Chapter 7
{7:1} Judge not, that ye be not Your tendency to reject your experience
judged. results in repeating karmic lessons.
{7:2} For with what judgment ye You are in control of your experience
judge, ye shall be judged: and and understandings. When you ignore the
with what measure ye mete, it opportunities God has given you in res-
shall be measured to you again. ponse to your desires, you limit the
possibilities for your growth. (This is
what the story of Cain and Abel refers
to.)
{7:3} And why beholdest thou the When you blame the failure of your
mote that is in thy brother's eye, understanding on others, you lose the
but considerest not the beam that entire possibility of changing your
is in thine own eye? own perception.
In other words, when you blame other
people, you give up the power to change.
{7:4} Or how wilt thou say to thy How can you hope to control outer
brother, Let me pull out the mote aspects of your self, when you do
out of thine eye; and, behold, a not know your own identity as one with
beam [is] in thine own eye? the Father?
{7:5} Thou hypocrite, first cast When you develop your understanding of
out the beam out of thine own eye; the I Am principle and the laws, you
and then shalt thou see clearly to will then see the physical world as it
cast out the mote out of thy truly is, also.
brother's eye.
{7:6} Give not that which is holy Do not take your identity as spirit and
unto the dogs, neither cast ye bury it in ritual practices, nor take
your pearls before swine, lest your understandings and use them to
they trample them under their perpetuate your attachment to the earth.
feet, and turn again and rend you. This will lead only to greater confusion
and unhappiness.
{7:7} Ask, and it shall be given You have a personal relation with God.
you; seek, and ye shall find; Your mind operates according to strict
knock, and it shall be opened unto cause and effect according to your
you: attention, under universal law.
I think this verse is the greatest encouragement anywhere in the Bible. It
says that you are in total control of your spiritual development, your
physical health and wealth, and that God is eagerly waiting to help you as
soon as, as often as, and to the degree that you permit Him to.
{7:8} For every one that asketh Every intention that you unleash leads
receiveth; and he that seeketh through the natural development process
findeth; and to him that knocketh of mind, to definite, specific, and
it shall be opened. valuable results.
{7:9} Or what man is there of you, If you seek new opportunities to learn,
whom if his son ask bread, will he the superconscious will not just have
give him a stone? you repeat past understandings.
{7:10} Or if he ask a fish, will If you look for spiritual understanding,
he give him a serpent? you won't be lead to rationalization.
{7:11} If ye then, being evil, Even the outer mind, which does not
know how to give good gifts unto understand the laws completely,
your children, how much more shall operates according to cause and effect.
your Father which is in heaven The part of you that is totally self-
give good things to them that ask aware already, seeks to teach the rest
him? that awareness.
{7:12} Therefore all things Whatever you want the effects to be,
whatsoever ye would that men make that your cause. Turn your love
should do to you, do ye even so to outward, so that you can experience
them: for this is the law and the its flow from within you. This is the
prophets. operation of universal principle, and
the true understanding of God's will
for you.
{7:13} Enter ye in at the strait You must develop your undivided
gate: for wide [is] the gate, and attention to experience unconditional
broad [is] the way, that leadeth love. Most aspects of yourself are
to destruction, and many there be never completely developed before
which go in thereat: they must be changed.
{7:14} Because strait [is] the Focusing your attention and developing
gate, and narrow [is] the way, your will leads to experiencing the
which leadeth unto life, and few inner levels of mind, and experiencing
there be that find it. more directly the will of the Father.
Few of the aspects of your awareness
are created with the goal of understand-
ing that awareness in itself.
{7:15} Beware of false prophets, Watch out for the tendency to take
which come to you in sheep's a physical or moral law, and present
clothing, but inwardly they are it as universal or spiritual truth.
ravening wolves.
{7:16} Ye shall know them by their You can tell because these ideas do not
fruits. Do men gather grapes of lead to greater love and understanding.
thorns, or figs of thistles? They do not suit your purpose (hands).
{7:17} Even so every good tree An idea that is nourished by spiritual
bringeth forth good fruit; but a law leads to greater understanding. An
corrupt tree bringeth forth evil intellectual idea leads to confusion or
fruit. indeterminate results.
{7:18} A good tree cannot bring Unconditional love cannot result in
forth evil fruit, neither [can] a jealousy or hate. Fear cannot lead to
corrupt tree bring forth good love or understanding.
fruit.
{7:19} Every tree that bringeth Ideas that cause confusion cannot be
not forth good fruit is hewn down, sustained. Sooner or later your mind
and cast into the fire. will reject them in its quest for
expansion and greater truth.
{7:20} Wherefore by their fruits You have the power to discrimiate,
ye shall know them. thanks to your Adam awareness.
{7:21} Not every one that saith You cannot be happy until you take
unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter personal responsibility for your
into the kingdom of heaven; but he thought and its effects.
that doeth the will of my Father
which is in heaven.
{7:22} Many will say to me in that "Doing the right thing" and following
day, Lord, Lord, have we not a spiritual formula seems to be the
prophesied in thy name? and in thy safe way to assure oneness within
name have cast out devils? and in yourself. Won't God have to love me
thy name done many wonderful then?
works?
{7:23} And then will I profess But you must take on the will and
unto them, I never knew you: authority of God, and do it as your
depart from me, ye that work own. Do not ask another to decide for
iniquity. you what is right and holy to do.
The only spiritual path that is right
for you is the one you make through
the wilderness.
{7:24} Therefore whosoever heareth Christ consciousness is constantly
these sayings of mine, and doeth calling you to oneness. Follow through
them, I will liken him unto a wise on your inner urge to be complete. A
man, which built his house upon a rational thought that is based on
rock: spiritual values leads to a mind
{7:25} And the rain descended, and that is not shaken by doubt in the face
the floods came, and the winds of unexpected circumstances.
blew, and beat upon that house;
and it fell not: for it was
founded upon a rock.
{7:26} And every one that heareth But awareness is action. You only do
these sayings of mine, and doeth what you truly believe, you only believe
them not, shall be likened unto a what you truly do. If you do not use
foolish man, which built his house your understandings and stick to them,
upon the sand:
{7:27} And the rain descended, and You will constantly question the very
the floods came, and the winds principles that you believe, and you
blew, and beat upon that house; will be unable to make any conscious
and it fell: and great was the decisions, or add any understandings to
fall of it. yourself.
{7:28} And it came to pass, when When you finally stop depending on
Jesus had ended these sayings, the other people, or even praying to "God
people were astonished at his out there", and turn to God within your
doctrine own mind, you will be amazed at the
truth and understanding within you.
It is then your responsibility to use
these understandings in every outward
thought and experience.
{7:29} For he taught them as [one] When you stop rejecting the authority
having authority, and not as the to change your life, you will be able
scribes to change your life.
You must learn to trust yourself. It is the only way you will ever trust
God. When something comes to you that is good for you, how will you know
what to do with it? Only by declaring your responsibilty for your situations,
and by following through with unconditional love for every aspect of your
self.