All Categories - Sharon Leman, C.S.Practitioner of Christian Science Healing

Get to Know God - a 28-day Project - Day 21

21/10/2013

God is Spirit
Day 21 – Inspiration

in·spi·ra·tion /in-spuh-rey-shuhn/ η: 1 an inspiring or animating action or influence. 2 something inspired, as an idea. 3 a result of inspired activity. 4 a thing or person that inspires. 5 Theology a) a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul. b) the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced. (To inspire is to fill with a quickening or exalting influence; to produce or arouse feeling, thought, or action.)

“There is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.” (NKJV, Job 32:8)

Contemplate that your “spirit” is a reflection of Spirit, God. Consider that everything you are inspired by comes from one quality or another and that this understanding is the “breath of the Almighty”. In other words, whatever inspires you is spiritual because it is from Spirit.

Awareness Exercise: Notice what the word “worship” means to you. Write down all the stuff that comes up regarding this word – good, bad, or indifferent. Now read this citation - “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (KJV, John 4:24) - and substitute the word “worship” for the following words: adore, are devoted to, respect, revere, honour. How does this change your view of the idea of worship? Think about babies, or kittens or puppies, - whatever gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Can you see that adoring God, Spirit, is inspiring and can influence your thought and action for good?

“All Truth is from inspiration and revelation, — from Spirit, not from flesh.” (Unity of Good by Mary Baker Eddy 46:3-4)

Stay tuned tomorrow for God is Spirit: Radiance

Get to Know God - a 28-day Project - Summary: God is Soul

21/10/2013

Summary: God is Soul

“Crowds of disheartened people ask, “Who can show us what is good?” Let Your brilliant face shine upon us, O Eternal One, that we may know the undeniable answer. You have filled me with joy, and happiness has risen in my heart, great delight and unrivaled joy, even more than when bread abounds and wine flows freely. Tonight I will sleep securely on a bed of peace because I trust You, You alone, O Eternal One, will keep me safe.” (The Voice, Ps. 4:6-8)

Reflection: Consider that trusting the Eternal, trusting your intuition will bring more peace, more joy, more happiness and delight and satisfaction than any material thing like food, drink, sex, shopping, video games, movies, etc., could ever bring. Have you ever imagined something good and then felt that goodness permeate your senses as if it was right there with you? It is our true spiritual sense that satisfies, and not the thing that we think brings it. Experiment throughout your day with tuning into your feelings about the things you are giving and receiving. Now remove the “things”. Can you still feel the sense without it?

Spiritual fact: “Soul has infinite resources with which to bless mankind, and happiness would be more readily attained and would be more secure in our keeping, if sought in Soul.” (SH 60:29-31)

“To an ill-attuned ear, discord is harmony; so personal sense, discerning not the legitimate affection of Soul, may place love on a false basis and thereby lose it. Science corrects this error with the truth of Love, and restores lost Eden. Soul is the infinite source of bliss: only high and holy joy can satisfy immortal cravings.” (Miscellaneous Writings 287:8-10, 12-13)

Get to Know God - a 28-day Project - Day 20

20/10/2013

God is Soul
Day 20 – Identity

i·den·ti·ty /ahy-den-ti-tee/ η: 1 the state or fact of remaining the same one or ones, as under varying aspects or conditions. 2 the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another. 3 condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is. 4 the state or fact of being the same one as described. 5 the sense of self, providing sameness and continuity, individuality, distinctiveness, uniqueness.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (KJV, Jer 29:11)

Contemplate God’s unvarying thoughts about us, of goodness, of all the qualities we have been exploring. Just as we, His/Her reflection, have been contemplating God as qualities, God, the primary Thinker, the Source of all good thought, knows perpetually who we are and holds that fact eternally. Think about Soul, the perfection of Being, as being the Source of your identity, rather than a limited sense of flawed personality.

