Today, Thursday, March 17, is day number eight in the Lenten season. Lent is the period of time during which we can prepare ourselves for the Easter experience.
 

Assignment 8
 
It may come to your mind to inquire about the present world crisis. What are we doing about it? There has always been a world crisis because man believes in the power of the outer manifestation. Man believes solely in the evidence of the senses, especially of the sight and of what he can understand and what is apparent.
 
“Apparent,” Webster’s dictionary says, is “appearing as actual to the eye or mind distinguished from, but not necessarily opposed to the actual, true or real; it is the seeming.” We are instructed in the Scripture, “Look not to appearances, judge righteous judgment.”
 
We have worked in the outer realm of appearances and been unaware of the controlling Power. We have not even been aware of our own involvement. We are co-creators with God but we might say, “without portfolio,” for we are without the at-one-ness. We are using the mighty Power without understanding.
 
The great commandment is, “Find wisdom, get understanding: Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom.” (Proverbs 4:5 and 7) And we are further told, “The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God. Therefore let no man glory in men.” (I Corinthians 3:19)
 
We believe that we must find the cause of all “world crises” since the beginning of time! We find this answer: In man’s ignorance of God, in his unawareness of his true self, he has not found wisdom.
 
Wisdom is in his inner parts. It is a knowing. It is an inner impression that cannot be shaken. Perhaps conscience, in its true meaning which is “inmost thought or sense?” is our greatest wisdom. But man has reasoned himself out of conscience and inner wisdom and run the gamut of the intellect and theory and made a world in which he himself can no longer live with respect and honor. Man is lost in his own machinations.
 
Jeremiah 2:13 states it clearly: “My people have committed two evils, they have forsaken the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” We must know the Truth of our real Source and return by daily acceptance to this true self. We must return to the “Fountain of Living Waters.”
 
(This series of Lenten messages was first developed by Unity minister Dr. Sue Sikking, founder of Unity-by-the-Sea, Santa Monica, California, author of God Always Says Yes and Seed of the New Age.)
 
 
God is Blessing You, Right Now!
 
Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham
 
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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-nine years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions, at www.spiritualsolutionsblog.com

To subscribe for free weekday inspirational quotes, Rich Words, go to www.alanrowbotham.com

Feel free to share this article in its entirety with a friend.

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Today, Friday, March 11, is the third day of Lent. Lent is a time of preparation for the Easter experience.

I like to think of the word “Lent” in the form of the acrostics:

“Lessening Every Negative Thought”
and
“Loving Each New Today”

Assignment 3

“God is Spirit.” (Jesus) Spirit means to breathe – which is Life.

I remember years ago, when Kathryn and I were attending a conference at Unity Village, Kathryn became ill and had to stay in her room. One of our Unity ministers brought her some chicken soup, and another of our Unity ministers, John Tant, came to see her and to pray for her. He said for her to affirm over and over, “With every breath I breathe, I breathe the breath of God, I breathe the breath of Life.” It worked, and Kathryn recovered quickly. This is something you can do also to help yourself when you are not feeling well.

God is the life in the body now. Life is an involuntary action. When we interfere with the breathing process or cut off the flow of blood to any part of the body we endanger life. When we give ourselves to Life within we are restored. Whenever we suffer any kind of unpleasant, troublesome, painful feeling, we have ignorantly thwarted Life. Life itself will put it right if we cooperate with this Power and give up our pathetic blunder of trying to live “on our own.”

We try to live life, to force life, to have our way or to do what others expect of us. We cheat ourselves out of life because we are afraid to trust Life! Life is God, the law and power of our being. The inner Life is called the “voice of the Lord.” “Take fast hold of instructions; let her not go; keep her, for she is thy life.” (Proverbs 4:13)

The power within breathes in us, causes the heart to beat and carries forth all functions for the sustaining of the body. We follow the instructions of Life: when we are hungry we eat, when we are tired we sleep. We love and share because we are instructed from within. If we do not follow inner guidance we are sick, poor, and unhappy. Our great sin is to follow what man thinks from outer judgment instead of listening to our own God-given directions. “The wisdom of man is foolishness with God.” (I Corinthians 3:19)

Let us close our eyes, laying aside in our mind all conditions, other people’s opinions, prejudices or beliefs. Let us put aside our own fears, tremblings or beliefs in our own inadequacy. Ask yourself, “What does the inner desire, the longing of my soul insist is mine? Why do I not have it?” Because you do not Feel it as your own! 

