|
The Revealing Word
L
[<- Go back to K]
[The Revealing Word]
[Charles Fillmore's Works] [Unity on the Web Home Page]
lack--"Fact or state of being deficient or wanting"
(Webster). In the great Mind of Spirit there is no thought
of lack. Such a thought has no rightful place in man's
mind. Deny all thoughts of lack; affirm God's ever-present
abundance in all your affairs.
ladder, Jacob's--Represents the step-by-step realization by
means of which man assimilates the divine ideas of Truth
that come to him from Jehovah.
lamb--Represents innocent, guileless forms of life on the
animal plane of consciousness.
lamb, killed and eaten in the night--Represents the giving
up of the animal life propensity in the mortal body. The
command is that the lamb shall be without spot or blemish,
and be wholly eaten after being roasted with fire. This
refers to the complete transmutation and surrender of the
human life to Spirit after it has been purified by the
fires of regeneration.
Lamb of God--The pure life and substance of Being. By His
overcoming Jesus restored to mankind the consciousness of
this pure life and substance, which flows into man's
consciousness through the spiritual body. Its nature is to
vivify with perpetual life all things that it touches.
Jesus is called "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29).
language--An arbitrary arrangement of sounds used to
express thoughts. Thus the same thought in the minds of two
men may be beyond their power to communicate to each other
because they are not familiar with the intellect's
provincial dialect. If these men were conscious of the
mental plane where images are the basis of language, they
would have no trouble in communicating though they were
born of diverse races. The image of a horse in one mind
would be seen by the other mind instantly, and
communication be easy. The common language of mankind is
based
Page 117
on thought images. We shall never realize the universal
language that is the dream of the philologist until we have
dropped the arbitrary word plane and ascended into the
realm of thought images.
laver--Basin or bowl. The laver with water therein is the
word of denial ever at hand ready to cleanse every impure
thought that comes into consciousness.
law--The faculty of the mind that holds every thought and
act strictly to the Truth of Being, regardless of
circumstances or environment. Law is a mathematical
faculty. It places first things first.
Laws of mind are just as exact and undeviating as the laws
of mathematics. To recognize this is the starting point in
finding God.
Man does not make the law; the law is, and it was
established for our benefit before the world was formed.
Back of the judge is the law out of which he reads. Laws,
whether natural or artificial, are but the evidence of an
unseen power.
The development of man is under law. Creative mind is not
only law, but is governed by the action of the law that it
sets up. We have thought that man was brought forth under
the fiat or edict of the great creative Mind that can make
or unmake at will, or change its mind and declare a new law
at any time. But a clear understanding of ourselves and of
the unchangeableness of Divine Mind makes us realize that
everything has its foundation in a rule of action, a law,
that must be observed by both creator and created.
law, all-providing--God is the all-providing law. He is the
spiritual substance out of which is made everything the
race needs; the Father who supplies all His children
bountifully out of His own abundance.
God is Mind; man, the offspring of God, is mind. To know
the law of God, man must adjust his mind to God-Mind. The
first step in applying this law is recognition of
Page 118
it as Truth. Unless God is known as the source of all
supply, men look to the material world for support. This
violates the law and breaks the connection with the one
Source of all good.
law, divine--Divine law is the orderly working out of the
principles of Being, or the divine ideals, into expression
and manifestation throughout creation. Man, by keeping the
law of right thought, works in perfect harmony with divine
law, and thus paves his way into spiritual consciousness.
Divine law cannot be broken. It holds man responsible for
the result of his labors. It is revealed to the mind of man
through his consciously thinking on spiritual ideas.
The law that Moses laid down for the Children of Israel was
one of denial and affirmation, principally denial. The law
that Jesus gave was one of affirmation and love. So in
taking control of the forces within, keep on the
affirmative side. Let the preponderance of your thought be
positive, and do not spend much time saying, "I am not."
You may find it helpful sometimes to say, "I am not
afraid," but more often you should say, "I am bold,
fearless, courageous."
law, evolutionary--Upward trend of all things; in the
individual the rising of man from sense consciousness to
spiritual consciousness. This law is set into action by our
thinking and is continually supported by our thoughts.
law, generic--The law that operates in each group; that
from which anything springs; the germ seed that brings
forth after its kind.
law, mortal--The law of limitation that man has made for
himself.
law, natural--The law of seed, cultivation, and harvest
that natural man is subject to for the provision of his
wants.
law of attraction--The law that all conditions and
circumstances in affairs and body are attracted to us to
Page 119
accord with the thoughts we hold steadily in consciousness.
law of conservation--Building up a large reserve
consciousness of substance, life, strength, and power,
instead of laying up material treasures. This is done
through prayer.
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where
moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and
steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do
not break through nor steal" (Matt. 6:19, 20).
law of giving and receiving--The law of substance that
equalizes all things. To realize and maintain divine order,
substance must have both an inlet and an outlet in
consciousness, and must be kept moving.