Awareness Exercise: Imagine that your identity is composed of peace, and joy, inspiration and expression, and, strength and courage. Notice how knowing that the source of these qualities is not you, means that, at any time, if you should feel depleted, you can turn to the Source, whose unchangeable and eternal thoughts about you are constantly being imparted, and you can fill up with them. In other words, imagine God is like a gas pump supplying the gas and you are the car tank which requires a fill up. All you have to do is drive up to the pump and fill yourself up with God’s qualities by filling your awareness with God’s substance. Try it.

“Soul, or Spirit, is God, unchangeable and eternal; and man coexists with and reflects Soul, God, for man is God’s image.” (SH 120:4)

Tomorrow, we'll summarize God is Soul and begin exploring God is Spirit

Get to Know God - a 28 day Project - Day 19

19/10/2013

God is Soul
Day 19 - Harmony

har·mo·ny /hahr-muh-nee/ η: 1 agreement; accord; harmonious relations. 2 a consistent, orderly, or pleasing arrangement of parts; congruity. 3 Music. a. any simultaneous combination of tones. b. the simultaneous combination of tones, especially when blended into chords pleasing to the ear; chordal structure, as distinguished from melody and rhythm. c. the science of the structure, relations, and practical combination of chords. 4 an arrangement of the contents of the Gospels, either of all four or of the first three, designed to show their parallelism, mutual relations, and differences.

"The creation the prophet sees—the new earth—is radically different from the one everyone knows. At some deep level, everyone recognizes that the everyday world is not the world as God intends it; things are not the way they are supposed to be. But God will make everything new again. In that day, the painful past will recede and vanish. Unbridled joy and celebration will eclipse grief and sorrow… Long lives will be the norm. Peace will be secure without exception. God’s blessing will settle over all creation. Creation itself, with all its complexities, will be made new. No predator. No prey. Just peace and harmony throughout.” (The Voice, Isaiah 66:1)

Contemplate that the harmony spoken of in the above citation is not a future state, but is possible right here in the eternal now. Consider that when we are fully expressing joy or peace in any given moment, that it is not possible for grief and sorrow, conflict and hatred, to be present. In fact, grief and sorrow, and conflict and hatred are the absence of joy and peace.

Awareness Exercise: Become aware of what you are practicing. When you are faced with inharmonious thoughts and ideas in your workplace, with your friends, in your family, and in your own thoughts, be aware of what you do. Do you unwittingly or blatantly collude with the inharmony? Do you find yourself getting into a bad mood? Are you consciously or unconsciously affected by the inharmony? Do you protect yourself from the inharmony by refuting its so-called power?

“Harmony in man is as real and immortal as in music. Discord is unreal and mortal. If God is admitted to be the only Mind and Life, there ceases to be any opportunity for [inharmony]. When we learn in Science how to be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect, thought is turned into new and healthy channels, — towards the contemplation of things immortal and away from materiality to the Principle of the universe, including harmonious man.” (SH 276:14-24)

Next up, God is Soul: Identity

Get to Know God - a 28 day Project - Day 18

18/10/2013

God is Soul
Day 18 – Intuition

in·tu·i·tion /in-too-ish-uhn/ η: 1 direct perception of truth, fact, etc., independent of any reasoning process; immediate apprehension. 2 a fact, truth, etc., perceived in this way. 3 a keen and quick insight. 4 the quality or ability of having such direct perception or quick insight.

“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left. ” (NKJV, Isa 30:21)

Contemplate the idea that when we receive information in an intuitive way, that it is a direct communication from God, Soul. Consider the qualities that accompany the intuition. Do you feel inspired, uplifted, clear, certain, solid, a sense of grace?

Awareness Exercise: Recall a time in your life when you had a clear insight about what to do and acted on it. What was the outcome? Did things work out well? How did you feel about listening and acting on that intuition? Now, recall a time when you had a clear insight and didn’t act on it? What was the outcome? Did things work out poorly? How did you feel about disregarding that intuition? Compare the differences. Which one felt right?