You cannot have what you will not Feel. Life is Feeling and feeling is experiencing! Feel as if you held, possessed and were filled with the thing needful. “Ask believing as if you had already received.” We must live every moment with the awareness that God is Life and we are God Living.

(This series of Lenten messages was first developed by Unity minister Dr. Sue Sikking, founder of Unity-by-the-Sea, Santa Monica, California, author of God Always Says Yes and Seed of the New Age.)

God is Blessing You, Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

——————————————————————–
Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-nine years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions, at www.spiritualsolutionsblog.com

To subscribe for free weekday inspirational quotes, Rich Words, go to www.alanrowbotham.com.

Feel free to share this article in its entirety with a friend.
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If there is one thing we need more than anything else, it is light – light in terms of insight into self, guidance along life’s way, knowledge of the secrets of the universe, and the wisdom to use it and not abuse it. The clearest thinkers the human race has produced have always seen the course of their lives as the quest for light.

“Our great need is for light, which represents illumination, intelligence, wisdom. We can have no real comprehension of the Scriptures until we are aware that the Holy Spirit within us is decreeing light. . . . ‘Let there be light.’ . . . By this affirmation and acknowledgment we attune our minds to the Spirit of truth. Then wisdom scatters the darkness of limited human reason and supplants it with understanding.” - Elizabeth Sand Turner, foreword of Let There Be Light

“The Old Testament of our Bible tells us that the first step in creation is ‘Let there be light.’ This ‘light’ or radiant energy is the substance out of which everything in the universe is made; it is the ocean of energy, or God presence, in which we live and move and have our being, as St. Paul pointed out. Light is the substance or creative energy that God, the Creator, is constantly pouring into the universe, into every creature – it is the cosmic energy that not only makes, but runs creation. The Gospel of John points out that this light shines always and that even the darkness of man’s ignorance cannot put it out – it is always there, within the reach of each individual, ready for his acceptance and greater expression and experience of it. In a real sense, light is the essence of all – the radiation of God, the Creator, and the substance of man, the creature.” – J. Sig Paulson, Your Power To Be

Light is the reality of God in all creation. It is the reality of our own potential. All overcoming, all healing, all self-expression, is the inevitable effect of the dawning of light within and its pouring out into expression. It is of this that Isaiah speaks, “Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily.” (Is. 58:8)

As the Bible talks about it, and perhaps as science talks about it, light is a transcendent thing, an everywhere present reality. Cells appear to have an innate glow of light. The whole body gives off a kind of light or “aura” which some persons and certain instrumentation can see. Light, then, may well be the one great reality of things, beyond appearances. When you are consciously in the flow of life, there is an effusion of light that manifests as understanding, as guidance, as creativity.

But it is not something that God “out there” sends to you. It is, rather, an expanded awareness of the “true light” in the Presence of God that is present in you and as you. It is the illuminating principle in man, the Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is a moment of oneness, a feeling of being centered in God. Suddenly, there is a creative flow – “Let there be light.” So when Jesus says “Let your light shine,” he means let yourself be what you really are, or as Meister Eckhart puts it, “Let God be God in you.” You become an open channel to let the light flow as the reality of you.

We sometimes see the light of Christ, the love and joy and radiance, in the faces of people. Within the very nature of every person, there is a stored up substance of Christ which may be released to illumine the face and light the way. Paul says, “Stir up the gift of God which is in you.” Wasn’t this the true mission of Jesus, to help all people discover the light of Christ within themselves and to let it shine?

This really is the goal of all of us as we practice spiritual principles, to become a light-bearer, to stir up the gift of God within us and to let our light shine.

