This is something I work on all the time. How do I identify myself as the child of God? Sometimes I get caught up in the idea that I’d like to change those around me. If only they would change the world would be a better place. Well, I have discovered that is not how we make the world a better place. I love this quote below; it says it all. Everything starts with the individual and flows out from there. We need to set an example, that is how we change things. “…work out your own salvation…”
(Phil. 2: 2,5,11-15) “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;”
We are all the children of God, but many of us are not acting that way. At one point in time, I know I was not demonstrating my identity as a child of God’s. I still have a hard time maintaining 100% of the time. It is hard not to be distracted by the things I see and hear around the world. I have been known to stomp my foot and say “NO” out loud when I get too far off the path.
God did not create any wimps, so I am strong and have whatever it takes to get back on the path. It took me a while to learn that. I used to think of myself a weak and not strong enough to save myself, but I have since learned how to identify myself as the image and likeness of a good God.
Another word that defines God is Mind. Since he is my source, that means that I am intelligent, He did not create ignorance. God is also the source of all Love, and I reflect that love by loving my neighbor and my enemy. God is Spirit, and that means that his creation is spiritual and eternal, not material. There is nothing in Spirit out of which matter could be created, “like products like.”
Here is a quote from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mrs. Eddy that gives a logical explanation to the above:
“Question. — What is the scientific statement of being?
“Answer. — There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual.” (SH 468:8, 9)
I know that it is hard to grasp that we are spiritual, and it took me many years before I was able to demonstrate it. It is that point of view (POV) thing I have written about before. It is all a matter of how you look at things. I certainly prefer the spiritual POV. I have learned if I hold my thought on that POV, then things change for the better. It took me a while to realize that this world we live in IS God’s creation. If we look at it from the mortal POV, we see nothing but flaws, but if we look at it from God’s POV, then we see his flawless creation. It is hard to maintain that POV, with the many distractions that try to gain our attention.
This material world is always screaming at us that it is real, and we cannot have the harmony of God’s creation. That is not so; we can demonstrate peace. I have. After a childhood of abuse, my life was a mess, and it is hard for me now to remember all the chaos. And my peace is all due to learning how to see the world from God’s point of view. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Jesus only saw the world from God’s POV and, God sent Jesus to show us the way.
In Job, he says, “there is a spirit in man; and the inspiration of the almighty giveth them understanding.” Gives them understanding, no charge, he giveth it. I always thought the understanding was up to me and my human intellectual capacity, wrong. As I mentioned above, our intelligence comes from God. When our thought is prepared, He reveals the understanding to us.
Following is an excerpt from my book. It is about Mark, a young man I worked with. The company had put in a new computer system which he didn’t like, and he became almost impossible to work with.
“His cubicle was right outside my office door, so I could hear everything he said. He was rude to the customers, which bothered me. Some customers would even try to get me to take their order. Sometimes I would, if it was a product I knew about. I was not technical, so for a lot of the product lines, I could not be of help.
One day it really got to me. He was rude, slamming the phone on the counter, and saying rude things that I knew the customer heard because as far as it appeared, he had not put the phone on hold, but I could have been wrong.
I turned to God to get me through this. I closed my office door, took my Bible from my desk drawer, opened it at random, and put my finger on the page. That was something I did a lot, and it always helped.
What I read was, “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.” Ps 37:37. My God, I almost laughed. Now I know it did not mean Mark as a man’s name, but it meant to see the perfect man. That was all I needed to read. I was not seeing Mark correctly. I had to change my perception of who he was. Well, that few minutes in my office did not change Mark, but it did change me. His behavior no longer disturbed me.”
So, you see when I changed my point of view the situation changed. I was now at peace and behaving like God’s child. It was not up to me to change him. I was working out my salvation, not his, that is up to him.
I was wondering why God saw a need to send Jesus when it came to me that all through the old testament, we, mankind, were not getting it. If we were, we would not need Jesus. I am sad to say, for the most part, many of us are still not getting it, but I have faith in mankind, it may not happen in my lifetime, but sooner or later there will be peace on earth.
Did you ever realize that human life, as depicted in the Bible, was created in five different ways? First by the Word of God, second by the dust of the ground, third by a rib, forth by an egg, and fifth by self-conscious communion with God, in the virgin birth of Jesus. Does it make you wonder, which is the real child of God? Of course, we all know Jesus is, but of the others which one are we? 😉
Out of Darkness, Into the Light 