“Angels. God’s thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality..." (SH 581:4-6)

Next we'll explore God is Soul: Harmony

Get to Know God - a 28 day Project - Day 17

17/10/2013

God is Soul
Day 17 - Grace

grace /greys/ η: 1 elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action: 2 a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment. 3 favor or goodwill, especially by a superior.

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:” (KJV, II Cor 9:8)

Contemplate that God is unchangeable and eternal; that S/He favours us, considers us His/Her adored children; loves us unconditionally; and that we are children of one common Parent, in and by which Father, Mother, and child are the divine Principle (God) and divine idea (Man), the divine “Us” – one in good, and good in One. (From Mis 18:17)

Awareness Exercise: Go somewhere quiet where you will not be disturbed and turn your thought to our Father/Mother/God as Soul, as harmonious, peaceful, graceful being. Really stretch into the feeling of these qualities. Is the feeling palpable to you? What you are experiencing is spiritual sense versus material sense. Note this well so that you can tap into it whenever you need to.

“When a hungry heart petitions the divine Father-Mother God for bread, it is not given a stone, — but more grace, obedience, and love.” (Mis 127:11-13)

We'll be checking out God is Soul: Intuition tomorrow; stay tuned!

Get to Know God - a 28 day Project - Summary: God is Principle

17/10/2013

Summary: God is Principle

“Lord God … may you be praised forever and ever! You are great and powerful, glorious, splendid, and majestic. Everything in heaven and earth is yours, and you are king, supreme ruler over all.” (GNT, I Chronicles 29:10, 11)

Reflection: Consider that all that is jarring and in conflict in life is the absence of principle. Now consider that bringing the presence of God as Principle, to our thought, - to whatever is out of order, - is always corrected and governed, harmonized and adjusted by the operation of divine Principle. Would you not feel the omnipotence of God as a present help in your life?

Spiritual fact: “Man lives by divine decree. He is created, governed, supported, and controlled in accord with the law of God. Law means or implies a rule that is established and maintained by power; that which possesses permanence and stability; that which is unchanging, unyielding, and continuous,—"the same yesterday, and today, and forever." The efficiency of law rests entirely in the power that enforces it. A law (so called) that is incapable of being enforced is not law and bears no relationship to law. God is the only creator, the only lawmaker. All the power, action, intelligence, life, and government in the universe belong to God and have always belonged to Him. He is the Supreme Ruler, and does not share His power with another.” (From an article entitled God’s Law of Adjustment by Adam H. Dickey, from the January 1916 © issue of The Christian Science Journal.)

“The Principle of Christianity is infinite: it is indeed God; and this infinite Principle hath infinite claims on man, and these claims are divine, not human; and man’s ability to meet them is from God; for, being His likeness and image, man must reflect the full dominion of Spirit — even its supremacy…” (Miscellaneous Writings by Mary Baker Eddy 16:9-14)

Get to Know God - a 28 day Project - Day 16

16/10/2013

God is Principle
Day 16 – Government

gov·ern·ment /guhv-ern-muhnt, ‐er-muhnt/ η: 1 the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states; direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc.; political administration: Government is necessary to the existence of civilized society. 2 the form or system of rule by which a state, community, etc., is governed: monarchical government; episcopal government. 3 the governing body of persons in a state, community, etc.; administration. 4 a branch or service of the supreme authority of a state or nation, taken as representing the whole. 5. the parliament along with the particular group of persons forming the cabinet at any given time.

“Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne … and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.” (KJV, Isa 9:7)

Contemplate what it would be like to be aware that good qualities such as law, order, justice, fairness, reliability, effectiveness, wisdom, and so on, are always present to guide, guard and govern us. How would that change the way you navigate your life? What would be the impact on your decisions?

Awareness Exercise: Think back to a time when you were in a difficult situation and didn’t know what to do. What role did your conscience play? What led you out of that situation? Even though it may have seemed as if it were circumstances, or an individual or individuals, what were the qualities that were present that guided, guarded and governed you?

