Sunday 2 January 2011

Weekly Bible Quote 133, School of Truth, read by Andre

My heart hath trusted in Him, and I am helped - (Ps 28:7)
With the help of the divine power within me I am successful

Have you undertaken some new work and are you nervous at the thought of it? Know that God is with you to help you - that your intelligence is part of the Divine Intelligence - and accept no thoughts of failure, let God be your guidance.

You should have the will to win, not to fail. To begin a task with courage and determination to succeed is half the battle. As long as you have the thought of failure in your mind you are likely to fail, so cling to the thought of success. As we think so we are, so we must think positively and constructively always.

Be enthusiastic about work. If you do not like it, change your thoughts about it and learn to like it. Bring confidence and energy to whatever task you have to do and trust in the Power of God within you to help you. Enthusiasm pays dividends, so be enthusiastic at all times.

The Path of Truth Vol. 57, No. 4, p. 239.

Weekly Bible Quote 132, School of Truth, read by Andre


Click to Play

Whoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith - (1 Jn 5:4)
I live my life on God's behalf

Being born of God is entirely a matter of acceptance, of attitude. Our Father holds us dear from the beginning but we must claim His love. This is the penalty and great promise of God's gift of free will.

God's presence in us, the "Christ", has overcome the world but for reasons that perhaps we never will understand, it must be demonstrated through the quality of free will we call faith. We can say only that it is a task we must do on God's behalf. The Master puts it thus: "God sent the Son into the world that the world might be saved through him."

So let us stop seeing our lives in terms of ourselves and see it rather as striving to fulfil God's purpose in us and for us. Our victory is His victory. Ridding ourselves of congesting self-awareness opens us to boundless fulfilment of all aspects of life.

The Path of Truth Vol. 56, No. 4, p. 221.

Weekly Bible Quote 131, School of Truth, read by Andre

The Law of God is in his heart - (Ps 37:31)
My whole being I commit to God

It is our will, our desire, our hunger, to achieve that drives us to great heights. Many people may have the same skills as we but it is the quality of our feeling that makes the difference. To be complete in our endeavours we need both head and heart.

This is even more true when we need God to express through us. We may have sufficient intellectual grasp of Him but we also need trust, the courage to act. Without these God remains an idea in our minds, maybe a beautiful and sincere one, but nevertheless only an idea.

Our Father says to us "You are my beloved child with whom I am well pleased.." And if we would truly be His heirs we must acknowledge Him in thought and feeling. It is Divine law. We must say with our whole being "I will put my trust in Him."

The Path of Truth Vol. 50, No. 5, p. 301.

Weekly Bible Quote 130, School of Truth, read by Andre

Peace! Be still! - (Mk 4:39)
I step back from fear and let God in

There come times when we ourselves have to dispel confusion. It is not that we have in an instant to conjure up the answer. Rather it is our certainty that the answer is present in the Mind and Soul of our Father, that if we clear our own mind and heart It will become apparent to us.

Anxiety, that niggling form of fear, is linked to our worldly condition of time. We fear that we are running out of time, that calamity will strike. But God's peace is utterly silent, is utterly motionless, is therefore utterly timeless. It is an act of the purest faith to step back from events unfolding before your eyes, to hand yourself and your world over to Him, to declare "Peace. Be still." Then you open your channels to Him, and His goodness flows into your mind, heart and affairs.

Truth is not for rationalists. It unfolds best before the silent courage which is faith.

The Path of Truth Vol. 50, No. 4, p. 246.

Weekly Bible Quote 129, School of Truth, read by Andre


Be strong in the Lord - (Eph. 6:10)
I do my share towards acquiring faith and God does the rest

Are you a timid person? Do you shrink from making new acquaintances and experiencing new conditions? If so, remember today's text and be strong in the Lord. His Spirit within you should give you the courage you need - but only if you have faith in it.

You may say that you have no faith and ask how you are to acquire it. The answer is, by behaving as if you have all the faith you need. Play the part of one who has absolute faith and see how it will help you. 'Assume the virtue if you have it not,' says Shakespeare, and it is good advice. Modern psychologists tell us the same thing.

Another thing you can do is to make an affirmation such as: My perfect faith casts out all fear. In your true being you are Spirit, and Spirit is perfect, so your faith must also be perfect. Therefore in the quoted words you are making a statement of Truth. Try to accept it as such and bring all Power into action.

We must be fearless and strong if life is to be the great adventure it should be.
The Path of Truth Vol. 57, No. 6, p. 357.

Weekly Bible Quote 128, School of Truth, read by Andre

Every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labour - (1 Cor 3:8)
I shall so work that my labour may be pleasing to you, Father

We shall be judged by what we have done rather than by what we have said. It is easy enough to talk but not always so easy to put what we say into practice.

It does not matter what our work is, we should put our best efforts into it, remembering that while we appear to be working for man or for ourselves we are really working for God if we are working well. And does He not deserve the best we have to offer - He Who does so much for us and Who gave us life itself? If we do our best we shall receive our reward though that should not be our reason for doing it. Anything less than our best is not fit to be offered as a gift to Him.

