|
Teach Us To Pray
Not Magic but Law
[<- Go back to Face to Face with God]
[Teach Us To Pray]
[Charles Fillmore's Works] [Unity on the Web Home Page]
I see myself as God sees me, strong, robust, healthy.
The Spirit of industry, energy, and honesty now stirs me to
action, and I am truly prosperous.
THERE IS AN idea quite prevalent in the public mind that we
teach a system of thought and word juggling; that anyone
anywhere can have any and every thing by merely repeating
over and over certain magic words. It is true that words
have magic in them and very often the result of the mental
imagery evoked by them is so startling as to suggest
Aladdin and his lamp. However a comprehension of the whole
philosophy reveals a well-balanced set of principles upon
which it rests. By being determined one can project an
isolated idea and gets results without conforming to the
accepted laws of human relationships. No one can use the
dynamic power of thought and word in unbalanced ways
without suffering undesirable reactions. To avoid this we
keep before our mind's eye the dominant existence of a
divine order and law to which
Page 87
we must conform if we are to attain enduring success. Jesus
taught that He was the executive of a spiritual principle
that was the source, the wisdom, and the power of
everything He did. He urged His followers to look to the
same inner power. "Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it
shall be opened unto you."
We who are striving to acquire an understanding of the
divine law and to apply it in our life as Jesus did in His
should set up the same intimate relation with the Father
that He did. "For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth
him all things that he himself doeth." We are all the
offspring of God and come into sonship when we acquaint
ourselves with His mind.
In the beginning of our existence as free, thinking
entities we had a certain consciousness of the Father-Mind,
but continued thinking of ourselves as independent of this
Mind has formed a gulf of apartness. We are prodigals in
the far country of sense life. Those of us who are
beginning to see how poor and bare this material life is
have turned our faces to the Father's house and are
mentally journeying home. It is not a question of
geographical locality but of mental recognition. "The
kingdom of God is within you," said Jesus. Seeking God
within changes our whole mental viewpoint. We find
ourselves right in the presence of creative Mind, and
seeking to co-operate with this Mind, we receive spiritual
inspiration and are guided in even the most minute details
of life.
Page 88
In the early stages of our spiritual awakening we realize
our dependence upon God for all that we are, and our
attitude is that of the humble, obedient child. Then
gradually there arises within us the consciousness of
sonship, the consciousness that God is the parent Mind and
that we inherit all the ideas constituting this mind. If we
inherit these creative ideas it logically follows that we
are to use them. This is where, as Jesus explained, the son
becomes the co-operator with the Father in creation. "For
as the Father hath life in himself, even so gave he to the
Son also to have life in himself: and he gave him authority
to execute judgment, because he is a son of man." The claim
that Jesus was the exclusive and only Son of God is here
refuted: "because he is a son of man." By divine right man
is the executive power of God-Mind, and he will never
fulfill the law of his being before he enters into the
realization of his dominion and authority in the realms of
mind and matter.
Thus we see that we are warranted in affirming our unity
with God and expecting the attributes of the perfect man to
appear. "Judge not according to appearance." Right in the
face of adverse appearances enter into God-Mind and see
yourself as He sees you, strong, robust, healthy. Jesus
said, "Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which
all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall
come forth." All those who believe in the inevitable
conquest of death are already in mental tombs, but when
they realize that Jesus walked out of the tomb
Page 89
and said, "Follow me," they are lifted into the heavens of
eternal life. Do not be afraid to go all the way with Jesus.
When the prodigal son returned, the father ran to meet him,
ordered the best robe to be put upon him, shoes on his
feet, a ring on his hands; and he provided a feast, with
merriment. Here is parabled the prosperity that ensues when
man returns to the consciousness of God as his resource. In
the world of affairs, industry, energy, and honesty are
expected of those who would succeed. These qualities have a
divine source and can be quickened and intensely energized
by attaching them to the dynamic mind of God. "Thou shalt
also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee."
Page 90
[Go forward to Spiritual Soul Therapy ->]
[Teach Us To Pray]
[Charles Fillmore's Works] [Unity on the Web Home Page]
|