thinking - your perspective - you begin to see things (life, love, yourself, others) differently. If you walk up the hill, you see a wider view. So likewise, if you turn away from the tooth-pastey mirror and instead start looking at yourself and the world in the mirror of Divine Science - the divine understanding of God, the divine way God sees His creation, then your "mirror" (your thinking) goes "up" - it also gets a wider perspective. It sees beyond its previous limits. You begin to see yourself more clearly, more correctly, more according to God's perspective, God's point of view of you, God's view of the whole world. If you're honest, you will begin to see that, wow, you DO look just like how God made you and all creation: whole, spiritual, holy, loved! In short, the toothpastey view gets cleaned up.
Then comes the fun part: living from that higher, that more spiritual perspective. And practicing that keeps your mirror clean and your toothpaste on your toothbrush, where it belongs.
Enable us to know, as in heaven, so on earth, God - and God's perfect will and perfect viewpoint - is omnipotent, supreme.
Enable us to know, as in heaven, so on earth, God is omnipotent, supreme.
Isn't a mirror a good metaphor for God's will being done in earth as it is in heaven?
Think about it: a mirror creates an exact image of what is before it. Spiritually speaking then, you (as God's image and likeness) are an exact spiritual reflection of God. That means God's will - His purpose, His desire, His mandate - is mirrored in you, reflected in you, by you, as you.
Mrs. Eddy says this:
"Your mirrored reflection is your own image or likeness. If you lift a weight, your reflection does this also. If you speak, the lips of this likeness move in accord with yours. Now compare man before the mirror to his divine Principle, God. Call the mirror divine Science, and call man the reflection. Then note how true, according to Christian Science, is the reflection to its original. As the reflection of yourself appears in the mirror, so you, being spiritual, are the reflection of God."
"...so you, being spiritual, are the reflection of God." God's will done in you as it is in heaven. God's desires awakening in you as they are already truly awake in heaven. God's perfect lovely qualities active as you, as the true heavenly you, as they are in heaven.
What would this feel like? what would your life look like? How would you feel, think, act, if you understood and accepted that, by reflection, God's will is really already yours? already active as your deepest spiritual yearning? already alive as your most natural native desire to live and help others live? to love and be loved?
But what if this "mirror" is dirty? What if it's covered in sin, sickness, and death? What if there's hatred, abuse, heridity, failure, guilt, dispair scratched on its surface?
Well, that's just it: it's only on the surface of the mirror. That "dirt" never touches God or His reflection. Just as if you had toothpaste on your bathroom mirror: that toothpaste never once touches you - or your reflection. It only appears to.
So just the same, if God is intact, then you - by reflection are also intact. If the mirror (the mental state) you're seeing your reflection in is material (limited to the perceptions of the physical senses and emotions) then you're looking at yourself through a dirty mirror. You are going to think that "toothpaste" is on you. You are going to think that something is horribly wrong with you. That you have immense amounts of work to do to become whole. That there might be a long recovery from "toothpaste-itis". That maybe you are unredeemable, scarred, fatally flawed, a lost cause.
But that is never the case. That is only the view you get when you think that the toothpaste on the mirror is actually you - and not seeing that you are actually perfectly fine, and that it's just the mirror (the mental state) that needs a little spiritual Windex.
... and isn't this also exactly the case when we look at those around us? when we see them as anything less than God's own likeness?
You already know that if you change your thinking - your perspective - you begin to see things (life, love, yourself, others) differently. If you walk up the hill, you see a wider view. So likewise, if you turn away from the tooth-pastey mirror and instead start looking at yourself and the world in the mirror of Divine Science - the divine understanding of God, the divine way God sees His creation, then your "mirror" (your thinking) goes "up" - it also gets a wider perspective. It sees beyond its previous limits. You begin to see yourself more clearly, more correctly, more according to God's perspective, God's point of view of you, God's view of the whole world. If you're honest, you will begin to see that, wow, you DO look just like how God made you and all creation: whole, spiritual, holy, loved! In short, the toothpastey view gets cleaned up.
Then comes the fun part: living from that higher, that more spiritual perspective. And practicing that keeps your mirror clean and your toothpaste on your toothbrush, where it belongs.
