GOD AND MAN ARE ONE

As students of science we start with a new concept of man, an idea which may be new to our thought, but which is eternal in Truth. As man understands that his true state, his eternal nature, is perfect since he is one with his perfect Source, he claims his own perfection as something innately his, implanted within him by the divine Mind, not something which he has earned or which comes to him from outside himself.

As his vision enlarges the perfect unity between the Divine and all mankind is revealed to the consciousness of man, He begins dimly at first, to glimpse the truth of his sonship; gradually he sees the everlasting nature of all things. The divine nature can never be lost for it is an eternal truth, and sooner or later everyone must awaken to its presence within him. Eventually each one will be able to say, “I am because God is, God is the reason or the cause of my being, the source of my existence. All that I am must be found in God, and most truly I cannot be something that my source is not. My source decides my nature. The stream is like the fountain from which it flows.”

Jesus was quoting from the Old Testament when he gave but two commandments: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” Deut. 6:5, and “…thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself…” Lev. 19:18. These commandments are fulfilled as man recognises the perfect nature in all creation. When we realise the oneness and divinity of Life in all things we sense a universal justice, strength, and harmony back of all creation which when understood will be expressed as love. Understanding that the whole of Truth must be found in infinite Mind, we have a standard by which to judge all things, a basis from which to reason of Truth.

We now turn from appearances and” judge righteous judgement”; we decide what is true from our knowledge of an omnipresent principle of Truth rather than from a personal opinion or feeling. Whatever God is, is Truth.

All Truth is eternal in nature; true love can never change; true understanding cannot fail; true life can never end. This is al true now. Conscious awareness of the Truth and the opening of our hearts and minds to the acceptance of the fullness within our own nature is our greatest need. All good, wisdom, strength, life, health, love are ours now. Let us accept them.

Begin each day with an acknowledgement of omnipresent Good. Think of yourself as a son of God. Think of your children, your friends, and all persons, not as they seem by observation, but as they are in God. Think of them as that which is, was and ever shall be; as that which thinks and knows; as that which the Expresser expresses perfectly.

Know that what is true of God is true of you and of them. From this standpoint you can intelligently master the problems of life. From this standpoint it is right for you to accept for yourself all thoughts and feelings of divine love, truth, knowledge, power, strength, health, happiness, success, and perfect harmony. By making this your daily practice you will partake of the free gift of eternal life, you will be remembering God the Good. Through this consciousness the healing of body and affairs takes place and Good is made manifest. End

From Divine Science Its Principles and Practiced: from the works of Malinda Elliot Cramer and Fannie Brooks James

GOD AND MAN ARE ONE

And God said; let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Genesis 1:26

In order to understand and accept the truth concerning the reality of good and the unreality of evil, it will be necessary to consider the source or beginning of all that is. In order to reason aright we determine the first and originating cause.

In the beginning God – God the Uncreate, the perfect Mind, the only Source, the omnipresent Principle, the eternal Spirit – created. All is contained within God, the perfect Mind, the cause of all that is, the source of all form. God, the Good, eternal and changeless; God, the beginning out of which were all things made which were made. “And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:31

Creation is the emanation of life and substance from the one original Source which can only be the infinite, omnipresent, eternal and changeless God. Creator being the Source is therefore the substance of the stream; as the tree is the source and substance of its branches and fruit; as the bay is one with the ocean of which it is an extension.

The emanation of the life and substance of God into creation must mean that the life and substance of creation is as perfect as that of the Creator, God Himself. The essence of all created things must, by logical reasoning, be eternal Spirit-Substance and the idea of each created form must be held within God-Mind in order to maintain existence. All creation is within the Creator, or Source, before coming into form, for in the Invisible is the eternal Idea of all that makes up creation, while in the visible is the expression or living form of Idea. Reason tells us that it is necessarily true that all living forms are included within Omnipresence, since Omnipresence embraces ALL within itself.

Creation is God in Self-manifestation. Divine Science explains the law and order of perfect God-Mind involving itself within creation, revealing itself in form as nature and mankind. “I am the beginning and the end, the first and the last. “ Rev 22:13. The universal Spirit, the only life and substance is the beginning, the source. That which emanates from this One is the end; it too is Spirit, for there is but one presence, one life, and one substance. Creation is Spirit. Everything begins and ends as Spirit. God is omnipresent Principle. The source and origin, that from which anything proceeds; the beginning, the first.” It is first cause wherein we find the true nature of all things. Then with God as our beginning our nature is decided by His.