“God has endowed man with inalienable rights, among which are self-government, reason, and conscience. Man is properly self-governed only when he is guided rightly and governed by his Maker, divine Truth and Love.” (SH 106:7)

Tomorrow, we'll summarize God is Principle and we'll start examining God is Soul

Get to Know God - a 28 day Project - Day 15

15/10/2013

God is Principle
Day 15 – Law

law /law/ η: 1 the principles and regulations established in a community by some authority and applicable to its people, whether in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognized and enforced by judicial decisi. 2 any written or positive rule or collection of rules prescribed under the authority of the state or nation, as by the people in its constitution. Compare bylaw, statute law. 3 the controlling influence of such rules; the condition of society brought about by their observance: maintaining law and order. 4 a system or collection of such rules. 5 the department of knowledge concerned with these rules; jurisprudence. 6 the body of divine commandments as expressed in the Bible or other religious texts.

Moses taught Ten Commandments (NKJV, Ex 20:3-17):

1)   You shall have no other gods before me
2)   You shall not make for yourself any graven image
3)   You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
4)   Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy
5)   Honour your father and your mother
6)   You shall not murder (kill)
7)   You shall not commit adultery
8)   You shall not steal
9)   You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour
10) You shall not covet

Jesus taught Two Commandments (NKJV, Matt 22:37-40):

1)   ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.
2)   ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

Contemplate the moral integrity these universal laws demand. What are the qualities you would be expressing if you followed them? Can you see how being obedient to them frees you to be happy, resourceful, purposeful?

Awareness Exercise: Consider how being obedient to thinking and acting in the ways directed by the commandments are a protection; how every time we think about God and God’s qualities (not just on the “sabbath”, or a designated day, but every day) we are learning about His/Her love for us; that when we are honoring our parents, we are honoring God. Consider how being angry and unkind is a form of murder by killing our own happiness or someone else’s; that when we make promises, and we are truthful and faithful and loving, this is true happiness and satisfaction; that “giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us.” (SH 79:31-32) Observe how always standing up for the good in others and ourselves, and not maligning them, is witnessing the truth of man in God’s image. And, finally, consider that God, being infinite Love, withholds nothing from His/Her children and therefore, there is no need to have something that belongs to someone else.

“God’s law is in three words, “I am All;” and this perfect law is ever present to rebuke any claim of another law.” (No and Yes by Mary Baker Eddy 30:11-13)

Get ready to explore tomorrow, God is Principle: Government

Get to Know God - a 28 day Project - Day 14

14/10/2013

God is Principle
Day 14 - Order

or·der [awr-der] η: 1 an authoritative direction or instruction; command; mandate. 2 a command of a court or judge. 3 the disposition of things following one after another, as in space or time; succession or sequence. 4 a condition in which each thing is properly disposed with reference to other things and to its purpose; methodical or harmonious arrangement.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Gen. 1:1, 3, 5, 26, 27, 31)

Contemplate that the order of being is God first, and Man as reflection. “Your mirrored reflection is your own image or likeness. If you lift a weight, your reflection does this also. If you speak, the lips of this likeness move in accord with yours. Now compare man before the mirror to his divine Principle, God.” (SH 515:25-29) Think about this in terms of the synonyms and qualities for God. If God is Love, is good, then Man, God’s likeness reflects this goodness, and so on.

Awareness Exercise: Throughout your day take note of the wonderful qualities you and others express. Applying the order of God first, Man as reflection, notice how the qualities you are observing in yourself and others had to first exist in God, Principle, before you or others could express them. Observing that we, as children, have similar physical features to our parents, now compare your spiritual qualities, to your Father/Mother/God.

“God, the divine Principle of man, and man in God’s likeness are inseparable, harmonious, and eternal. The Science of being furnishes the rule of perfection, and brings immortality to light. God and man are not the same, but in the order of divine Science, God and man coexist and are eternal. God is the parent Mind, and man is God’s spiritual offspring.” (SH 336:25 God)

Tune in tomorrow for God is Principle: Law

Sharon Leman

Sharon Leman has been studying and practicing Christian Science for over 14 years and in 2012 dedicated her life to responding to requests for prayer in service to God and mankind.

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