To demonstrate substance as supply, the law governing it
must be recognized and kept. Those who, from pride or
ignorance, do not open themselves to the inflow of
substance do not demonstrate supply, and all who by
selfishness refuse it an outlet, also fail. Everyone must
receive freely and give as freely as he receives. Disregard
of the basic principle of supply frequently hinders man's
realization of the divine good. Readiness to give and
readiness to receive are equally essential.
law of infinite expansion--The principle of never-ceasing
growth and development toward the fulfillment of God's
perfect idea that is firmly fixed in all creation.
law of justice--Many persons doubt that there is an
infinite law of justice working in all things. Let them now
take heart and know that this law has not worked in their
affairs previously because they have not "called" it into
activity at the creative center of consciousness. (see
justice)
law of righteousness--The law of spiritual and mental
growth that is raising man from sense consciousness to
spiritual consciousness. The nature of the universe is
purity and goodness. By abiding in the Christ
consciousness, man
Page 120
aligns himself with this divine law. He becomes the "light
of the world" (Matt. 5: 14).
law of sin and death--A misnomer. Sin and death are
contrary to the law of love and life. They are false
beliefs endowed with power through man's erroneous
thinking. This seeming law can be transcended by
application of the higher and true law of immutable good.
Law is Truth, and in Truth all is good. There is no Truth
and no reality in sin.
law of thought purification--A rule of mind action whereby
man overcomes "the world, the flesh, and the devil" by
building the pure Christ consciousness.
law, transgression of--Thinking thoughts that violate the
principle of harmony inherent in Being. Such transgression
is followed by evil conditions. Through the strength,
power, purity, and love that Jesus imparted to the race
mind, we can rise superior to the penalty of transgressed
law and live forever in our present body forms made
glorious.
law written in our "inward parts"--A law either in or
around the cells, that controls their formation and
duplicates the pattern laid down ages ago in mother Eve and
father Adam. "I will put my law in their inward parts, and
in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people" (Jer. 31:33).
"Lazarus, come forth"--(John 11:43). This refers to the
power of the Word to arouse mind energy to such an extent
that the physical becomes immersed in the healing life,
enabling the spiritually perfect man to come into
manifestation.
leaven--The leaven is the Truth. "The kingdom of heaven is
like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three
measures of meal, till it was all leavened" (Matt. 13:33).
When a word of Truth seems to be hidden in the mind, it is
not idle but is quietly spreading from point to
Page 121
point. This process continues until the whole consciousness
is vitalized by Spirit.
"Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the
leaven of Herod" (Mark 8:15). In this case, the leaven
represents limited thoughts. When we attempt to confine the
divine law to the customary avenues of expression and scoff
at anything beyond, we are letting the leaven of the
Pharisees work in us. When we allow the finer forces of the
body to fulfill lust and appetite, we are letting the
leaven of Herod work to our undoing.
"Wherefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven,
neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with
the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (I Cor. 5:8).
letting go of the old--Erasing from consciousness thoughts
contrary to Truth. This is done by denial.
liberation--We are not to be liberated through suppression
of sense or by violent overcoming; but through a steady,
step-by-step demonstration over every error.
life--That expression of Being which manifests as
animation, activity, vigor. Life and substance are ideas in
Divine Mind. Life is the acting principle; substance is the
thing acted upon. In the phenomenal world, life is the
energy that propels all forms to action. Life is not in
itself intelligent; it requires the directive power of an
entity that knows where and how to apply its force in order
to get the best results.
In order to give man a body having life in itself, God had
to endow him with a focal life center, located in the
generative organs. This center of activity in the organism
is also the seat of sensation, which is the most subtle and
enticing of all factors that enter into being. But these
qualities (sensation and generation) are necessary to man's
character, and without them he would not be the complete
representative, or image and likeness, of God.
Life does not emanate from the mind; it is not a
Page 122
psychic or purely mental quality, nor does it spring from
the physical. Life is divine, spiritual, and its source is
God, Spirit. The river of life is within man in his
spiritual consciousness. He comes into consciousness of the
river of life through the quickening of Spirit. He can be
truly quickened with new life and vitalized in mind and
body only by consciously contacting Spirit. This contact is
made through prayer, meditation, and good works.
life, crown of--Living eternally in the presence of God.
