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"The
Scriptures say that we are to be known as followers of Christ by the
evidence of our love for one another, but we’re not (see John 13:35)."
- Pastor Ted Haggard
We can look back
at the past year and let the seemingly negative events of the world and
in our personal lives dictate to us our state of mind and become a part
of our consciousness ... or, we can look forward, onward and upward, to
the NEW that is ahead for us all. Our future experiences
are determined by our beliefs about not only our present but our
past. And it takes a great deal of "reasoning" sometimes
to know that everything that we have experienced in our world and our
personal lives ... is for our Good. Whether we choose to believe
that this is so or not ... it is the Truth nonetheless. The
Omnipresent Good that Is God, makes all things Good and in due time, we
will realize that this is so ... no matter what the situation, condition
or experience may have been ... or remains to be.
To have a positive future Christian
leaders will tell us to turn to Jesus, Muslim leaders will say give your
devotion to Mohammed and the Dalai Lama will say find a guru ... but as
we turn to anyone or anything but God, Infinite Spirit, we are putting
something or someone between us and the God that In-dwells us and this
will create a "separation" that will create even more
"separations" from our Good.
The Master Mind Jesus stated, "the
kingdom of heaven is within you" ... and for so many of us this is
a concept that is difficult to grasp ... not because it is complex ...
but because it is so simple ... so simple, that we believe that it is
too good to be true. We have been so indoctrinated to look for God, or
Good, outside of ourselves that we have lost our faith in the very thing
that "holds heaven's door open to us" ... and that is our own
spark of the Divine that is within us ... God in the midst of us ... in
the midst of our mind.
Nothing
can disturb you but your own thoughts. The suggestions, statements, or
threats of other persons have no power. The power is within you, and
when your thoughts are focused on that which is good, then God's power
is with your thoughts of good. There is only one Creative Power, and It
moves as harmony. There are no divisions or quarrels in it. Its source
is Love. This is why God's power is with your thoughts of good. - Dr.
Joseph Murphy
To think thoughts of Good is powerful ... it is a mental act of
faith that stirs up the Spirit within us. We are here to express
God's Great-ness, Love, Joy, Abundance and Peace ... every Good thing we
accept for ourselves is a greater acceptance of the Presence of God in
our lives. "It is the Father's good pleasure to give to
you" ... and it is our good pleasure and responsibility to accept
more and more Good in all things that concern us. God,
Infinite Good, is in and through every Good thing ... every Good
experience ... we can imagine for ourselves. There is no joy or
happiness in limiting the expression of God in our lives. God is
not a god of limitation but a God of abundance and infinite
possibilities. We know this and now is the time to begin to
demonstrate this in our lives.
Unlike religion, this philosophy does not give
us dogma to live by ... it is not about reward and punishment or guilt
and shame ... it is about living to the Principle that All Is God and
All Is Good ... and since it is All-Good, let us expect to experience
the fullest and greatest expression of Life possible in this New
Year. It all begins with understanding that we are to love God and
love our neighbor as our self ... in other words, love "Cause"
and love "effect" ... and to the measure that we love both ...
our Good will increase accordingly.
Whatever it is that we
believe separates us from our Good ... let's heal it beginning right now
by knowing and accepting that our Good surrounds us, flows through us
and we are One with it ... now. And on the Un-seen side of Life
this is the Truth and as we "know the Truth" ... we will set
ourselves free from limitation, delay and anything else that may
separate us or hinder us from experiencing the Good that we desire to
experience. Our
consciousness will reflect the Indwelling Presence of Love within us and
our experiences will manifest as evidence that this is so … and it
will appear to be nothing-less-than heaven ... in 2007 and beyond!
AND SO IT IS!
Keep
the faith!
Rev. Hank
Bates
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