George W. Ballinger says: "How much easier our work would be if we put forth as much effort trying to improve the quality of it as most of us do trying to find excuses for not properly attending to it."

The Path of Truth Feb. 2009, p. 17.

Weekly Bible Quote 127, School of Truth, read by Andre

You must be perfect - (Mt 5:48)
I accept God's wholeness in mind, heart and deed

Many great thinkers are of the view that man and nature itself strive to move in a certain direction because there is a goal or place of stability at the end of such striving. Perfection may lie infinitely distant from us but there is no reason why we should not move towards it, contemplate it, occupy it in heart and mind as we would an ideal room or house.

In times of great distress do not join the tumult, do not engage with the factors you imagine make up your predicament. Rather step back entirely from the situation and enter the Wholeness which is truly your home, where you are enfolded in protecting arms, where all fear is banished, where all is well.

It does not help us to regard the solution to our problems as in a time and place other than where we are now. Reality is within us. Perfection is within us. We accept it, make of it our own in heart and mind, and pass it on in our speech, our actions, our body and our affairs.

The Path of Truth Feb/Mar 2003, p. 39.

Weekly Bible Quote 126, School of Truth, read by Andre


 
Who is he that will harm you? - (Peter 3:13)
I know that God goes with me along the Path of Truth and I have nothing to fear

You will certainly in the course of your lifetime here on earth meet someone or something that will try to harm you, but Omnipotence which knows no negation is ever with you.

You do not need to protect yourself from, or to take issue with, any form of evil for there is no God- and something else, no Presence in the entire world but His which upholds and blesses all of His creation.

Who is it that watches over the lemming on the snow, that marks the fall of each weary sparrow, and guides, protects and companions every man alive? It is your Heavenly Father, who is nearer to you than hands and feet, closer than your very breath. He is your Rock and your Refuge and there is no one who can deny Him or oppose His Will of All-good, which is ever active for every single entity that He has made.

Believe, accept and KNOW that He is an ever-present help, then live in this awareness each day.

The Path of Truth Sep/Oct 2009, p. 229.

Weekly Bible Quote 125, School of Truth, read by Andre


And this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith - (1 John 5:4)
I give thanks that the message of Truth is today revealed
in the minds and hearts of all men

Today, as I turn my thoughts inwards, I realise with gratitude the eternal love and power of the Spirit of God indwelling me. As I think of the Christ and His Message to mankind, I am uplifted in the thought that the same Presence which was in Him, is also in me and all my fellowmen.

The power of God made manifest through Him, is my assurance that I am mightier than circumstance, and give to the Master the honour for showing me the Way. Within me is born this day a new sense of confidence and courage, and a deeper realisation of the omnipotence of Love.

Knowing that the Father, the Christ, and I are ONE and that He promised that the works He did I could do, and even greater, I now consciously go forward realising that within me is the Power constantly sustaining, guiding and blessing me. And for the inspiration of this knowledge I offer my sincere gratitude and reverence to the beloved Christ.

The Path of Truth Jul/Aug 2009, p. 177.

Weekly Bible Quote 124, School of Truth, read by Andre


Let every man be swift to hear; slow to speak, slow to wrath - (James 1:19)
I strive to have an open mind, a considerate tongue and a peaceable nature


It is surprising how much we can learn when we really listen and how much we gain by trying to understand what others have to convey. It is not necessary for us always to be on our toes, ready with a swift and pertinent response, for this means that we are more interested in our own reactions than in the speaker. The angry retort, the hasty judgment, the careless advice, can all be avoided by pausing for a little reflection. When we allow things to sink in before passing comment often there is no conflict, only agreement.

Ponder the deeper significance of a friend's outpouring of confidence and gain time to assimilate the facts and then you will be able to offer the counsel he is seeking or the comfort he needs. To be a good listener requires participation and is an active, not a passive, function.

This pausing, this weighing up, this refusal to react in a negative emotional way inevitably makes one 'slow to wrath' and engenders a more balanced and tolerant attitude.

The Path of Truth Jul/Aug 2010, p. 230.

Weekly Bible Quote 123, School of Truth, read by Andre

The riches of the kingdom are mine and I accept them through love and faith
What a pity it is that we do not all FEEL that the above text is so. Many of us agree mentally with it but when it comes to putting our knowledge into practice, some of us fail. If we are suffering from lack, for instance, we may not be able to accept that all that we need is already ours, and that it is for us to use our faith to bring it from the spiritual realm into manifestation.

God is all love, all goodness, all truth, all wisdom, and all power, and what He is we, potentially, are. Today's text tells us so. What are we to do to enable us to accept it not only mentally but emotionally? We must increase our faith by making use of what we have, however little it may seem to be. We must put it into practice.

If we are poor we must learn to regard God as our source of supply. If we are not manifesting perfect health we must know that we are one with Him in Whom no sickness is - and so with all good things.

The Path of Truth Mar/Apr 2009, p. 87

Weekly Bible Quote 122, School of Truth, read by Andre


Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall
be added unto you - (Matt. 6:33)
Thank you for having provided all things to me, Father, and help me
to deserve your goodness


The Christ, in these words, told people that they should put first things first - the things of the Spirit before the things of the flesh. If they would do that their material needs would be supplied.

