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Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Faith and/or Works

A long standing debate has been whether faith or works is our Christian requirement. The brother of Jesus, James, stressed works, works that grew out of our faith. Paul stressed faith in the resurrection as the necessary way to go.

Metaphysics focuses on Presence and Principle. Presence is our personal relationship with the Divine. We feel, know God. Principle is the impersonal, the Laws that work the same for all, and therefore we need to learn them and get in harmony with them, whether gravity or karma.

I was thinking of a pair that also works for me - Presence and Practice.  

The experience of The Presence is vitally important to me. It is precious. It is real treasure. It is almost urgent I think for people to spend study and quiet time to develop the mind and heart that are receptive to The Presence of God. Weary people scurry this and that way trying to fill an aching and hungry heart with things that can never satisfy. Things of this world are fun and great to have, decorations for our lives. But our hunger is for that which cannot be bought and sold. "Seek  ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you."

For me, the spiritual path is not  only  about cultivating the heartset and mindset that lead us to be receptive to The Presence. It is about implementing Jesus' To Do List. The more we are awake in The Presence, the more effective we will be in our Practice. But we can start wherever we are. We don't need to wait until we are totally enlightened.

Reading the earliest Gospel, Mark, thoroughly and then the second, Matthew and the third, Luke (that is the chronological order of their writing), look for our To Do List.

You may find such things as: love God, love your neighbor, forgive, be generous, break bread with all kinds of people, etc.

If we just implemented this short list, the entire world would change for the better (just imagine if we took all of The To Do List as ours). And all of us would grow spiritually too and be able to be more and more aware of The Presence. I see it as reciprocal. The Presence and The Practice are in relationship and strengthen one another.

Sometimes I get discouraged by the state of people on our planet, but then I see the possibility of what it could be if enough people took on Jesus ' To Do List. We can do our best. Let's go for it together.

I come to this day ready to know You God. Open my very being to You. Lead me to awaken to Your Presence. And grant me the vision and the courage to implement Jesus' To Do List. Starting this very day, I set my life more fully than ever  before on Your Path. 

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