Enable us to know, as in heaven, so on earth, God - and God's perfect will and perfect viewpoint - is omnipotent, supreme.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The Adorable One (part 2)
"Hallowed be Thy name."
Adorable One.
The Oneness of God is His power. There is no "other." No other god before Him, no other power, no other attraction, no other Ego. God is the One, and the only One to be adored - respected, loved, listened to, reflected, worshipped.
When you look in the mirror, what does your reflection look at? You. Only you. You could say that your reflection has 100% focus on you. It doesn't look away - in fact, it can't look away. It can't be distracted. It can't look at something or someone else unless you do. In a way, you could say of your reflection, that you are its adorable one.
So should God be able to say of you - if you are His reflection (and you are). And then since you are His reflection, its natural for you to focus on God, to listen to Him, to let His light shine in you and through you, reflecting Him as He is. This is how you hallow His name, His nature, because you focus completely on Him, you seek only to know and reflect Him, shine forth what you know and feel of Him. You then are adoring the One God, the Great I Am, the only I or Us.
And this Adorable One is conscious of you - and of everyone. He knows you by name. He loves you, deeply, perfectly, completely. When you feel and understand this, then you begin to feel and understand that "Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present." Everpresent where? In consciousness. Here, right where you are, right now.
Feel and understand this. Think about how naturally you want to live in accordance with Love's all-harmonious nature. Feel this as your authentic being. Know that this enables you to comprehend that "as in Heaven, so on earth, God is omnipotent, supreme." This is a communion that awakens you to your unity with God, divine Love, that gives you grace for today, feeds your famished affections - and enables you to feed the famished affections of everyone around you. This is Love being reflected in love, Love forgiving you of all your so-called mortal history, all those heavy debts of false beliefs about yourself and others, all those temptations to think that you are "special" and separate. Love's forgiveness awakens you to what's already always true, delivering you from the so-called duality of good and evil, the Adam dream of wilfull, ignorant, or even seemingly fatal mistakes.
How? because our Adorable God is One. He delivers us. How? Because He is the only real power there is. And our Father-Mother God is the only presence there is, the only substance, the only intelligence there is - the only Life, Truth, Love, the only glorious All.
And He is focused on, reflecting on, you. You are His image, His likeness, His reflection, His precious child.
Hallowed be Thy name, dear Father-Mother God. You are the Adorable One.
Adorable One.
The Oneness of God is His power. There is no "other." No other god before Him, no other power, no other attraction, no other Ego. God is the One, and the only One to be adored - respected, loved, listened to, reflected, worshipped.
When you look in the mirror, what does your reflection look at? You. Only you. You could say that your reflection has 100% focus on you. It doesn't look away - in fact, it can't look away. It can't be distracted. It can't look at something or someone else unless you do. In a way, you could say of your reflection, that you are its adorable one.
So should God be able to say of you - if you are His reflection (and you are). And then since you are His reflection, its natural for you to focus on God, to listen to Him, to let His light shine in you and through you, reflecting Him as He is. This is how you hallow His name, His nature, because you focus completely on Him, you seek only to know and reflect Him, shine forth what you know and feel of Him. You then are adoring the One God, the Great I Am, the only I or Us.
And this Adorable One is conscious of you - and of everyone. He knows you by name. He loves you, deeply, perfectly, completely. When you feel and understand this, then you begin to feel and understand that "Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present." Everpresent where? In consciousness. Here, right where you are, right now.
Feel and understand this. Think about how naturally you want to live in accordance with Love's all-harmonious nature. Feel this as your authentic being. Know that this enables you to comprehend that "as in Heaven, so on earth, God is omnipotent, supreme." This is a communion that awakens you to your unity with God, divine Love, that gives you grace for today, feeds your famished affections - and enables you to feed the famished affections of everyone around you. This is Love being reflected in love, Love forgiving you of all your so-called mortal history, all those heavy debts of false beliefs about yourself and others, all those temptations to think that you are "special" and separate. Love's forgiveness awakens you to what's already always true, delivering you from the so-called duality of good and evil, the Adam dream of wilfull, ignorant, or even seemingly fatal mistakes.