There is nothing lacking in God's kingdom, and it is ours to claim whenever we live according to His laws. And the greatest of all laws is that of love; for if we obey the law of love in every detail of our daily lives we can not violate any of the other laws. To live according to the laws is to know true joy.

We all want the good things of life, but we must deserve them by putting the ideals of goodness, truth, and beauty before all else. These should be of more importance in our lives than the things of the flesh - more important than trying to amass great riches, or becoming famous in the eyes of the world, or holding some high position in life. We must put God first.

The Path of Truth ; May/Jun 2009, p. 124.

Weekly Bible Quote 121, School of Truth, read by Andre

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed - (Ps 9:9)
Thank you, Father, for setting me free from my burden

There are those of us who think we have handed over our troubles and problems to God and who think we have faith, but who prove that this is not so by continuing to worry. Anyone who really trusted God would not worry - he would not take the burden back having once handed it over.

Certainly we must do what we can to help ourselves. We cannot expect God to do for us those things we are well able to do for ourselves. But if, having done all we can to extricate ourselves from the muddle we have made of things, we still cannot find a solution to our problems, then let us hand them over to God in faith and wait for His aid. He has told us to go to Him if we are heavy laden, and He will give us rest.

The Spirit of all wisdom, all power, and all knowledge is within us. Let us take our troubles to It when they become unbearable. But we must go in love and faith, giving thanks that our needs are already met in His perfect way.

The Path of Truth Nov/Dec 2009, p. 289.

Weekly Bible Quote 120, School of Truth, read by Andre


Love one another - (John 15:12)
Because I know that God loves me, I pass on that love to all mankind

This text is a short and entirely unequivocal directive, yet one that is by no means easy to follow.

Everyone in the course of his daily round meets all sorts of people; some he instantly likes, to some he is wholly indifferent, others he cordially detests. Some, out of the kindness of their hearts, go out of their way to help him and to promote his welfare; others seem to take a delight in obstructing him and even undermining him. His reactions to these various types cannot be identical. Some are bound to be positive - grateful and appreciative, others negative - embittered and resentful, but the command does not discriminate. What, then, is the average man to do?

Quite simply he is to realise that there is an enormous difference between human affection and spiritual love: the one follows upon individual choice, the other responds to the risen awareness that knows that all men are one and that "ye owe no man anything but love."

The Path of Truth Mar/Apr 2010, p. 104.

Weekly Bible Quote 119, School of Truth, read by Andre


For freedom Christ has set us free - (Gal. 5:1)
God's power is my power

How wonderful it would be to be entirely free from fear - and we shall be when we have perfect faith in the Christ Presence within us.

What can we not accomplish when we know that the power of God is also our power to use as we will. We are indeed masters then, and not slaves to circumstances or to other people or to anything at all. God has given us minds, creative minds, which enable us to be what we want to be.

Are you dominated by some person or persons? If so, remember it is your oneness with the Spirit which sets you free. Use the divine Power to break your chains. We are meant to work out our own salvation - to make our own mistakes if we must, but to learn from them and make progress. Knowledge of our unity with God who is All-power sets us free from fear.

The Path of Truth Vol. 60 No. 3, p. 177.

Weekly Bible Quote 118, School of Truth, read by Andre


Be ye kind, one to another - (Eph 4:32)
Let me show brotherly love to all men

You may feel that it is not easy to be kind to everyone, and probably it is not. If people are unpleasant to us the natural reaction is to pay them back in their own coin, but that is not the way to behave. It is not according to the teachings of the Christ.

The people who seem to be unlovable are probably those who most need kindness. These may be the unattractive ones who do not draw others to them. Possibly if someone took the trouble to show them some affection it might alter their outlook. Love warms the heart and brings out the best in people.

Maybe you know someone who seems to give out love to everyone. It shines through his eyes and you always feel better for having met him, do you not?

Look for something to like in those you meet. If we want to criticise we can usually pass judgement, but we should look for the good in others - expect the good from them - and so help to bring it forth.

The Path of Truth ; Vol. 59 No. 2, p. 110.

Weekly Bible Quote 117, School of Truth, read by Andre

Wise men store up knowledge - (Prov 10:14)
I trust God to reveal the solution

When human judgement fails, as sooner or later it will, and our plans don't turn out the way that we hoped, our first reaction may be stubbornly to try to work out "what went wrong?" or "who is to blame?" and thereby to convince ourselves that our correct choices unjustly received the wrong results.

But this is the time to let go of the little "wisdom of men". In your quiet communion forgive yourself for trying to proceed without Spirit. Forgive yourself for thinking that someone or something could stop Divine destiny from unfolding for you. Good always works on your behalf if you are willing to let It. All-knowing always reveals to you how to get back on track.

These experiences accumulate in you as true Wisdom. As your path of Truth unwinds through the hills and valleys of life, it leaves you a more adept traveller, a better steward of God.

The Path of Truth Vol. 56 No. 3, p. 160.