Divine Science has taught these truths that Spirit and Substance are two aspects of the same reality, God. It has always taught that so-called matter is pure divine energy manifesting as form, repeatedly pointing out that Substance is Spirit, eternal and changeless in essence. The outward form may seem to change, but the inner form, which is God’s thought, remains eternally the same. “… whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever; nothing can be put to it, nor taken from it:…” Eccl. 3:14. All substance is one. All substance is pure, whole, and perfect. The visible universe is the Spirit of God in action. All is God and God in action.

Man then is eternally one with the infinite Source and in nature is the image and likeness of the Eternal as it expresses in living form. This is the truth of which Jesus was fully conscious for he declared, “I and my Father are one.” John10:30. There is but one source of all. God. Man is one with God, hence he is like God. That which begins in Spirit is Spirit to the end. Since all that is has its source in Spirit, we can confidently say, All is Spirit.” God and man cannot be separated. God is Spirit Universal and is expressed and manifest as living soul and body. Spirit contains within itself all souls and bodies before they are expressed, just as the vine holds branches and fruit within itself before they are expressed or pressed out.

All of man’s possibilities lie in the truth that he is divine as is his Creator with whom he is one. He is one with God whose nature is love, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, power, life and joy. These are known as inherencies of God, and they are attributes which man inherits by nature of his oneness with God. Man is one with God who is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient.

Concentrated thinking upon the broadness of this thought brings out some degree of God’s infinitude, some idea of the fullness that is all in all.

There is only one Mind, one Substance, one Source, one Presence, one Power, one Life – All Good.

Although Truth is omnipresent and changeless; although man lives, moves and has his being in God, the All Good; although he dwells in the kingdom of heaven, if he is conscious of it, he may go on his way lacking many things and losing the blessedness that IS his. “Heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ,” men may, through ignorance of the truth, be slaves of misery, doubt, and poverty. It is KNOWING the truth that makes man free. Man gives a sense of reality and power to evil when he fails to recognise that his source, his life, his very existence through time and eternity is God the Good. Truth must be recognised in order to be realised and to become a power in the lives of men.

Ignorance of the truth of his Being does not alter man’s true nature, for the REALITY of man never changes. Ignorance is the seeming great delusion of the world. It unknowingly takes this for what they are not; that is, takes the expression for the Expresser, the body for the source of Self, the brain for the source of Mind, the letter for the Spirit and, in general, causes a sense of disorder of disease.

To be continued…..


Source: Divine Science: Its Principles and Practice – from the works of Malinda Elliot Cramer and Fannie Brooks James

WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING... Final

Misunderstanding has brought untrue conclusions. God is not a person, ruling with a rod of iron, but the one unchanging Law of the Good which works ever and always for the Good of all. God does not punish man; -- his is one with Divine will, to work in harmony. Jesus, the greatest demonstrator of the law of the universal good the world has ever had, said: “I come to do the will of my Father.” He healed those who came to him. He was loving and kind to the sinner. He gave freedom to those in bondage to disease, fed the hungry, raised the dead, and taught the doctrine of comfort, peace, joy and understanding. He gave out the saving words of Truth, “I and my Father are one,” and “Ye are one with the Father even as I am one” (in substance)

If these things were true when Jesus was manifest on this plane then they are true today. When one’s understanding has realised the divine Truth that God’s will is unchangeable and immutably good then old conceptions will pass away, freedom will be manifested, and the past with it false teachings will dissolve into nothingness.

Jesus taught “Ask and ye shall receive.” In the stillness (silence) where nothing but the voice of wisdom is hear, where Spirit meets Spirit, seek understanding. “Pray in secret and your Heavenly Father will reward thee openly.” It is written “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him”

The Divine Will is the will of the higher self. It cannot make an error or lead into inharmony. How can you realize the Divine Will? By entertaining thoughts only of the good. Through living the higher self you will awaken to the Truth that Gods’ will is your will. The farther the thought is removed from the material plane, the more you realise your nearness to Infinite Wisdom. The more the thought is spiritualised, the more powerful it becomes. Let go of all beliefs that acknowledge any other power than God. This in itself will be a treatment of disease or illness you are harbouring. “To depart from evil (in thought) is to get understanding.” This, man does in the degree that he consecrates the personal will to the will of God and determines that no will shall be done in and through his life except it be born of Infinite Wisdom.