How? because our Adorable God is One. He delivers us. How? Because He is the only real power there is. And our Father-Mother God is the only presence there is, the only substance, the only intelligence there is - the only Life, Truth, Love, the only glorious All.
And He is focused on, reflecting on, you. You are His image, His likeness, His reflection, His precious child.
Hallowed be Thy name, dear Father-Mother God. You are the Adorable One.
Monday, January 7, 2008
The 10 Promises
When Moses climbed Mount Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments, the Bible says that "...the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaks unto his friend..." (Ex 33:11). Imagine hearing God so clearly! Moses just lit up so powerfully brilliant and beautiful were his conversations with God.
In this gloriously inspired light Moses heard the 10 Commandments as God's own Word. And it is in this same gloriously inspired light that you should read and understand them.
If you do, you'll see that the 10 Commandments actually do more than tell you what to do - or not to do. They define your actual identity, your actual nature as God's image and likeness. The 10 Commandments are the original definition of the man and woman of God's creating. They don't require you to do anything but to live in complete alignment with your real being as God's perfect child. They are God's promises to you about who you really are.
Think about what it says in Genesis 1:27. God says "Let us make man after our image, after our likeness."
What does that mean? What would it be like, to “look” like God, infinite Spirit? What do you think you would be like if you lived and moved and breathed and acted like the actual mirror-image of Divine Love? – like the God Jesus' life defined as completely Good, as Truth and Life, as Love itself?
Does God kill? Does God steal? Does God covet? Does God commit adultery? If you're not sure, look at the life of Jesus for your answer, and that answer is No. So neither can you – when you honestly accept that you are His reflection and act accordingly. Then you’re obeying – living – your true nature as God made you. Then you are living – obeying – the Commandments. God's promise to you is "thou shalt not..." ever be anything unlike Him, because He made you in His wonderful beautiful likeness.
Sure it takes practice - a lifetime of practice - but that doesn't change the fact that the 10 Commandments are the only accurate definition of who you really are. They are God's promises to you about your true spiritual nature as His reflection, as His child. You are their meaning. Your life is their fulfilment.
Since the 10 Commandments are God's promises to you, it's natural for you to love them. It's natural for you to live them. They are your authentic God-like nature. They are your core being. And you can trust God to help you learn and live them authentically and completely.
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
"Hallowed be Thy name" - Thy nature - in me, as me.
Adorable One.
In this gloriously inspired light Moses heard the 10 Commandments as God's own Word. And it is in this same gloriously inspired light that you should read and understand them.
If you do, you'll see that the 10 Commandments actually do more than tell you what to do - or not to do. They define your actual identity, your actual nature as God's image and likeness. The 10 Commandments are the original definition of the man and woman of God's creating. They don't require you to do anything but to live in complete alignment with your real being as God's perfect child. They are God's promises to you about who you really are.
Think about what it says in Genesis 1:27. God says "Let us make man after our image, after our likeness."
What does that mean? What would it be like, to “look” like God, infinite Spirit? What do you think you would be like if you lived and moved and breathed and acted like the actual mirror-image of Divine Love? – like the God Jesus' life defined as completely Good, as Truth and Life, as Love itself?
Does God kill? Does God steal? Does God covet? Does God commit adultery? If you're not sure, look at the life of Jesus for your answer, and that answer is No. So neither can you – when you honestly accept that you are His reflection and act accordingly. Then you’re obeying – living – your true nature as God made you. Then you are living – obeying – the Commandments. God's promise to you is "thou shalt not..." ever be anything unlike Him, because He made you in His wonderful beautiful likeness.
Sure it takes practice - a lifetime of practice - but that doesn't change the fact that the 10 Commandments are the only accurate definition of who you really are. They are God's promises to you about your true spiritual nature as His reflection, as His child. You are their meaning. Your life is their fulfilment.
Since the 10 Commandments are God's promises to you, it's natural for you to love them. It's natural for you to live them. They are your authentic God-like nature. They are your core being. And you can trust God to help you learn and live them authentically and completely.
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
"Hallowed be Thy name" - Thy nature - in me, as me.
Adorable One.
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