Its attainment depends on the understanding of the science
of right thinking.
life, higher--The higher life is a higher state of mind. We
know it when we realize I AM the Son of God.
lifted up in consciousness--Resurrected. One who has
discovered the Truth of Being is raised, lifted up in
consciousness, resurrected daily out of his old,
subconscious, negative thought condition into the one
positive Reality.
light--The understanding principle in mind. In divine order
it always comes first into consciousness. Light is a symbol
of wisdom. When Jesus said, "I am the light of the world"
(John 8:12), He meant that He was the expresser of Truth in
all its aspects.
light, inner--The illumination of Spirit resident in the
center of every man's being.
lightning--Represents force, light, power. Jesus said,
"Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets:
I came not to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17); that
is, He came to demonstrate that natural and spiritual law
are one. He foresaw this very period when "the powers of
the heavens shall be shaken" (Matt. 24:29)--that is, the
mental realms were to be broken up--and He attributed this
phenomenon to the coming of the Christ as "lightning."
limitation--Thoughts in consciousness that are narrow or
restricted and which keep one in bondage to error. Belief
Page 123
in lack, illness, sin, or death are limitations in
consciousness.
lion--"And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not;
behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of
David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals
thereof" (Rev. 5:5). The lion symbolizes courage,
fearlessness, initiative, life. We must have the courage to
enter fearlessly into the overcoming life and into the
understanding of things. But courage alone will not do. We
must have reverence of spiritual things--a devotional
attitude--in order to receive spiritual inspiration. The
phrase, "of the tribe of Judah," bespeaks this reverential
nature and attitude.
lips, sinful--Lips that utter faultfinding words,
condemnatory words. The law is, "The lips of the wise shall
preserve them" (Prov. 14:3).
logic--(derived from the word Logos, which see). A rational
relation or connection between idea and expression. Logic
in its strictest sense is the only accurate method of
arriving at Truth. Any system of philosophy or religious
doctrine that does not admit of the rules of perfect logic
in reaching its conclusion from a stated premise, must be
outside the pale of pure reason and in the realm of
man-made dogma. Logic and Logos are almost synonymous
terms, and the highest scriptural authority tells us that
all things were made by the Word. Hence, the word of reason
or the reasonable word is the very foundation of the
universe. Therefore, to know accurately about the reality
of things we must disregard all appearances as indicated by
the five senses, and go into pure reason--the Spirit from
which was created everything that has permanent existence.
Logos--The Word of God; the divine archetype idea that
contains all ideas: the Christ, the Son of God, spiritual
man in manifestation. Divine Mind in action. This supreme
Page 124
idea is the creative power, the Christ consciousness
formulated by universal Principle.
Logos, law of the--The law of divine creation produces the
order and harmony of perfect thought. Law puts first things
first. It is a rule of action.
An understanding of the Logos reveals to us the law under
which all things are brought forth, the law of mind action.
Divine Mind creates by thought, through ideas.
Lord--The activity of the spiritual I AM as the ruling
consciousness. The Lord God of the Scriptures is Christ,
the Spiritual Man; our divine consciousness; the creative
power within us.
Lord, absence from--A state in which both mind and body are
functioning in carnality.
Lord is One, the--Oneness of thought and purpose in the
individual, as well as the one Presence and one Power--the
omnipotent good, which man must know and consider in his
contact with the world without. The principle of oneness
controls life.
Lord, wrath of the--(see wrath of God)
Lord's Prayer--A series of ideas illustrative of man's
relationship to his Creator.
Lord's Supper--(Matt. 26:26-30). Metaphysically, God's
covenant with mankind, through His perfect idea, Christ
Jesus. This compact was completed through Jesus' breaking
the bread and blessing the cup. The bread symbolizes
spiritual substance, or the body. The wine symbolizes the
blood of Jesus, or spiritual life.
We eat the body of Jesus by affirming the one spiritual
substance to be the substance of our body and we drink His
blood by affirming and realizing our oneness with the one
divine, omnipresent life of Spirit.
love--The pure essence of Being that binds together the
whole human family. Of all the attributes of God, love is
undoubtedly the most beautiful. In Divine Mind, love is the
power that joins and binds in divine harmony
Page 125
the universe and everything in it; the great harmonizing
principle known to man.
Divine love is impersonal; it loves for the sake of loving.
It is not concerned with what or who it loves, nor with a
return of love. Like the sun, its joy is in the shining
forth of its nature. "Love suffereth long, and is kind;
love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed
up" (I Cor. 13:4).
Love is an inner quality that sees good everywhere and in
everybody. It insists that all is good, and by refusing to
see anything but good it causes that quality finally to
appear uppermost in itself, and in all things.
Love is the great harmonizer and healer. Whoever calls on
God as Holy Spirit for healing is calling on divine love.
Divine love will bring your own to you, adjust all
misunderstandings, and make your life and affairs healthy,
happy, harmonious, and free, "Love therefore is the
fulfilment of the law" (Rom. 13:10).
luck--All things come about through law. Men sometimes
blindly keep the law or part of it for a time, and it works
for them. Not understanding the cause that produced their
success, they call it "luck" and build up a belief in
"chance."
lust of the flesh--Sense consciousness, which causes man to
be tempted. So long as he is ruled by the serpent of sense,
man is not fulfilling divine law. The activity of the
cleansing, refining process of Spirit is hindered in man
when he lets lustful desire enter the love consciousness.
Page 126
[Go forward to M ->]
[The Revealing Word]
[Charles Fillmore's Works] [Unity on the Web Home Page]
|