God would have us healthy, happy satisfied, free, here and now; but we must in every detail of our life be guided by Divine Wisdom, being careful not to allow the personal to take precedence. This has reference to the habit of wishing and longing for things we do not in the least need. We may get what we longed for, only to find it is not what we needed at all, and in the possession of it we will be limited instead of helped in our progress. Remember, we draw ourselves that which we desire.

Whatever inharmony comes into our lives is the result of a misunderstanding of the Creator’s plan. Jesus said to his disciples, “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send, he shall teach you all things, “ but this “Spirit of Truth” the world will not receive because of its ignorance, yet it dwelleth in you. It is the Spirit of Wisdom; a real presence. We know it as the “still, small voice and it can be depended upon to guide and direct us aright in everything from the smallest to the greatest affairs of life. This statement is being proved true by hundreds of people every day.

The burdens we bear are or our own making and are heavy or light in accordance as we obey or disobey the law. Jesus said, “My burdens are light.” Instead of wondering how our neighbours can do this thing or that, or letting our mind be bound by the incidents of our every-day life, or allowing our circumstances to determine our thinking; we should learn to follow the guidance of Omniscience. You question, “How shall I distinguish the voice of Wisdom from the voice of worldly wisdom”? While Elijah’s thoughts were in a tumult, whirling here and there so that his very being was shaken by their presence, he did not hear the voice; but in the stillness, after Divine Love had burned out (overcome) this inharmonious conditions, he heard Divine Wisdom speak, directing him, and giving assurance of protection. When you come to a place in your journey and know not which way to turn, go into the stillness, ask the Spirit of Wisdom to give you understanding on the problem that vexes you, and peace will come to your troubled soul. Ask earnestly and in faith, then expect your desire to be fulfilled. It may not come immediately; it will come with such an inner conviction of its truth that you will know what to do and what to say. This is Wisdom and Understanding.

All things are worthy of Divine guidance, not alone the great propositions of life, but everything, and in Truth the time is always present tense, the now. There is always a best way and that is keeping the law of All Good. Then whatever you undertake to do you should do it right and well. “Whatsoever they hand findeth to do, do it with thy might,” remembering, of myself I do nothing, the Father in me He doeth the works.” When you accept the highest, best word that comes to you in the silence, you are obeying the right impression. Man must hear, accept and obey the voice, if he would be divinely led and realise God’s Omnipresence. Man is too apt to want to have his own way, but if he obeys Spirit, he will find that all things work together for good. After you have learned obedience, learned to be satisfied, even when the way is not so clear as may be desire, be contented. Once you have submerged your will in the Divine Will you will have no regrets. “God’s will is my will,” I am satisfied,” are truths which if held persistently will bring peace and harmony.

The lesson of obedience to God’s love much be learned, and the sooner you overcome the habit of disobeying the voice the sooner you will find yourself on the high-road to health, happiness, and prosperity. Perfection consists in doing. “He is neither the greatest saint nor the wisest man, that knows the Truth most, but he that practices it.” In the silence, quietly, gently, positively affirm, “I hear only words of Wisdom; “I will obey.” “Divine Wisdom makes known to me only the highest Good.”

Having once put yourself into the care of the Almighty, do not turn back lest you will fail to reach that place of perfect security where Love and Wisdom reign supreme. “Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principle.” In a man’s self is his might. The great need of humanity is to understand God as He is; to realise the Omnipresence and Omnipotence of the All Good. It is written “If any one lacks Wisdom; let him ask of God.” “Before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear. “Every high desire of your heart will be filled full by Divine Wisdom; even as you think, the building is going on. All one need do is simply ask and he shall receive.

Worldly wisdom says there is both good and evil – and wise in its own conclusions endeavours to get rid of the evil by condemning it instead of overcoming it. You can never win the evil-doer to a higher life any other means than love; the seed-thought you would send another has its root within yourself. “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom and getteth understanding,” then will he remove his mental hands from his brother, thus helping him to break the chains of ignorance that are holding him down. Get Wisdom, get understanding, look for the good in every thing and every-body. The spirit of Divine Wisdom rests in the heart of each one of the Father’s sons; It fills men with sweetness, governs them with courage, and enlightens with excellence those who are subject to its direction.

Truths

“I am understanding.” “I hear only words of Wisdom.” “Divine Wisdom guides me and makes known to me only the highest good.” “I am one with the will of the Father.” “God’s will works only the good.” “Judge not that ye be not judged.” “Live the life of Truth and be a light to the world.”