“The Christ within is always declaring, ‘I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ The first lesson in spiritual development to be learned is that everyone has within him the light of divine understanding. Those who do not recognize that they have this inner light are thinking intellectually instead of spiritually. The Christ light comes forth from God and all circumstances is aware of its source. It places all judgment in the Father, knowing that its light is from that source alone.” - Charles Fillmore, Mysteries of John

Let your light shine. And if you don’t feel like it, then get still for a few minutes or take a walk out of doors, get away from the commotion and the tension of things around you. Sit on a park bench, if you will, and reflect for a moment on the idea that you are a part of the tremendous, illuminating process of the universe, or as the wisdom came to George Washington in the early days of our country when he referred to it as “the little celestial spark of fire that a man may desecrate, but never quite lose.” It is within you. It is within us all. It is the light of Christ.

“When the mind is lifted up in meditation and prayer the whole body glows with spiritual light. . . .This spiritual light transcends in glory all the laws of matter and intellect.” – Charles Fillmore, Mysteries of John

Take a few moments now and perhaps follow this suggestion by J. Sig Paulson in his book, Your Power To Be:

”It will be helpful to take a few minutes to sit in a comfortable position, relax, close your eyes, and then speak the words, ‘Let there be light.’ Speak them audibly three times; then close your eyes and speak them silently. Now wait expectantly. Remember the words of Jesus: ‘You are the light of the world.’ . . . Do not try to force anything to happen. Let the light that is present in every area of your being reveal itself. And it will!

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-eight years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

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WISDOM

8th Day, Thursday. Read Matthew 7:1-12.

Wisdom is of Spirit. One can get flashes of understanding at any time, but the clear light of the Supreme shines steadily on us as we become obedient and receptive to the Supreme’s monitions. Jesus always listened for the “inner voice,” and was obedient to it in His meek and lowly work among the humblest class of men.

Spiritual discernment always places wisdom above the other faculties of mind. It is pure knowing, and comes by kindling the inner light. “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable.”

This means that as I call the righteous judge into action I may find my standards of right and wrong undergoing rapid changes, but if I hold steadily to the Lord as my supreme guide, I shall be led into all righteousness.

As I dwell upon this all-knowing faculty within, I become conscious of the Christ radiance lighting my mind, and my whole being is illumined. My thoughts are quickened through their conscious relationship to Spirit. I am flooded with new life, which raises my organism above the disintegrating thought currents of the earth; and thus I am not only redeeming my mind, but am also saving the flesh from corruption.

Spiritual understanding reveals that the resurrection of the body from death is not to be confined to Jesus, but is for all men who comprehend Truth and apply it as Jesus applied it.

Realizing that I am awakening to the reality of my higher self, I affirm: “Christ within me is my glory. The brightness of His presence wipes out all darkness, and I am filled with life and light.”

Questions:

1. Where does wisdom originate?

2. What is the difference between wisdom and understanding?

3. How do we become conscious of the Christ radiance?

4. What does spiritual understanding reveal?

The Christ light, the light of Truth, is shining at the heart of my being. My thoughts are illumined by the light of Spirit and my powers and capabilities are increased.

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

—————————————————–             

 Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-eight years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

 If you’d like to receive weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words.

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What do you most want?

You might say, “I want money, success, health, power, friends, and love, all of those things the average person wants. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I want. I want so many and such varied things.” Well, you are like most of us.

Deep down inside ourselves we all want to be useful, to contribute something to the general good, to be accepted, important. But our ideas of importance are so many-sided that they always seem to fail to materialize.

It’s not easy to stand at the beginning or at the middle of our careers and choose what is our calling, our special talent, our true vocation, the inner urge at which we can be great, and determine to follow that choice to its consummation. We feel suddenly helpless, confused, and uncertain; maybe fear a disastrous mistake. What we really want first, then, is some kind of guidance.

So what do we really want? Isn’t it the guidance of God, and how can we get it? Well, by realizing that it is a divine force within us, by accepting it, by tuning in on it. In the first chapter of James we read, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting .  .”

There is only one way to ask God for wisdom. It is the same way you ask electricity to give you light – by turning on the switch, by accepting it, by taking the time to be still and to listen, to let it happen, to surrender and trust.

Surely, if we know what we want and need, this is to have God’s guidance and the gifts of Himself as life, love, wisdom, and power, and nothing is too much for us to expect.

If you know what you want, you will be able to accomplish great things and you will have health of body, peace of mind, success, happiness and true fulfillment.

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!
Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham
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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-seven years, invites you to enjoy more articles and/or subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions or go directly to the Spiritual Solutions Blog

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