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"I
have only to look, I have only to reach, I have only to taste, I have
only to feel, I have only to live - to know that the world is a work
more wonderful than anything I can imagine it to be, anything I do
imagine it to be! The wildest wonderment of all poets, dreamers,
inventors, speculators that have ever lived is as nothing compared to
the wonderment that is the world. The world is God's wonderment,
infinite intelligence compounding its infinity, the joy of eternity
delighting in itself."
- James
Dillet Freeman, Be!
Thanksgiving Day
will be observed this week in the United States and most of us know that
it is a day of recognizing what we have to be grateful for and giving
thanks for what we have received. A great deal has been written
about "gratitude" by spiritual and religious teachers and we
would have to be unconscious not to realize the value of taking the time
to reflect on what we are grateful for. I went to a seminar a few
years back and the presenter asked each person to make a list of 200
things they were grateful for. And there are those teachers who
suggest that we make daily lists of what we are grateful for; the good
that we have received and the good that we expect to receive. But,
gratitude alone does not develop a consciousness of abundance. And
for most of us, abundance is what we desire. That is, more than
just getting by or enough to meet our bills. We want a financial
surplus.
The Master Mind Jesus summarized
spiritual law regarding financial abundance in the following statements:
"For unto every one that hath shall be given, and they shall have
abundance: but from them that hath not shall be taken away even that
which they hath." ... "For unto whomsoever much is given, of
them shall be much required ..." ... "Give and be given
to."
We realize that in the first statement from the
Great Metaphysician, we are called to be grateful and to realize that we
"have" ... rather than focus on what we "have not."
But, he does not stop there, and further tells us that to whomsoever
much is given much is required. Complying with this "much is
required" shifts our consciousness to abundance, to the realization
that there is more available to us than just what we have received.
And in reality, Jesus is calling us to "reflect" the
God-consciousness within us. "Give and be given to" ...
expresses the activity of G-d in our personal experience. G-d is
the "giver" ... and if we want to experience more of God, or
the Good ... then we must become more like G-d, and give generously and
without fear of loss. It is this fear of "having less"
if we give, that keeps so many of us from attaining financial abundance.
We count our pennies while we lose the awareness of the abundance that
is awaiting our acceptance. Our subconscious will always
demonstrate in our experience our firmly held beliefs about abundance.
Let us all be grateful for realizing that what
we have today, is what we have accepted in our life up to this point.
But, today is a new day, and each and every one of us is capable of
demonstrating a greater financial blessing in our lives. Each of
us can multiply our blessings abundantly by gaining a sense of gratitude
for our " ability to give." Each of us has something to
give and this is not limited to money. We can feel this
"gratitude in giving" as we give food to the many "food
drives" that are taking place for the holidays. Or, by giving
clothes away that we no longer use or wear. Rather than create a
list of what we are grateful for, we should also include a list of what
we have given. Consciously recognizing what we have given, will heighten
our awareness of the abundance that is ours.
My great teacher, Dr. O. C. Smith, reminded us
often that we cannot "out-give God" ... all that we give will
come back to us, multiplied, because we are complying with a Law of G-d
that works independently of us. Where will it come from? We
don't have to know. We only have to know and believe that it does.
It is part of our true nature to give ... for it is an active expression
of God-in-the-midst-of-us. Our unwillingness to comply with the
Law, holds us firmly in the land of the "have-nots" ... and
that is where we will remain until we break the chains of doubt and lack
in our mind.
"The world is God's wonderment,
infinite intelligence compounding its infinity, the joy of eternity
delighting in itself," writes James Dillet Freeman. We are
part of this "wonderment" because we are here expressing G-d
as you and me. Let's be grateful for knowing that this is the
Truth for us. And as we feel a greater sense of this gratitude,
let's commit ourselves to multiplying our blessings abundantly.
Give and be given to ... let us be grateful that this is so.
AND
SO IT IS!
Keep
the faith!
Rev.
Dr. Henry Lee Bates
Visit Rev. Bates BLOG: Living
the Science of Mind
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